THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 77 



As it turned out they were all drenched to the centres of 

 their cartridges, but they were most of them thoroughly wet a ne 

 pouvoir plus, beforehand so it did not much signify. It appeared 

 that when they reached the river, which is some 20 or 30 

 yards wide, they wished to cross it. There was a canoe on 

 the other side, and Davison, in an excess of politeness, took off 

 his clothes, swam across and brought it for them. The Geolo- 

 gist, D., and I believe another, got into it and paddled happily 

 to the deepest part of the stream, where the canoe, old and 

 rotten, quietly subsided. Somehow they got safely to land, but 

 though several of the natives dived time after time and recovered 

 the only missing gun, they had to mourn the loss of many 

 cherished little belongings, hunting knives, &c, and their whole 

 stock of ammunition rendered unserviceable for the moment. 



The rain lasted about two hours ; its violence gradually decreas- 

 ing after the first quarter of an hour. As it ceased I emerged, 

 nearly stifled from my hut, and was soon on the beach where 

 I met the indomitable Philosopher, wearing such a pitiously 

 drowned-rat appearance that my spirits revived immediately. 

 He was obviously seriously displeased at my cheerful frame 

 of mind, and when he learnt that not only I but all my native 

 followers had been comfortably ensconced in perfect shelter 

 during the whole storm, his indignation was indescribable, his 

 spectacles flashed fire, and conscious-stricken I was compelled 

 to confess the baseness of my conduct. Then his brows relaxed, 

 a Pickwickian smile illumined his countenance, and he proposed 

 that we should drink to brighter days in brandy and cocoanut 

 milk. 



Such cocoanuts they were too; bigger than a lo-inch shell; 

 brim full of such nectar, so sweet, so refreshing. We drank, 

 and were at peace. 



But Dr. Palseontologus was nevertheless miserably wet, and 

 his gun could not possibly go off, and I was tired too, and 

 none of the rest were to be seen anywhere, though we had 

 been some eight hours on shore, and so we determined to go on 

 board. We soon found the canoe hauled up on the beach, but 

 Captain Long and Captain Short were nowhere to be seen. 

 However in a Nicobarese hut into which we mounted we found 

 the former, and intimated to him our desire to return. " Vare 

 good" he said "You go ship, I come by by." Of course we 

 were likely to get through surf ten feet high and fifty feet 

 wide in that half reed of a thing by ourselves. We remon- 

 strated, explained that it was for service of this nature that he 

 was brought and paid (and very handsomely too, 51bs. tobacco 



