120 TiMEHRI. 



large houses, whose owner happened to be absent at 

 the time, was assigned to us for our use. 



In the part of the settlement furthest from the river, 

 where the greater number of houses was situated, it was 

 somewhat of an experience for me to find myself an objeft 

 of special curiosity — if not of dread — to the younger 

 members of the community, who before we had emerged 

 from the forest, had been engaged in some game, their 

 voices being heard from a distance in a loud, but by no 

 means unpleasant, chant, mingled with clapping of hands 

 and the sound of whistles, etc. My advent was the 

 signal for an immediate stampede, and during the whole 

 of my stay, they were hidden away behind the bushes, 

 evidently peeping, for as I changed places, they 

 dodged about accordingly. Of the older people, some 

 remained to receive us ; but the others, and chiefly the 

 women, both young and old, walked quietly and quickly 

 away to the back of the houses. 



It was noticeable, however, that on the next day they 

 were much less shy. The younger people, though again 

 in hiding, yet laughed and talked aloud to each other so 

 as to be heard, while a few remained in sight, but always 

 at a distance. Possibly this was the result of my having 

 given a few biscuits and a bright four-penny piece to a 

 sick boy whom I had found the day before in one of the 

 houses, and showing him the details of my bush-knife 

 with all its various parts of saw, file, punch, corkscrew, 

 measure etc., and also the mechanism of the breech- 

 loader and the cartridges, and the use to which an empty 

 cartridge could be put in producing a very loud and 

 clear whistle. No doubt in a day or two, to judge from 

 their increase of friendliness, we should all have been 



