THE COMPLETED ATOLL. 275 



repeated the rubbing of noses and the howling; and the mo- 

 ment the captain attempted to leave his side, he set up again 

 a most piteous howl, and repeated in a tremulous tone, "Nofo 

 ki lalo, mataku au," " Sit down, I am afraid." While thus 

 in fear of us, they showed a great desire that their dreaded 

 visitors should depart; some pointed to the sun, and asked 

 by their gestures about our coming thence, or hinted to us to 

 be off again. 



But with all their reverence toward their mysterious guests, 

 they became after awhile quite familiar, and took advantage 

 of every opportunity to steal from us. Our botanist gave his 

 collecting-box to one of them to hold, and, the moment his 

 back was turned, off the native ran, and a hard chase was re- 

 quired to recover it — a most undignified run on the part of 

 the celestial. 



While the men wore the maro, the equivalent of tight-fit- 

 ting breeches six inches or less in length, the women were at 

 tired in a simple bloomer costume, consisting solely of a petti- 

 coat or apron, twelve to eighteen inches long, made of a large 

 number of slit cocoanut leaves, and kept well oiled. Besides this 

 they had on, as ornaments, necklaces of shell or bone. The girls 

 and boys were dressed au naturel, after the style in the garden 

 of Eden. These primitive fashions, however, were not peculiar 

 to the group, being in vogue also in other parts of the Pacific. 



As a set-off against the geographical ignorance of these 

 islanders, we may state that Captain Hudson and the best 

 map-makers of the age knew nothing of the existence of Bow- 

 ditch Island. until he discovered it; and from him comes the 

 name it bears, given in honor of the celebrated author of 

 " Bowditch's Navigator " as well as of the translation of La- 

 place's Mecanique Celeste. 



The annexed plate — also from Wilkes's Narrative, Vol. V. 



