4b WHITE—A Sketch of the Life of Samuel White. 



with his open countenance and manly bearing, as well as with, 

 his quiet and unobtrusive demeanour. Owing to this man's 

 superior intelligence I was able to gain much information 

 about many things, the prau in which this man has to make a 

 voyage of twelve or fourteen weeks' duration, was a strange 

 looking craft forward, for one fourth of her length she was 

 low — not two feet from the water, she then rose abruptly to 

 more than three times that height, which was carried on to her 

 stern, on each quarter about eighteen inches from the water, 

 was a square hole, through which rudders projected into the 

 water, which were worked from inside. 



The next day being Sunday, the yacht remained at 

 anchor, and all hands remained on board. There was plenty 

 of amusement all day, for the craft was full of natives of all 

 kinds from daylight till dark. Several of the native teachers 

 came off dressed in their best, and one, a tall and rather intel- 

 ligent man, could speak a little Dutch, and he told mv father 

 that there were four islands in a line from South to Xorth. — 

 Tragan, Watali. Maykor, and another small island round the 

 North end of Maykor. There was plenty of trade offered. One 

 man bartered four pearls for 2,800 rupees. Other items for 

 sale were tortoise shell, birds nests, cocoannts, eggs, fowls, 

 parrots, pigeons, paradise pinnies, etc., etc., very long prices 

 were asked for everything., and money was the trading article. 

 Ten plumes were purchased for 20 shillings each. Several 

 more were offered, but were refused, 10/ and 18/ each for 

 them. The saloon was crowded with natives for hours, but no 

 attempt was made to thieve, nor was anything lost, they were 

 remarkably well behaved, but as previously mentioned, great 

 beggars. Some wanted salt, some tobacco, some soap, whilst 

 others wanted a little of everything, and all clamoured for 

 grog. Amongst the visitors was a merchant, connected with 

 the trading prau, a slight and sickly yellow man, with a few 

 light clothes around him. He was accompanied by his wife 

 and two children. The lady had a piece of coloured calico 

 thrown loosely round her, the children were better dressed, a 

 little girl of eight' or nine years, having a clean loose frock of 

 coloured calico drawn around the neck, and the other, a chub- 

 by-faced boy of ten or eleven years, wore a white calico shirt, 

 and pyjamas, with a blue calico head dress. The 

 wife and children were a warm dark brown , the wife 

 being most, likely an Aru woman. It seemed the universal 

 custom to shake hands. The little girl appeared first, and 



