1881.] Mr. de Roepstorff on the Nicoharese. 9 



some two miles off. We had brought a Nicobar man from Camorta, and 

 after describing to him what we wanted to do, he was allowed to go ashore 

 with the two who had come off, and who were engaged as our guides. 



In the cool of the evening some of the ship's officers and I landed at 

 the village. It consists of 7 or 8 houses, and lies to the north of a creek. 

 Our Camorta guide met us on landing, helplessly drunk ; he was boisterous 

 and tried to contradict and counteract us in everything. We found the 

 whole village in mourning, and outside the first house we entered we found 

 the usual sacrifices to the spirits, consisting of cocoanut shells, pandanus bread, 

 troughs and other things belonging to women, which were broken, cut up, and 

 destroyed, which indicated that the sacrifice was for a woman, and so it was, for 

 a woman had died while the men were out at our ship. There she lay still 

 and peaceful, as if she were sleeping. Friends and relatives had assembled 

 and brought gifts of cloth, which were stacked up beside her ; they put 

 silver bangles on her feet and arms. They were very quiet, but their grief did 

 not however, prevent them from being curious as to what we wanted, what 

 we had brought with us, and what we were going to take away. They were 

 rather disappointed at my assuring them that our visit was solely intended to 

 open out communications with the Shom-Bengs (or Pengs). They all 

 assured me that they were in this neighbourhood, and the two men who 

 came off in the morning promised to go up with us, and so also did a woman 

 and her husband who knew them well. 



While we were in the village the corpse was moved to* a larger house 

 and the crying over the dead commenced. Although they all were very 

 much concerned in the mourning, I must say, that they were very hospita- 

 ble. We were offered seats and young cocoanuts, and some men and women 

 remained to entertain us. The whole place was however as if quite taken 

 up with the dead, and I was heartily glad to get on board again. 



A restless fever night made me rather doubtful whether I could under- 

 take the expedition in the morning. Captain Simpson, of the " Constance," 

 kindly offered to come with me, and, with some refreshments packed 

 up, a dry suit, and a bag with presents, we started. At daybreak we landed 

 at Laful. No one was to be seen, but after a while our Camorta man 

 turned up, sober and very sorry (so he said) for his behaviour over night. 

 I warned him that if he would make that good, he must get hold of our 

 second guide (one I had kept on board during the night), and in a few 

 minutes we were off. We entered the creek, and as there is a surf the canoe 

 was sent round first. Just inside the surf we got in and, with three Nico- 

 barese to paddle, started. No scenery can compare as far as I have seen the 

 world, with the luxuriance, beauty and solemnity of the creeks in these 

 islands. They are generally land-locked and the most absolute silence 

 reigns. The light-green mangrove with its many roots in the salt and 



