ELLICE'S AND KINGSMILL GROUP. 



41 



made of the pandanus-leaf, was about eight inches wide, and ten feet 

 long, and was fringed on each side, which increased its width. The 

 coarser girdle was worn, and attached to it were slips of pandanus- 

 leaf, a foot long, dyed red, by way of ornament, which at a distance 

 had the appearance of ribands. 



One of the men was a petty chief, and was held in respect by his 

 companions. There was another, whose costume was very peculiar : 

 around the head and waist he had a strip of pandanus-leaves, which 

 was so arranged as to form a series of points. The attitudes of these 

 natives were equally singular : one of these is represented in the 

 wood-cut. 



COSTUME, ELLICE'S GROUP. 



They had no other weapons but spears and knives, and seemed to 

 be equipped for a fishing-party, from the implements they had with 

 them. Some rolls of sennit were bought, and lanje wooden shark- 

 hooks. Their spears were only poles of cocoanut-wood, pointed at 

 one end ; and their knives made of small shark's teeth, inserted into 

 a stick with gum and fine seimit, and are about a foot long. 



It was soon found that they understood the Samoan language, and 

 spoke a purely Polynesian dialect. The Samoan native easily con- 



VOL. V. 11 



