THE KINGSMILL ISLANDERS. 95 



we had met during our cruise. Kirby mentioned, that they had had 

 no war on the three islands where he was resident, for upwards of 

 five years. This may be partly owing to the difficulty of fitting out 

 expeditions to attack the other islands, and the hazard of communi- 

 cating with those islands of which they have a knowledge. 



Another custom is remarkable : when a fisherman arrives with a 

 well-loaded canoe, his neighbours assemble around him, selecting 

 and taking away such as they please, leaving the owner nothing in 

 return but the satisfaction of knowing, that on a similar occasion he 

 has a like privilege to help himself. Custom has so far sanctioned 

 this habit of appropriating things belonging to another, that, accord- 

 ing to Kirby, they have no term to designate a poor man, except that 

 of slave. Any one who owns land can always call upon others to 

 provide him with a house, canoe, and the necessaries of life ; but one 

 who has none is considered as a slave, and can hold no property 

 whatever. 



The courtesies of life with them are few, and the want of them 

 probably arises from their privilege of making use of what belongs to 

 another as their own. Their salutations on meeting are confined to 

 simple inquiries, " Where are you going ?" or, " Whence do you 

 come ?" The rubbing of noses is only practised on special occasions. 

 On meeting a chief, the other natives leave the path and stand aside 

 until he passes, but make no gestures or expression of obeisance. 

 This same mark of respect is also rendered to all the women by the 

 other sex. 



They are said to be kind and affectionate to their children, and to 

 indulge them in every thing; they never punish them even for the 

 most insolent and passionate behaviour, only using kind and affec- 

 tionate words : this may account for the rude treatment that was 

 observed to be in practice among the natives of Drummond's Island 

 towards our gentlemen as well as their conduct towards each other. 

 There is, however, no want of attention to the aged who are not able 

 to provide for themselves ; and those who neglect their old relations 

 are held in little respect. The aged enjoy much consideration, and, as 

 I have before stated, great respect is paid to them in council. 



More consideration is awarded to the female sex than has been ob- 

 served in any of the other groups. All the hard labour is performed 

 by the men, whose employment consists in building the houses and 

 canoes, catching fish, collecting and bringing home the produce of 

 their plantations, and attending to the cultivation of the taro, in which 



