156 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [June, 



Should an European they know be at his meals, and they are allow- 

 ed to come inside the room, he has but little chance of concluding 

 in peace. They mount the chairs, get on to the table, look at, and 

 often touch everything. One will say to another, that piece is 

 mine, and so on, in fact they apportion out everything amongst 

 themselves, and watch with much interest all that is eaten. If he 

 does not soon cease, remarks become more severe. " What a greedy 

 man he is !" " He will eat everything, leaving us nothing," and 

 so on. If he drinks any liquor, they consider most of the "grog" 

 as they term it, should be theirs.* 



Their language is very deficient in words, and the different tribes 

 have distinct dialects. So much is this the case, that the inhabitants 

 of the Little Andamans are unable to understand those of the South 

 Andamans. Now many English and Hindustani words are begin- 

 ning to be incorporated with their language. As for numerals, they 

 are entirely absent, a necessity for them has not as yet been per- 

 ceived by these people, so when they talk of having taken quanti- 

 ties or numbers of anything, it is impossible to have any idea of 

 their meaning, and what still more increases this difficulty is, that 

 in framing an answer, they often do so from the question, almost 

 repeating the same words. This has perhaps led to their being 

 considered more untruthful than they really are. Thus being asked, 

 if it is true that a wreck has occurred, they will probably say it 

 has, and perhaps it has, at some period long past. 



They divide the day into three portions, sunrise, midday, sunset, 

 recognising no subdivisions. In like manner, the year with them has 

 three seasons -.first, the dry, ea-ra-bodilin, or Northern sun, a period 

 which extends from February to May : secondly, the rainy goo-mo-lin, ' 

 being from June until September : and thirdly, the moderate season, 

 JPa-pa-lin, lasting from October to January. 



they can lay their hands upon. Secreting articles is not looked upon as a 

 wrong deed, but as cleverness by these people. 



* Being asked one day how the owner of the dinner was to live, if they de- 

 prived him of what was his food, they were very ready with an answer, 

 observing, If we poor people want fish we must catch it, if we require pigs we 

 must kill them, if we wish for a hut we must build it, but it is not so with you. 

 You never built the house you live in, you did not make the furniture, grow 

 your rice, catch your fish, kill your mutton or even cook your food. You call to 

 some one to bring you what you want and it comes, so if we eat all this, you 

 have only to call for more. They thus finished the argument, and almost hh 

 rapidly consumed all the (bod. 



