SEEWAI REPORTS OUR BOATS* 293 



in groups. The Erroobians sprang forward to 

 receive us with shouts of delight ; and two of my 

 fair friends, Moggoora and Boodha, instantly ran 

 to take me by the arms, a proceeding that greatly 

 astonished some of the strangers when we walked 

 up to them. An old Tood lady 1 thought would never 

 cease her exclamations of wai ! wai ! wah ! wah ! 

 wah ! at what I have no doubt appeared to her such 

 a very extraordinary method of walking together. 

 Seewai came up to me so ornamented with streaks 

 of red paint, that I did not recognise him, at which 

 he was half affronted. He soon engrossed my 

 attention however, by telling me as well as he could, 

 that our two boats were not in Dowdce, but had 

 been seen passing the islands of Damood and Tood 

 and going to the southward. He brought a Tood 

 man, who said his name was Neipa, and who con- 

 firmed this account, saying, the boats had passed in 

 a friendly manner by his island.* 1 tried to learn 

 from them how long it was since they had been 

 seen, but could find in our vocabulary no words 

 answering to " how long/' or "how many;" and 

 after ringing the changes on days "gegger, "sleeps 

 u hoota," moon *' maber," I failed in making them 

 understand. 1 was satisfied, however, from the 



* Seewai's words were " Kabbi shippo naes, lola Dowdce, — 

 Tarn kabbi shippo— kabbi shippo nerroot, — Damood, Tood." 

 Literally, n little ship two, not Dowdce.— -Tam (Millery'a) little 

 ship,— little ship another, Damood, Tood," waving his haud to 

 the southward. The Tood man anxiously added, " Kabbi shippo 

 pond Tood," a little ships peace Tood/' 



