DOURGA STEAIT. 
15 
toilet was completed, he drew tlie attention of Lis coun- 
trymen to the improvement in hi& appearance, which 
seemed to give very general satisfaction. They appeared 
to be more curious than thievishly- inclined. Everj'^thing 
was looked at and admired, but nothing wat appropriated j 
neverthelesa, we thought it beat to keep a watchful eye 
over them. When one of them took up Lieutenant 
Modera'a loaded pistol to examine it, the latter took it 
from him with a serious countenance, and laid it down 
again, exclaiming, ' taboo* (the South Sea Island term for 
^prohibited*), and he did not attempt to take it up 
again. 
While all this was going on, they kept drawing the 
boat — unpcrceived as they thought — ^towards the beaeh, 
which determined us to return, as our stock of presents 
waa exhausted, and there seemed no probability of our 
iniucing any of them to go on board with us. Shortly 
before this Mr. Boers had ornamented a Papuan with a 
string of beads^ who, upon receiving it, joined two of his 
ttDuntrynicn that were standing a Httle distance ofF, with 
the arms that had heen laid aside, and which they had 
been gradually getting together again ; a proceeding we 
had observed, but trusting in the mutual confidence that 
had been established, we did not much heed it. At the 
moment in which we were setting o£F the boat to return 
on board, this man fixed an arrow in his bow, and took 
aim at Mr, Boers, who was sitting in the fore part of the 
boat, on which the latter turned aside to take up his gun, 
but before he could do so, he received the arrow in his 
left thigh, which knocked him over, shouting 'Fii-el 
fire ! I am hit V as he fell. The order was scarcely 
