DOUaGA STEAIT. 
13 
them in case of need, and as the canoe could not be got 
ready speedily, the whole party, consisting of Mr. Van 
Delden and the native interpreterj Messrs. Macklot,Hugen- 
holtZj Boers, and Van llaalten, embarked in his boat. All 
the gentlemen, as well as the boat's crew, were armed, 
and the muskets were loaded as the boat was proceeding 
towards the shore. When the boat had reached to within 
a mnsket-sbot distance from them, the natives, who were 
armed with hows, arrows, and lances, commenced making 
- singular gestures with their arms and legs. The native 
inteqireter called out to them in a language partly com- 
posed of Cemmese, and partly of a dialect spoken by a 
Papuan tribe dwelling a little farther to the north, but 
his words were evidently quite uniuteUigible to them, as 
they only answered with loud and wild yells. We 
endeavoured, for a loug time without success, to induce 
them to lay aside their weapons; but at length one of 
them was prevailed on to do so, and the others followed 
his example, on which we also laid down our arras, 
keeping them, however, at hand. We now slowly 
approached each other, and the interpreter, dipping 
his band into the sea, sprinkled some of the water over 
the crown of the head, as a sign of peaceful intentions.* 
This they sci^mcd to understand, for two of them imme- 
diately did the same, on which the interpreter jumped 
into the shallow water, and approached them with some 
looking-glasses and strings of beads, which were received 
with loud laughter and yells. They now began dancmg 
* Tim custom seems to be general among all the Papuan tribes, 
and in most cases tbeir peaceful inteutions may be depended upon 
after having catered into this sQeut compact. — G. W. E. 
