144 
NATIVE EXCITEMENT, 
conclude that it would be unsafe to live any- 
where but in the village. We turned back and 
overtook the company who had tried to deter 
us from going farther, under whose escort we 
walked back to the village, I often recall ray 
impressions of that hour with pleasure. You 
see us on the sea-beach at sundown, — would 
that I could fill in the picture so that you could 
distinctly imagine the group accompanying us, 
and see the savage at home. Twenty lithe, 
handsome young fellows, their golden manes 
bound — some with scarlet cloth and some with 
yellow leaves — with bright feather or gay flower 
decorations stuck at the side and floating on 
their dark brown skins, capering round, waving 
their bows and arrows in the air, and brandish- 
ing their spears, and now and again drawing 
near to examine our clothes and touch our hands 
and faces. One spied the corner of H.'s red- 
bordered handkerchief, and on being shown its 
use the excitement became yet greater, and 
they whooped and yelled in their merriment 
like great children. One who had great preten- 
sions to superiority on the strength of his hav- 
ing been away some months in another island, 
and picked up some Malay, as well as a jacket, 
which he wore sometimes in the usual manner 
