SttFTCH ES AT THE NICOBARS. 
265 
pleasing—-they all three sang in concert, and one had a very 
rich mellow voice ; no instrument accompanies the voice, but 
there is much greater modulation in the tones than in the 
monotonous drawl of the Malays and Javanese. It is not very 
unlike the Chinese. 
A few days afterwards Captain H. and myself went to a 
great feast at Katr.eeoos, about 10 miles away on the S E. 
extremity of the island We started about 3 in the af¬ 
ternoon. John Bull preceded us with a stick on his shoulder 
with a couple of yams at one end, and a grog bottle at the 
other with a reed stuck in it, so that he could take a suck 
without stopping. We had a tiresome walk of it—the road 
was over coralline debris which lay scattered in all directions. 
The land in several parts had not been long reclaimed, for 
there were still the remains of the mangrove stumps. We 
arrived close to the viIlage ef Kameeoos »t about eight o’clock 
at night, and we then had to cross a small inlet of the sea, 
which we did on a raft of bamboos. When wegotto the other 
side we stopped to refresh ourselves, and lighted our cheroots, 
whilst Jim Booth and John Bull proceeded to adonize them¬ 
selves tor the dance. They spent about two hours in this 
before they were ready. The first part which was dressed 
was the head; for this purpose an old cocoanut was split, and 
oil was made, with which and a mixture of wa er the hair was 
plentifully saturated. They then plunged into the sea having 
the head and shoulders only out of the water, and after per¬ 
forming this ablution, they proceeded to complete the rest of 
their toilett, which was a very tedious matter. I was horri* 
bly disgusted at being obliged to wait so long, but it could not 
be helped. The scene, however, was not without interest. 
The moon was up, and parties were constantly passing the 
ford, and repairing to the feast. Enormous pigs strung by 
their legs to long polls, were carried, some by four, othen by 
six athletic men. The feast appeared to me almost invested 
with Homeric interest from the vastness of the scale on which 
I saw the preparations proceeding. These pigs were truly 
most gigantic animals, and their silence, and passive resistance, 
as the Nicobar prophet would call it, was edifying in the ex¬ 
treme. Messrs John Bull and Jim Booth being at last fully 
equipped for the dance, we moved on to the village of Kamee¬ 
oos. When we arrived dancing had not yet commenced. We 
were taken to the house of the Headman where we rested 
ourselves alter our severe fatigues. Our welcome was not at 
all cordial, and I could hear a prodigious long argument between 
Jim Booth and mine host. It was evident our company was 
considered as de trop, and Jim Booth got a sharp snubbing for 
