of cannibals
is agreeable. I let some of them try my shot-gun, and everyone wanted
to attempt the feat, although they were all badly frightened. They held
the gun at arm's length, turned their faces away and shot at random;
it was clear that very few knew how to shoot, and that their Sniders
could be of use only at short range. This is confirmed by the fact
that all their murders are done point-blank.

Bourbaki brought news that in a few days there was to be a great
sacrificial feast in the village, and that, everybody being busy
preparing for it, we had no chance of recruiting, neither could we
see the great chief, he being shut up in his house, invisible to
everybody except to a little boy, his servant. We landed a goat for
Bourbaki's father; the innocent animal caused terrible fright and
great admiration. All the men retreated behind trunks or rocks and
no one dared touch the strange creature. Bourbaki was very proud of
himself for knowing goats, and fastened the poor little thing to a
tree in the shade. He then coaxed three old men on board. Clumsily
they entered the whale-boats, and even on board the cutter they
squatted anxiously down and dared hardly move for fear the ship might
capsize or they might slip into the water, of which they were quite
afraid. They could hardly speak, and stared at everything, wide-eyed
and open-mouthed. They forgot their fears, however, in delight over
our possessions. A saucepan proved a joy; the boards and planks of
the ship were touched and admired amid much smacking of the lips; a
devout "Whau!" was elicited by the sight of the cabin, which seemed a
fairy palace to them. Smaller things they approved of by whistling;
in general they behaved very politely. If they did not understand
the use of a thing, they shrugged their shoulders with a grimace
of contempt. A mirror was useless to them at first; after a while
they learned to see; they were frightened, and at last they roared
with laughter, put out their tongues, admired their sooty faces and
began to pull out their bristles, for they all wore their upper lips
shaved. Naturally, they confused right and left, and became entirely
bewildered. A watch did not impress them; the ticking seemed mysterious
and not quite innocent, and they put the instrument away at a safe
distance. They asked to see some money, but were much disappointed,
having imagined it would look bigger and more imposing. They preferred
a little slip of paper, which