[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

2t4 WITH NATIVES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC

ground with his foot, evidently in order not to
come into contact with any charm that an enemy
might have thrown there. One of the men wanted
me to buy a flute, asking just donble what I was
willing to give; seeing that I did not intend to pay
so much, he made. me a present of the flute, and
seemed just as well pleased. Still, the others stared
at me silently and suspiciously, until I offered some
tobacco to the chief, which he accepted with a joke,
Whereat everybody laughed and the ice was broken.
The men forgot their reserve, and talked about me
in loud tones, looking at me as we might at a
hOpelessly mad person, half pitying, half amused
at his vagaries. The chief now wished to shake
hands with me, though he did not trouble to get up
for the ceremony. We smiled pleasantly at each
other, and then he took me to his house, which,
according to his high rank, was surrounded by a
stone wall. He rummaged about inside for a long
time, and finally brought out a few paltry objects;
I thought best to pay well for them, telling him
that as he was a “big fellow~master,” I was ready
to pay extra for the honour of having a souvenir
of him. This flattered him so much that he con-
sented to have his photograph taken; and he posed
quite cleverly, while the others walked uneasily
around us, looking at the camera as if it were
likely to explode at any moment; and as none of
them dared have his picture taken, I left.
Rounding a bend of the path on my way home,
I suddenly came upon a young woman. First she