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INTRODUCTION
17
47. mô tot pai chalen â chitik del ta o'to-cho-nga ji baba. We have now got very many bundles of arrows in our possession. [mô tot our. pai cha-len lap-to, in our possession, see 23. â'chitik now. del'ta arrows, generic name for all arrow except the châm-, which is more of an ornament or toy. The several kinds are: rà tà- with blunt wooden point for play, or before conversion into a tt'rlêd sharp wooden-pointed, for shooting fish; to'lbodwith iron point, with or without barb, for shooting fish and small animals, etc., é la with movable iron blade-head, for shooting pigs and other animals, etc.; e la la kà lu pa with fixed iron blad e-head, for the same purposes. O'to-cho-nga bundle of arrows or bows, cho bind, as a parcel with string. ji baba very many.]
48. malai: la châ'rigma ót-lô-binga len jūbagda ; öt-múrgu kinab l'edâ re ál tög len tüklake. The Nicobar outrigger canoe is ill-suited for turtling; the narrowness of the bows prevents one from making full use of the spear. [malai. Malay, meaning Nicobarese, who are probably remotely Malays, and are quite different from the Andamanege. li'a of. chârigma outrigger canoe, the generic name for all canoes is rô•ko-, those in the neighbourhood of Port Blair are generally without outrigger, and much larger than the chà rigma- t-lobi-nga (No: 14) hunt for turtles along the shore by poling.(verbal subst.). len for, postp. jā bagda bad. ôt-múrgu (No. 14) bow of boat, ig-mú gu face. kiinab thin, that is, narrow. l'eda're because of, that is, because of the bow being narrow. & it. tög turtle-spear, see 44. len for. täk·la-ke inconvenience.does.]
49. kianchà lô binga be dig met en-toʻlat-ke. The consequence is that in poling the canoe we (frequently) fall. [kiancha: therefore. lòbi-nga hunting the turtle by poling(verbal subst.). bê dig wbile. met us. en-to - lat-ke cause-fall-does; to'lat is to drop, and is here made causative by prefixing en, Emakes us fall, see en-êt-jerke in 21.]
50. mô da ngôl birma-che-lewa len min àrdú ru nga na ya te itità nke ya'ba, meda kük-ja-bagi-ke. If you don't send us by the incoming) steamer all the things we asked for, we shall be very disappointed. [mô'da if. ngól you. birma-chelewa steamer, see 3. len in, postp. mín things, see 23.-ardú ru all. ngd na v. beg, ask for, ya te which we asked for, but there is no indication of person or time. itita nke send, see 24. ya'ba not. meda we. kúk-jā:bagi-ke heart-bad-are, see 23, euphonically inserted i before ke.]
51. ka rin na tartet yā.ba. There is no more news to tell you. [karin here, ma more. tartit news. ya ba not.)
52. med-a ngòl l'àrdiru tek tartit bê-ringa iga rike. Wo are longing to have good accounts of you all. [med'a we. ngôl you (pl.) árdî-ru all. tek from, postp. tarti't news. i-gari-ke long-for-do, i prefix, an abbreviation of ig, Nos. 9 and 10.] .
53. Aga kà yum ba lapare. But little rain has fallen up to the present time. [ngåkd As yet, see 5. yum rain. bā little. la-på-re (euphonic la, frequently prefixed to verbs), falldid.)
54. kam wai mòlòichik. Good-bye. [See 29.]
The above examples show the mode of thought of the natives, and what most occupies their attention. Thoy are some of the very few expressions of genuine untutored barbarians which we possess. The analytical translation given shews the meaning of the parts of the words and the method of construction.
The Andamanene have poetry, and that of a most remarkable kind. Their only musical instrument is a stamping-board to keep time, and to this rhythm everything seems
