Indian Antiquary Vol 59

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 289

MARCH, 1930)
REMARKS ON THE ANDAMAN ISLANDERS AND THEIR COUNTRY
65
194 February. Started at 6 A.M. and returned to the place where we had landed. to wait for Mr. Vaux, Mr. Bonig was asleep when I left. I left a message for him to say that I would he back at 9 A.M. He came to me about 7-30 A.M. and I asked him to go down the coast and see if Mr. Vaux had got out on to the coast, and if so to bring him back and asked him to be back on the launch by nightfall. I told him that if Mr. Vaux did not return by 9 A.M., I sheuld go back to the launch, have some food and start off to follow Mr. Vaux's tracks and gee what had happened to him. Mr. Vaux did not return to our landing place, so I went back to the launch and had some breakfast, while the Andamanese had their food and made preparations to follow Mr. Vaur's tracks and to stay out a night in the forest, if ne. cessary; as I had told Mr. Bonig I would do this and that he was not to be anxious about me, as I should return without fail the day after. Got ready food for Andamanese ani! Mr. Vaux.
While at breakfast I heard the report of a gun and saw Mr. Vaux and party on the shore at the mouth of tho estuary of the creek we had gone up. Put off at once to fetch him and found that he had come across the Jårawa party, whose camp we had found. He had attackcd the camp at night and taken two children prisoners. One child was a girl four or five years old, and the other a baby boy of about nine months. Mr. Vaux had cainped on the site of the Járawa cainp and had shots fired at intervals to keep off the Járawas, but was not attacked. The two men in it were said to have been wounded by the Andamanese who were with Mr. Vaux. The Andamanese shot at the men in the camp, while Mr. Vaux rushed into it. The Andamanese say there were two men, two women and to large boys and some small children.
We waited for Mr. Bonig, who returned about 6-30 P.M. He had geen a party on the shore on his way down the coast and thought it was mine; so went on and then landed and struck into the interior, but found no new traces of Járawas, and so returned to the shore and came back to the launch soon after sunset.
20th February. The capture of the girl and baby boy upsct all our plans, as it was necessary to take the baby somewhere, where it could be fed. The Andamanese said there was a woman with a bahy at Lekeråluntê (Port Anson), so we decided to take the baby there and return to Port Campbell or Bilap and continue our search for Járawa houses. Left Bajalunta at 7-30 A.M., and arrived at Lekeråluntâ at 1 P.M. The Andamanese woman was ont on a hunting trip, and as she was expected back in the evening we waited for her.
21. February. As the Andamanese woman with a child did not come back. Mr. Vaux decided that Mr. Bonig should take the two Jàrawa children to Port Blair, whilo myself and Mr. Vanx went to the largo Jàrawa hut at Poching and looked for the rain track south, and that Mr. Bonig was to join us the next morning at Pochang.
Weighed anchor at 6-30 AM. Reached Duin-la-chôrag at 7-30.1.M., oisembarked' and sent the boat back to the launch. Mr. Vaux, self, servants, 8 policemen and 13 Andamanese lapded, while + policemen and 4 Andamanese went with Mr. Bonig to Port Blair. The tide was up, so we had considerable difficulty in getting up the estuary to Pôchâng, the sito of the large Járawa hut, which wo had discovered on the first oxpedition. We reached PåchAng about 1 P.M. and pitched camp a little beyond and above the site of the large Járawa hut.
22nd February.-Mr. Vaux and self, each accompanied by one policeman and four Andamanes, started off in different directions to look for the main traok of the Jarawas from their largo hut. We left camp at 7-30 AM. I followed the stream, from which we got our drinking water, (it flowed a little east of south for half an hour), and then climbed up the ridge,