Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume II (Commodore B. Von Wullerstorf-Urbair,) Undertaken by Order of the Imperial Government in the Years 1857, 1858, & 1859, Under the Immediate Auspices of His I. and R. Highness the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, Commander-In-Chief of the Austrian Navy.

CHAPTER XVI.

Chapter 7156 wordsPublic domain

THE ISLAND OF PUYNIPET.

Native boats in sight.--A pilot comes on board--Communications of a white settler.--Another pilot.--Fruitless attempts to tack for the island.--Roankiddi Harbour.--Extreme difficulty in effecting a landing with the boats.--Settlement of Réi.--Dr. Cook.--Stroll through the forest.--Excursions up the Roankiddi River.--American missionaries.--Visit from the king of the Roankiddi tribe.--Kawa as a beverage.--Interior of the royal abode.--The Queen.--Mode of living, habits and customs of the natives.--Their religion and mode of worship.--Their festivals and dances.--Ancient monumental records and their probable origin.--Importance of these in both a historical and geological point of view.--Return on board.--Suspicious conduct of the white settler.--An asylum for contented delinquents.--Under weigh for Australia.--Belt of calms.--Simpson Island.--"It must be a ghost!"--Bradley Reef.--A Comet.--The Solomon Islands.-- Rencontre with the natives of Malaýta.--In sight of Sikayana. 551