[50] Mr E. H. Man writes, however:--"Water is plentiful in the numerous masonry wells and reservoir in the old Government station which is in the harbour. We used to boil and filter it by way of precaution, and then it was quite safe." [51] Vide _Asiatic Journal_, vols. xiii., xv., xvi. [52] Père Barbe, _Jour. Asiatic Soc. Bengal_, vol. xv. [53] _Singapore Review_, vol. ii. [54] "Some Malays, who were at the Nicobars at the time, afterwards stated that the _Pilot_ was attacked because the crew had tried to get hold of the native women; but those of the landing-party who escaped in the whaleboat, although attacked on shore simultaneously with the ship, tell a very different story."--Vide _Asiatic Journal_, 1841. [55] A somewhat different, and more accurate, account of the incident is given in a volume of sketches by John Strange Winter, entitled _A Siege Baby_. I have given here the unamended version of the natives as related to us by the headman. Mr E. H. Man writes:--"The story given by Tanamara, regarding de Röepstorff's murder, is very incorrect. The murderer (a havildar of the Madras Infantry detachment then stationed at Nankauri) was under trial for having assaulted a convict. After recording a lot of contradictory evidence, de R. adjourned the case, whereupon the Madras Infantry jemadar pleaded on behalf of the havildar. The magistrate reproved him for his interference, whereupon the latter went and informed the havildar that he would probably receive a severe sentence which might result in his dismissal from the army. This so enraged the havildar that on de R. riding past the M. I. barracks a few hours later the same day, he shot him from his room. The havildar was the crack shot of the Madras army, having twice carried off Commander-in-Chief's prize. He shot himself on seeing that he had inflicted a mortal wound. De R. died within a minute or so. It was his wife who despatched news of the affair to Port Blair by a _bagla_, which had just arrived in Nankauri Harbour. In five days I arrived and held the inquiry. Mrs de Röepstorff during those five days had a natural horror of the M. I. sepoys, and she would not allow any of them to approach the house. Her Indian servants and others remained with her as before." [56] _Vocabulary of the Dialects spoken in the Nicobars and Andamans_, Port Blair, 3s. _Dictionary of Nancowry and Nicobarese Languages_ (both parts), Calcutta, 7s. 6d. [57] This decline of population has been even more marked in the southern group than in the central, and has been found to be due to paucity of births and not to increased mortality. It has been attributed to injury done by the practice among the men of the Central and Southern Islands of fastening the _neng_ or loin-cloth unduly tightly over the organs of generation, whereby these are in many cases rendered impotent. At Kar Nicobar, Teressa, and Bompoka, and Chaura the _neng_ is worn less tightly.