Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 1Huxley, Thomas Henry
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Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 1
Huxley, Thomas Henry
Huxley, Thomas Henry, 1825-1895; Naturalists -- England -- Biography
"We landed at the same place as before, and this time the natives ran
down prancing and gesticulating. Many of them had garlands of green
leaves round their heads, knees, and ankles; some wore long streamers
depending from their arms and ears and floating in the wind as they
galloped along, shaking their spears and prancing just as boys do when
playing at horses. They soon surrounded us, shouting 'Kelumai! Kelumai!'
(their word for iron), and offering us all sorts of things in exchange.
One very fine athletic man, "Kaioo-why-who-at' by name, was perfectly
mad to get an axe, and very soon comprehended the arrangements that were
made. Mr. Brady drew ten lines on the sand and laid an axe down by them,
giving K-- (I really can't write that long name all over again) to
understand by signs that when there was a 'bahar' (yam) on every mark he
should have the axe. He comprehended directly, and bolted off as fast as
he could run, soon returning with his hands full of yams, which he
deposited one by one on the appropriate lines; then fearful lest some of
the others should do him out of the axe, he caught hold of Brady by the
arm, and would not let him go until yams enough had been brought by the
others to make up the number, and the axe was handed over to him.
"Then was there a yell of delight! He jumped up with the axe, flourished
it, passed it to his companions, tumbled down and rolled over, kicking
up his heels in the air, and finally, catching hold of me, we had a
grand waltz, with various poses plasticques, for about a quarter of a
mile. I daresay he was unsophisticated enough to imagine that I was
filled with sympathetic joy, but I grieve to say that I was taking care
all the while to direct his steps towards the village, which, as we had
as yet examined none of their houses, I was most desirous of entering
under my friend's sanction. I think he suspected something, for he
looked at me rather dubiously when I directed our steps towards the
entrance in the bush which led to the houses, and wanted me to go back;
but I was urgent, so he gave way, and we both entered the open space,
where we were joined by two or three others, and sat down under a
cocoanut tree.
"I persuaded him to sit for his portrait (taking care first that my back
was against the tree and my pistols handy), and we ate green cocoanuts
together, at last attaining to so great a pitch of intimacy that he made
me change names with him, calling himself 'Tamoo' (my Cape York name),
and giving me to understand that I was to take his own lengthy
appellation. When I did so, and talked to him as 'Tamoo,' nothing could
exceed the delight of all around; they patted me as you would a child,
and evidently said to one another, 'This really seems to be a very
intelligent white fellow.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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