The  Andamaners  appear  to  be  devoid  of  fear ;  they  are  powerful  for  their
size ;  can  carry  greater  burdens  than  the  Hindoos ;  are  swift  runners,  and
clear  rapidly,  by  jumping,  the  fallen  trees  of  the  jungle  and  rocks  of  the  tidal
shore.  As  climbers  they  are  little  inferior  to  monkeys,  being  used  from  child-
hood to  climb  the  lofty,  stratcht,  unbranched  trees  of  the  forest  in  quest  of
fruit  and  honey,  'iliey  are  excellent  swimmers  from  their  childhood,  and
wonderful  divers,  "fishing  for  shell-fish  in  deep  water."  **I  have  seen,"
deposes  the  sepoy,  "  three  or  four  of  them  dive  into  deep  water  and  bring  up
in  their  arms  a  fish,  six  or  seven  feet  in  length,  which  they  had  seized."  ....
"  lliey  could  perceive  canoes  approaching  long  before  they  were  visible  to  me,
and  could  see  fruits  and  honeycombs  in  the  jungle  which  I  could  not.  Their
vision  penetrates  to  great  depths  in  the  sea,  where  they  could  see  and  shoot
fish  with  arrows,  when  the  object  aimed  at  was  not  apparent  to  me.  They
see  well  at  night,  catching  fish  in  the  pools  left  by  the  tide  at  that  season,  and
shooting  the  wild  pigs  which  come  to  the  coast  to  drink  by  night."  By  their
acute  sense  of  smell  they  often  detect  afar  off  the  existence  of  fruit  in  the
neighbouring  lofty  trees.
r2


244  BXPOBT — 1861.
In  regard  to  their  maladies,  the  sepoy  deposes : — "I  never  met  with  any
one  affected  with  gonorrhcsa,  syphilis,  itch,  piles,  small-poz,  or  goitre ;  but
I  have  seen  them  affected  with  vomiting,  colic*  diarrhcea,  intermittent  fever.
