e people had now begun to get over their first timidity,
and when Frank went out for a walk after breakfast he was somewhat
embarrassed by the women and girls crowding round him, feeling his
clothes and touching his hands and face to assure themselves that these
felt like those of human beings. He afforded them huge delight by taking
off his Norfolk jacket and pulling up the sleeves of his shirt to show
them that his arms were the same color as his hands, and so elated were
they with this exhibition that it was with great difficulty that he
withstood their entreaties that he would disrobe entirely. Indeed, Ostik
had at last to come to his rescue and carry him off from the laughing
crowd by which he was surrounded.

After dinner Mr. Goodenough invited the people to sit down in a vast
circle holding each other's hands. He then told them that he should at
a word make them all jump to their feet. Then taking out a small but
powerful galvanic battery, he arranged it and placed wires into the
hands of the two men nearest to him in the great circle.

"Now," he said, "when I clap my hands you will find that you are all
obliged to jump up."

He gave the signal. Frank turned on the battery, and in an instant the
two hundred men and women, with a wild shriek, either leapt to their
feet or rolled backward on the ground. In another minute not a native
was to be seen, with the exception of the chief, who had not been
included in the circle. The latter, at Mr. Goodenough's request, shouted
loudly to his subjects to return, for that the white men would do them
no harm; but it was a long time before, slowly and cautiously, they
crept back again. When they had reassembled Mr. Goodenough showed them
several simple but astonishing chemical experiments, which stupefied
them with wonder; and concluded with three or four conjuring tricks,
which completed their amazement. A long day's paddling took them to
Itchongue, where they were as well received as at Olenga. Here they
stopped for two days, and the magic lantern was again brought out, and
the other tricks repeated with a success equal to that which they had
before obtained. As another day's paddling would take them to the rapids
Mr. Goodenough now set up a negotiation for obtaining a sufficient
number of carriers. After great palaver, and the presentation of three
guns to the chief to obtain his assistance, thirty men were engaged.
These were each to receive a yard of calico or one brass