anxious to remain unknown ; but Captain Boyle became quite convinced that
their shyness, and repugnance to leave the ship, proceeded from fear alone.
They were taken on board each of the trading ships at Cum-sing-moon, and
out of the numerous tongues spoken on board not one was found like that
spoken by these men. At length they uttered some words when on the
deck of the English ship Bombay, which Captain Jamieson, the commander,
thought he recognized as belonging to the language of the natives of the
Bentinck Isles. On perceiving that their words were attracting notice,
they made their usual salaam, and uttering Sil-li-ba-boo, afterwards held
their peace. There is an island called by that name, and mentioned by
Horsburg as being in latitude 4° N., longitude 127° E., but this is so remote
from the spot where they were picked up, some twelve or fifteen hundred,
miles,- that Captain Boyle could not suppose it possible they had drifted such
a distance. The wind had, indeed, for several days been strong from the southward
and eastward, just before the boat was seen, though at the time they
were picked up it was from the northward and westward. Notwithstanding
this, however, it seemed most improbable that in their frail craft they could
have floated so many miles. Captain Jamieson and his crew interested
themselves much for these poor creatures, and persevered in their efforts to
communicate with them by means of the slight vocabulary they had acquired
in their voyagings; and though such communication was very imperfect,
of course, yet it was plain some words were understood, and the unfortunate
men were evidently pleased, and sought opportunities of mingling
with those who could comprehend any portion, however small, of their language.
With these imperfect means of knowledge, the best .account Captain
Jamieson could gather from them was, that they did come from Sil-li-ba-boo,
distant as it was; that they left the land in their boat with some articles of
food for a vessel in the offing, met a fresh breeze which carried them out to
sea, and, by its continuance, prevented their return to land, and that they
had been in the boat fifteen days when the Southampton picked them up.
By direction of the Commodore, two of the surgeons of the squadron made
a minute examination of these Sil-li-ba-boos, and reported in substance as
follows:
“ The Sil-li-ba-boos are of medium height and well set, with moderate
muscular development, and, though possessed of no great strength, are active
in movement. Destitute of the fatty tissue beneath the skin which generally
gives roundness and fullness to the forms of northern races, the Sil-li-ba-
boos have, from this deficiency, a sharp and angular contour, that deprives
them of all claim to physical beauty. Their features have the irregular expression
of the negro, though their color resembles that of the mulatto.
Their heads are small and round, with a large disproportionate development
of the posterior part of the skull; their faces are oval, their foreheads mod