Anagumáng

After three months' study this apt pupil took seven men with him (the usual "perfect number" in Yap tradition), manned a large Gothamite canoe, and sailed into the unknown southern waters, in quest of the land of Balao (the Pelew Group), under the guiding of the constellation Mageriger or Pleiades. Entering the northern reef passage and passing Bab-el-Thaob, he came down to the island of Peleleu. A little to the northward of the last-mentioned island there lie certain conical islets named Kokial scattered about the wide lagoon. Here he found a new sort of shining stone (which the men of London call arragonite or calcite), and conceived the idea of hewing it into various portable forms to serve as a rude medium of exchange. There was an abundance of pearl-shell here as well, to which he helped himself liberally for the same purpose. The shining rock he found, and with infinite trouble cut it with his shell-axes into the form of fishes about a yard long. Some fragments, for the sake of variety, his men worked into the shape of a crescent moon. Others again they chipped into wheels of different sizes, rounded like the orb of the full moon. With these last, when they had bored a big hole through the middle of each, Anagumáng was satisfied. So they loaded up their canoe and returned; the voyage back only taking five days. When they took the stones ashore Le-gerem kept the wheels with the hole in the middle, and threw away the rest as worthless, and put into operation a powerful charm to centre all the desire of the people on the recognised standard coinage.