264 NATIVE HUTS. 



was seen carrying' about in her arms and fondling' a 

 very young* pig* — an incident which afforded us as 

 much amusement as a lady^s lap-dog"^ with one end 

 of a ribbon round its neck and the other attached to 

 a wasp-waisted damsel^ would have caused among' 

 these utilitarian savag'es. 



The villag"e covers a space of about half an acre ; 

 it consisted of tAventy-seven huts built at rig"ht angles 

 to each other^ but without any other attempt at 

 arrangement. These huts are of various sizes — the 

 larg'est thirty-five feet long*^ twelve wide^ and twenty- 

 five hig-h. All are constructed on a similar plan^ 

 being* raised from the ground about four feet on 

 posts, four^ fiYe, or six in number^ passing' through 

 the same circular wooden discs seen at the Louisiade 

 Archipelago^ intended^ I believe^ to keep out rats or 

 other vermin. The sides and roof are continuous_, 

 and slope sharply upwards^ giving' to an end view 

 the appearance of an acute triangle^ while a side 

 view exhibits a long ridg'e rising suddenly at each 

 end to a point and descending by a straight line of 

 gable. The roof is neatly and smoothly thatched 

 with grass^ and the sides are covered in with sheets 

 of a bark-like substance^ probably the base of the 

 leaf of the cocoa-nut tree flattened out b}^ pressure. 

 The entrance is at one end^ overhung b}^ the gable 

 like a curtain^ Avith a small stage to ascend by. I 

 did not examine the interior of the houses^ being' de- 

 sirous to avoid any cause of offence by exhibiting 

 too much pr3dng curiosity. From the accounts of 



