BY B. SAWYER AND E. C. ANDREWS. 105 



People, unless good climbers, are frequently unable to cross the 

 limestone belts that surround the island, owing to the cracks or 

 crevasses present, which .ire at times as much as 100 to 150 feet 

 deep, although not more than 10 or 12 feet wide. 



The vegetation is even more wonderful, both by reason of its 

 luxuriance and its method of securing itself to the rock. 



Although almost devoid of soil, the raised coral rock supports 

 a dense forest growth that cuts oif the direct rays of the sun from 

 the ground beneath. The trees swarm down even almost per- 

 pendicular limestone scarps. Supplied with the power of expand- 

 ing their roots in tubercle fashion, they make capital out of every 

 little irregularity of surface. At each hole in the honeycombed 

 rock they stop to fill up the cavity, then advance ivy-like roots 

 to the next depression. 



The vandra (screw pine) develops spiny aerial roots which 

 depend from the rocks in a scalariform manner. 



Perhaps the most w^onderful of all these growths, however, are 

 the Hg trees and the various members of the convolvulus tribe. 



In some of the islands the only method of approach to the 

 caves is by descending the long fig tree roots. 



G. — Caves as Dwellings and Fortresses. 



The inhabitants of Lau until quite recently lived an almost 

 Ishmaelite existence. The various island tribes fought desper- 

 ately with each other for supremacy, and even the people belong- 

 ing to any given island were divided among themselves. 



On such a small area as Mango as many as three or four 

 distinct cliques existed, each antagonistic to the other. The 

 highest and most inaccessible points, which formed natural 

 fortresses, were chosen as watch towers, from which the sentinels 

 estimated daily their chances of coixquering or being conquered."^ 



In almost every instance which came under our observation, 

 the excessively rough limestone cliffs formed these points of 

 vantage. Near at hand were the caves we have described. 



* For this information we are indebted to the Hon. J. M. Borron, of 

 Mango. 



