TE PITO TE HENUA OR EASTER ISLAND. 693 



8 o'clock in the morning of the day mentioned, and, passing through 

 the villages of Mataveri and Hanga Eoa, struck the coast line abreast 

 of the ship at Hanga Roa l^>ay on the western side of the island, and 

 thence proceeded in a northerly direction. The indentations of the 

 coast were closely followed ; every part of the ground carefully exam- 

 ined; each image platform discovered was accurately measured and 

 platted on the chart prepared for the purpose; the number of stone 

 images was noted, and where there were "indications" excavations 

 were made; crania, when uncovered and in good condition, were pre- 

 served; caves were visited and searched; the bearings of promon- 

 tories, points of land, mountains, etc., were taken for corrections on the 

 chart, and so on. The work was tedious and laborious; the ground 

 gone over was rugged and uneven, rocky at times, at others densely 

 strewn with volcanic bowlders of every shape and size, the sharp points 

 of which proved very trying to the feet. Again, our path lay over 

 ground covered with hummock grass, the hard tufts of wliich made 

 insecure footing and caused frequent turning and spraining of the 

 ankles. Then, too, it was necessary to retrace our steps oftentimes, as 

 well as to follow the windings of the cliffs, so that, although constantly 

 moving from place to place, our progress in a direct line was slow and 

 the work exhausting in the extreme. 



Toward the middle of the afternoon two of the natives, who were 

 thoroughly acquainted with the region and who reported " good water" 

 at a certain point ahead, with two of our own people, taking with them 

 the pack animals, were sent forward to select a camping i)lace for the 

 night. Subsequently one of the natives returned and piloted us to 

 the point selected, at a considerable distance from the sea, which we 

 reached at 5 p. m., weary but in excellent spirits. We found here an 

 inviting-looking place, covering a space of about a hundred feet square, 

 inclosed by a stone wall and with banana trees, stalks of sugar cane, 

 and taro growing in profusion. Inside was the opening to a small but 

 comfortable cave, sufficiently large to accommodate all our people, who 

 were assigned to it, while a tent, improvised of blankets and water- 

 proof coats, was erected outside the inclosure against another stone 

 wall for the accommodation of the officers. It having been suggested 

 by the writer that for convenience of future reference we name our 

 nightly stopping places, this, our flrst night's abode, was, by unanimous 

 consent, christened "Camp Mohican." 



Although the distance on the chart in a straight line from our start- 

 ing point in the morning to the site of our first camp measured but 

 about 5 miles, we must have traversed fully three times that space 

 in going around headlands and bays, crossing and recrossing, inspect- 

 ing and measuring platforms. 



Soon after a hearty meal, a constituent of which was baked lamb, 

 Rapa Nui style (18,000 head of sheep roam the island), and a comfort- 

 able smoke, darkness coming on, all hands turned in for the night, the 



