528 Waigiou. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



WAIGIOU. 

 JULY TO SEPTEMBER, 1860. 



The village of Muka, on the south coast of Waigiou, con- 

 sists of a nmnbei* of poor huts, partly in the water and partly 

 on shore, and scattered irregularly over a space of about half 

 a mile in a shallow bay. Around it are a few cultivated patch- 

 es, and a good deal of second-growth woody vegetation ; while 

 behind, at the distance of about half a mile, rises the virgin 

 forest, through which are a few paths to some houses and 

 2)lantations a mile or two inland. The country round is rather 

 flat, and in places swampy, and there are one or two small 

 streams which run behind the village into the sea below it. 

 Finding that no house could be had suitable to my purpose, 

 and having so often experienced the advantages of living close 

 to or just within the forest, I obtained the assistance of half 

 a dozen men ; and having selected a spot near the path and 

 the stream, and close to a fine fig-tree, which stood just with- 

 in the forest, we cleared the ground and set to building a 

 house. As I did not expect to stay here so long as I had 

 done at Dorey, I built a long, low, narrow shed, about seven 

 feet high on one side and four on the other, which required 

 but little wood, and was put up very rajDidly. Our sails, with 

 a few old attaps from a deserted hut in the village, formed 

 the walls, and a quantity of " cadjans," or palm-leaf mats, cov- 

 ered in the roof. On the third day my house was finished, 

 and all my things put in and comfortably arranged to begin 

 woi'k, and I was quite pleased at having got established so 

 quickly and in such a nice situation. 



It had been so far fine weather, but in the night it rained 

 hard, and we found our mat roof would not keep out water. 

 It first began to drop and then to stream over every thing. I 

 had to get up in the middle of the night to secure my insect- 

 boxes, rice, and other perishable articles, and to find a dry 



