UNABLE TO FIND WATER. 45 



had been on a visit to a ffiendly trilje^ one of whose 

 quarrels they espoused^ and only a few returned to 

 Errub to tell the .tale. The natives wished us to 

 stay at Kiriam, but as the principal object of the 

 ship's coming* to the island was to procure water, 

 we were anxious to know whether it could be ob- 

 tained in sufficient quantity at Bikar^ where the 

 Fly and Bramble had watered before. As Siwai 

 told us that there was none at Bikar^ but plenty at 

 Mog"or — his own villag-e — we pulled along- to the 

 latter place, accompanied by himself and three of 

 his sons. In passing- along' the south-west side of 

 the island^ we ^^^ere struck with the superior richness 

 of veg'etation and apparent fertility, compared with 

 Avliat we had seen in New Guinea and the Louisiade 

 Archipelag-o during the previous part of the cruise. 

 Some portions reminded one of Eng-lish park scenery^ 

 — g'ently sloping-^ vmdulating-, g-rassy hills, with 

 scattered clumps and lines of trees. 



On landing- at the villag-e, which consists of tAvo 

 or three houses only, we were taken a quarter of a 

 mile — by a path leading- along- a small valley throug'h 

 a g-rove of cocoa-nut trees, bananas, and various cul- 

 tivated plants, (among- which I observed the Mang-o 

 in full bearing") — to a pool of water in the dried-up 

 bed of a small rivulet. But the quantity of water 

 was not enoug'h for our purpose, even had it been 

 situated in a place more easy of access. Some 

 mag-nificent Sag-o palms overhung- the water with 

 their larg-e spreading- fronds; these we were told 



