THEIB HOUSES 97 



and without the sand, wliicli quickly dries, it would 



be impossible for them to live there. Unfortunately 



the sand aggravates the sores and ulcers from which 



too many of them suffer, but that is perhaps a lesser 



evil than always sleeping on sodden ground. Racks ^^^^^^^ 



made of sticks, on which are stowed bundles of arrows, ^^v\ .y\^ 



spears, clubs, tobacco, sago and all the other portable ---^'^ ^ 



property of the family, extend from one wall to another, \^^j 



so that it is almost impossible to stand upright inside ^^^''*^ 



a hut. The door is^an opening about two feet square ^t^^uQ 

 in the front w'all ; as well as being the means of entrance q^^^ 

 for the members of the household the door serve s as 2. ft ■^ 

 the principal means of escape for the_smoke„of -the. fire, q^q/i 

 which is constantly kept burning inside. ^^^M<^ 



It is only rarely that a house remains for long 

 separated from others ; when a second house is built 

 it is attached to the side of the first, and the dividing 

 wall is removed. In a large village the houses are built 

 in rows of varying length, according to the nature of 

 the ground, and there may be as many as fifty or l^'^^^TT^js 

 sixty joined together. If you go inside you find that it ^^^ 

 is a single long house "without any dividing walls, but \^<->^^^ , 

 each family keeps to its own particu lar_section and ^^ 

 use its own private entrance. When the place is t-^^'"^' ^ 

 crowded with people, and a number of fires are burning, 

 the atmosphere inside the house may be more readily 

 imagined than described. 



The feature that most distinguishes Wakatimi from 

 all the other viUages that we saw is its fine grove of 

 coconut palms. The village street is bordered with 

 them on the side opposite to the houses, and there 



H 



