''\FUNAFUTI 



ployed on the work : the men had cut down trees and 

 shaped them into poles, sunk these in the ground, and 

 bound them together into a solid framework: the children 

 had been set to gather palm-leaves from the forest, and 

 the women had woven these into mats, which w r ere used 

 to form both the walls and thatch of our dwelling. The 

 result was an excellent house which served all our needs, 

 protecting us from sun and storm during our residence of 

 nearly three months. Not a nail was driven in its con- 

 struction, all the joints being firmly made with cocoanut 

 cord. 



After contemplating the work with great satisfaction I 

 left for a stroll, and returning an hour after was aghast to 

 find our new house surrounded with smoke and flames ! 

 To my great relief it turned out that the conflagration 

 proceeded from the surrounding bush, which the thought- 

 ful natives had purposely set alight to prevent its taking 

 fire by accident. 



The work of landing gear and erecting machinery 

 was set about vigorously ; the crew of the Penguin toiled 

 all day heroically in the burning sun, refreshing them- 

 selves at sunset in swimming matches with the natives ; 

 progress was so rapid that by June 3rd, not quite a 

 fortnight after landing, the boring party were already 

 at work (Fig. 26). So far all our plans had been carried 

 out with expedition and success, and since " things done 

 well and with a care" are said to "exempt themselves 

 from fear," we may now safely leave our miners in- 

 dustriously boring while we take a walk across the island. 

 Standing on the shore of the lagoon near the site of 

 our boring, it is just possible to catch a glimpse of 

 the palms on the opposite side, some ten miles away. 

 The beach slopes so gently, that, although the tide falls 

 only about 5 feet, it leaves a wide expanse of sand un- 

 covered ; this is a perfect warren of shore crabs (Calappa), 



