156 GENERAL ACCOUNT OF SOUTH SEA ISLANDS CH. vn 



The shell is first cut by the edge of another shell into square 

 pieces. These are shaped with files of coral, with which 

 they work in a manner surprising to any one who does not 

 know how sharp corals are. A hole is then bored in the 

 middle by a drill, which is simply any stone that may 

 chance to have a sharp corner in it tied to the handle of a 

 cane. This is turned in the hand like a chocolate mill until 

 the hole is made ; the file then comes into the hole and 

 completes the hook. This is made, in such a one as the 

 figure shows, in less than a quarter of an hour. 



In their carpentry, joinery, and stone-cutting, etc., they 

 are scarcely more indebted to the use of tools than in making 

 these hooks. A stone axe in the shape of an adze, a chisel 

 or gouge made of a human bone, a file or rasp of coral, the 

 skin of sting-rays and coral sand to polish with, are a suffi- 

 cient set of tools for building a house and furnishing it with 

 boats, as well as for quarrying and squaring stones for the 

 pavement of anything which may require it in the neighbour- 

 hood. Their axes are made of a black stone, not very hard, 

 but tolerably tough : they are of different sizes, some, 

 intended for felling, weigh three or four pounds ; others, 

 which are used only for carving, not as many ounces. 

 Whatever quality is lacking in these tools, is made up by 

 the industry of the people who use them. Felling a tree is 

 their greatest labour ; a large one requires many hands to 

 assist, and some days before it can be finished, but when 

 once it is down they manage it with far greater dexterity 

 than is credible to a European. If it is to be made into 

 boards they put wedges into it, and drive them with such 

 dexterity (as they have told me, for I never saw it) that 

 they divide it into slabs of three or four inches in thickness, 

 seldom meeting with an accident if the tree is good. These 

 slabs they very soon dubb down with their axes to any given 

 thinness, and in this work they certainly excel; indeed, 

 their tools are better adapted for this than for any other 

 labour. I have seen them dubb off the first rough coat of 

 a plank at least as fast as one of our carpenters could have 

 done it ; and in hollowing, where they are able to raise 



