82 Transactions. 
which being Sunday, it was not without interest to find the day strictly kept, 
and that, in that quiet place, it was sensibly quieter than the previous day. 
Women and men donned their best attire, and the former what little fineries 
they had to display. There is a building set apart as a church at each 
village, that at the larger one being in very good condition; but at our 
village, as per chart, of thirty-one inhabitants, it was in a sadly dilapidated. 
state. Being on shore close to this, about seven in the morning, I heard 
some singing inside, and at once entered (stooping under the projecting 
thatch) by one of the numerous breaches—only too practicable—in the walls. 
`- At a sort of rude reading-desk was a native conducting the singing—he 
only having a book—a dull monotonous chant, in which the congregation 
(seated crouchingly on the rush-covered ground) joined. The congregation 
consisted of thirteen females of all ages, and two men, and although in the 
census of Rapa women are sadly in the minority, yet they have the advan- 
tage of being at a premium, and, as it seemed to me, had. the privilege of 
doing the religion for their husbands. The service was very simple, consist- 
ing of reading, singing, prayer, and an address. The Bible used was that 
translated by the missionaries at Tahiti and printed in England. I was 
told that the people of the larger village had, not long ago, managed to 
purchase an harmonium for their church, and waited for the lucky chance 
of some one coming in due time to play it. i 
In the afternoon I was on shore again near the same spot, and hearing a 
bell ringing continuously, I found it was the summons for church. Almost 
at the same time a horn was blown at the opposite village—the capital—as 
their summons also to afternoon service. 
There are curious remains of apparently fortified places at Rapa, said to 
be the defences of the earlier warlike times. On the summits of many of 
the steep hills are to be seen these square fortresses, some of very elaborate 
construction ; but what is very singular, they are mostly solid within. The 
stones are well squared, of very large size, and well cemented. Around or 
on the top of one in the interior are still the bones and skulls of a number 
of warriors to be found, who, they say, were starved out by their opponents. 
I regretted much that I had not time to make an exploration of those and 
other places myself. I felt I could have readily stayed a week on the island, 
with plenty of interest and amusement. Indeed, one enthusiastic young 
lady, to whom, before our arrival, I was jokingly suggesting the possibility 
of being wrecked going in, with the alternative of living in tents and doing - 
a little of primitive life while waiting for the next steamer said, “she should 
enjoy it beyond measure.” However, we were not indulged in this, but our 
visit was a great break to the voyage, and I think we all enjoyed the novelty 
_ of the scene and the quiet retreat very much. 
