CHAP. XXV.] SAVAGE LIFE. 101 



even such as can just run alone, carried between their 

 lips a mass of the nasty-looking red paste, which is even 

 more disgusting than to see them at the same age smoking 

 cigars, which is veiy common even before they are weaned. 

 Cocoa-nuts, sweet potatoes, an occasional sago cake, and 

 the refuse nut after the oil has been extracted by boiling, 

 form the chief sustenance of these people ; and the effect 

 of this poor and unwholesome diet is seen in the frequency 

 of eruptions and scurfy skin diseases, and the numerous 

 sores that disfigure the faces of the children. 



The villages are situated on high and rugged coral 

 peaks, only accessible by steep narrow paths, with ladders 

 and bridges over yawning chasms. They are filthy with 

 rotten husks and oil refuse, and the huts are dark, greasy, 

 and dirty in the extreme. The people are wretched ugly 

 dirty savages, clothed in unchanged rags, and living in the 

 most miserable manner, and as every drop of fresh water 

 has to be brought up from the beach, washing is never 

 thought of; yet they are actually wealthy, and have the 

 means of purchasing all the necessaries and luxuries of life. 

 Fowls are abundant, and eggs were given me whenever I 

 visited the villages, but these are never eaten, being looked 

 upon as pets or as merchandise. Almost all of the women 

 wear massive gold earrings, and in every village there are 

 dozens of small bronze cannon lying about on the ground, 

 although they have cost on the average perhaps 10/, a- 



