WOMEN OF MASSEED. 167 



We found Cudal a mere strip of sand, on the 

 same reef as Masseed, and connected to it by a 

 bank, dry at half tide. Garia was very eager for 

 us to go to Masseed, and got into the cutter with 

 his two sons, to pilot us over the reef, sending the 

 women and other man to wade across. We found 

 the reef so shoal, that as the tide was falling we 

 could not venture so far upon it as to get the boat 

 aground, so taking off our jackets, and holding them 

 with our guns over our heads, we waded ashore. 

 We found several women and children waiting for 

 us at a group of huts, exactly resembling those 

 of Damood, to which Garia pointed, and said, 

 he had seen the ship go there. The women were 

 no great beauties, being middle aged, with closely 

 cropped hair, and breasts flat, skinny, and pendu- 

 lous. They were, however, decently clothed, with 

 a sort of petticoat of leaves, reaching from the waist 

 to the knee. They carried their younger children, like 

 the Malays, astride across the hip, and seemed still 

 to be suckling several, who appeared three or four 

 years old. 



We then went for a walk along the south side of 

 the island, old Garia accompanying us. About 

 half a mile from the village, we came to a single 

 hut, of a different shape from any we had yet 

 seen. It was just like a great bee- hive, ten or 

 twelve feet in diameter at the base, and the 

 same in height, having a thick thatch of grass. 

 A pole protruded from the summit, on which 

 was a large shell (fusus), and a small hole or door 



