266 
CRUISE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 
Unlike the men, who were entirely naked, the 
women wear a sort of apron, about a foot square, 
made apparently of the pandanus leaf, divided into 
long grass-like shreds ; their hair is cut short. Of 
personal ornaments, they had none ; this seems to be 
almost the exclusive privilege of the men. 
They would not permit us to look into their huts ; 
so no idea could be formed of what they were like. 
The village consisted of some dozen or twenty houses, 
built on a platform on slender posts standing in the 
water, and connected with the mainland by a sort of 
bridge. They have tall tapering roofs, covered with 
palm leaves. As it was not considered safe to 
venture far (for they are known to be a treacherous 
race), after a few hours, the pinnace returned to the 
ship, still followed by a flotilla of canoes, with the 
lively and excitable natives trying to keep pace. 
The canoes, usually from 20 to 30 feet in length, 
are made from the trunk of a tree hollowed out 
like a long trough, roundly pointed at each end, 
not more than 18 inches wide; the sides bulge out 
below, and fall in again at the top, leaving only 
some 8 or 9 inches between the gunwales. The bow 
and stern are alike, and usually carved in various 
devices, some resembling birds, snakes, or other 
familiar objects. A long outrigger is attached, and 
on the portion of framing supporting these out- 
riggers are planks or long bamboos, forming a small 
stage, which will accommodate two or more persons, 
