THE NATIVES AT HOME. 
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presents had been given to the chiefs, there was no 
obstacle in the way, and we were free to wander 
through the village, and even enter their houses and 
see their women and children. 
The village consisted of a large number of huts, 
built of logs of wood, covered with a solid thatch 
of palm-leaves, with a fence of the former material 
surrounding every three or four. The paths and 
open spaces through the settlement were strewn with 
white sand, and inside the fence were seen some 
attempts at ornamental gardening, several bright 
flowering shrubs being selected. 
The natives are somewhat darker (a kind of sooty 
brown) than those met with in Humboldt Fay. The 
expression of their faces was decidedly intelligent, 
and sometimes very pleasing. We noticed no signs 
of bows or arrows amongst them ; their only weapon 
of defence being a spear, which they make of 
obsidian, a hard volcanic glass. This is split into 
the required shape, and fixed to the head of the 
shaft with fibre coated with gum. 
Their clothing is very simple ; the women wearing 
a broad belt round their waist, to which are suspended 
leaves and grasses reaching to their knees, and 
the men nothing but a large white shell ( Ovulum 
ovum). They have bracelets and armlets, made of 
plaited grass and fibre, and belts of similar material. 
Some had bracelets of large sea shells (grinding out 
the middle and rounding the edges) ; and ornaments 
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