22 
NATIVES. 
pond, dotted witli blue and white flowers of 
water-lilies and Victoria regias. 
Occasionally we extend our morning W'alk to 
the environs, past the dwellings of the natives, 
whom we meet coming to market. If we stop a 
casual passer-by, and inquire the name for any 
tree, or flower, or bird, or insect that attracts ns as 
we walk along, he can at once answer, explaining 
its use or habit How neat their wares look in 
the deftly plaited case of strips of leaves or grass, 
or in a morsel of banana leaf, kept firm with a long 
thorn. How cleverly they utilise leaves, cocoa- 
nut shells, the bamboo, and other such products 
laid ready to their hand, as culinary utensils and 
tools for daily toil. Yes ; nature is kind in this 
sunny land. One's heart need not ache for the 
starving, ill -clad, shelterless poor. Times of 
famine and waves of epidemic do occasionally 
distress the inhabitants, but these are rare. 
With sunshine, and comparative leisure to enjoy 
it, they are happy. It does one good to see the 
satisfied air of the humble natives, whose homes, 
though very poor, are not squalid or miserable. 
All visits of ceremony are made in the even- 
ing, between sundown and 8 o'clock. It is 
customary to intimate in the morning your in- 
tention to call, and. an answer is sent to let you 
