PACIFIC AND BEERING’S STRAIT. 
125 
friends, who officiously passed their arras under ours, helped us over cHAP. 
the stones, and conducted us along the right pathway to the village ; 
a species of escort, however, which, by depriving us of the use of our jan. 
limbs, placed us entirely in their power. We passed several huts open 
on the south side, and one, which was full of fishing nets, closed up , near 
these there w'ere two bodies wrapped in a great many cloths, exposed 
Upon stalls raised about a yard from the ground, and supported upon 
forked props, as represented. 
The natives were unwilling that we should touch any of these, and 
^0 did not offend them by so doing, but approached within a few feet 
to ascertain whether there were any offensive smell from the corpse, 
but none could be discerned. 
F urther on we came to an open area, partly paved wdth blocks of 
ooral, and divided off from the cultivated land by large slabs of the 
Same material very evenly cut, and resembling those at the Friendly 
islands. At one end of this area stood the large hut which had before 
oxcited our curiosity : it was about thirteen yards in length by six or 
Seven in width, and proportionably high, with a thatched roof. On the 
South side it was entirely open, and the gables nearly so, being con- 
structed with upright poles, crossed by smaller ones, forming an open 
frame-work, through which the sea breeze circulated, and refreshed 
fbe area within. Beneath the roof on the open side, about four feet 
''^ithin the eaves, there was a low broad wall well constructed with 
blocks of coral, hewn out and put together in so workman-hke a 
