44 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
the back part of the building. The ends are, in like manner, 
closed in, as sometimes are the sides, for the distance of twelve 
feet, forming at each end of the house a small room. The frame 
work being completed, they proceed to cover it, first with the 
leaves of the palm tree, and next with those of the bread-fruit 
tree, which are laid on with surprizing neatness and regularity, and 
give it an appearance of beauty, security, and durability not to be 
equalled by our best mode of shingling. The building is then 
divided longitudinally into two equal parts, by placing from one 
end to the other, in the middle, the trunk of a cocoa-nut treee: the 
part toward the front is then neatly paved with smooth stones: the < 
back part is covered with the finest mats, and is occupied as a 
sleeping place for the whole family: the middle tree serving for 
them to place their feet against, and a similar one placed against 
the back of the building serves them as a pillow. The external 
and more useful parts of the house being finished, they proceed 
to ornament it by covering the bamboos, which form the frame 
work, with different coloured cocoa-nut sinnet put on in the most 
fanciful manner, while the upright columns are covered first by 
layers of their finest and whitest cloth, which is firmly secured on 
by the sinnet aforesaid, in such a manner, as to give them, at a 
short distance, the appearance of being handsomely and fancifully 
painted. Sometimes, indeed, the columns are richly carved in 
the form of gods, and give to the whole an air of grandeur and 
elegance which, although in a style differing from that of every 
other people in the world, does not the less astonish. 
But, to proceed in my narrative: the Tayees had brought in the 
bodies of the five men killed in storming the fort. We met with 
no loss on our side or on that of our allies. We had two wound¬ 
ed, and one of the Indians had his jaw broke with a stone. I saw 
him the day afterwards; it was neatly and securely bound up with 
the leaves of the palm tree, and he appeared to suffer but little 
from the pain. One of the dead, it appeared, was a native of our 
valley, who had married among the Happahs. His relations had 
taken charge of his body, which, on being found, had been care¬ 
fully wrapped up in matts. The rest I was informed were lying 
in the public square, where the natives were rejoicing over them. 
I had been informed by the whites, on my arrival, and even by 
