Chap. III. THE FLAX PLANT. 61 
pa, built on a spot apparently safe from inundation. 
Old painted posts and carved monuments rose mourn- 
fully from among the tangled grass and briars, claiming 
respect for a certain venerable appearance of antiquity. 
The pretty situation under the hill-side, the rich vege- 
tation of the spot under a glowing sun, and the solitary 
and decaying relics, told the whole history of Raupe- 
rahas devastating raid, which was not belied by the 
dejected air with which our guides pointed out the 
resting-place of their fathers. 
Moving down a little further to-night, we made a 
tent of the boat's sail close to the flax-collecting en- 
campment. We here saw this magnificent plant in 
perfection. Each plant consisted of some forty or fifty 
leaves resembling those of our flag, from two to four 
inches in breadth, and reaching to the length of eight 
or nine feet. The leaves diverge from the root, and 
two or three flower-stems also shoot from the ground. 
These, however, had only begun to sprout. The leaves 
are all folded in two longitudinally, thus giving an 
inner and outer side to the leaf; but when it has 
attained its full growth, it sometimes opens out, 
although never so as to lie perfectly flat. The inner 
side has a natural gloss, while the outer side is dull. 
The natives seemed to prefer the innermost leaves, 
cutting them at about a foot from the ground with a 
sharp mussel-shell, of which they had brought a large 
stock from the sea-side. When a quantity of leaves 
had been collected, they proceeded to a division of em- 
ployments. Some split the leaf longitudinally along 
the fold above mentioned, and a second gang cut the 
dull or outer side of each half-leaf nearly through 
transversely about mid- way along its length. For this 
operation, which is rather delicate and requires expe- 
rience, a small cockle-shell was used. The art appeared 
