the habit of thinking unsuitable to a depository of the
dead.
This village, which is at the head of a bay, is sheltered
from the north wind by a row o f trees between it and the
be ach; behind it is sheltered by a range of hills. A broad
road runs between it and the water; trees are planted
among the houses, so as nearly to conceal them. In the
middle of the village near the cemetery, in an open square,
there is a. cluster of granaries like the one described above;
the walls are made of wattled rattan, and overhang the
lower part.
Mr. Clifford tried in vain to see the Chief of the village;
but either there was no such person, or he was out of the
way : the inhabitants pointed out a man on horseback as a
Chief, who passed on to another village; this was probably
the same man who offered his horse to Mr. Hall, the officer
of the boat. Mr. Clifford went to the top of the range
behind the village, and afterwards into the valley on the
other side, which he found highly cultivated.
From the heights we saw th a t the large space which
was a t first considered a lake, communicates with the
sea to the north-eastward, as well as by the narrow passage
through which we had come, but there was not time
to allow of its being fully examined. As we returned
by the narrow straits, we called at some of the small villages
on the eastern side. At one of these, the people of the
village, headed by a man who appeared to be superior to
the rest, came towards the boat, and stopped for some
minutes a t the distance of fifty yards; after which, appearing
to have gained confidence, they came on, with the
old man in front, carrying a green bough in his hand. He
would not come close, however, till invited by Mr. Clifford
in Loo-choo to look a t the b o a t; >he then advanced and
presented his bough, in return for. which we broke a branch
from a tree, and gave it to him. with the same formality he
had used towards us. i Soon after this exchange was made,
they left us, and went to examine the boat, to fishermen
always an object of great interest.
On our entering the village we were met by a men who
appeared to be the principal person of the place; he was
very polite,' shewed us through the village, and took us over
his garden, where he had some sugar-cane growing;, this
we admired very much, upon which he ordered one of the
finest of the canes to be taken up by the roots and presented
to . us ; we immetjiately ,gay;e him a few buttons off
our jackets, with.which he was quite pleased. On its beginning
to rain while we were in the garden, ¡he invited us
into his house, which, from the walls being of wattled cane,
u