ars a noise, he thinks the spirit of the ancestor has approached
and entered the statue, and he proceeds to tell the statue his sorrows
and ask the spirit for help. Occasionally sacrifices are made to the
figures, as is shown by the pigs' jaws frequently found tied to them.

The Ambrymese conceptions of the spirit world are very similar to
those of other islanders. The native likes to wear on his back or
chest or arm the tusks of the most valuable pigs he has sacrificed,
and has them buried with him, so that in the other world he may at
any time be able to prove how much he respected his ancestors.

The centre of the dancing grounds is generally occupied by the big
drums, not quite so numerous but better made than those of Malekula. By
the drums, too, the caste of the proprietor may be recognized: the
higher his standing, the more heads are carved on them. Horizontal
drums are sometimes found, but they are always small, and only serve
to accompany the sound of the larger ones.

There are usually a few men sitting round the drums, playing games. One
game is played by two men sitting opposite to each other; one sticks
a small shell into the ground, and his opponent tries to hit it with
another. There does not seem to be any winning or losing, as in our
games, but they keep it up for hours and even days. Another favourite
game borders on the marvellous. One man has six shells and the other
five. Each in turn puts a shell on the ground, and when they have
all been dealt, each in turn picks up one at a time, when the one who
had six before has five, and the one who had only five has six. They
stare at each other, wonder, and try it again; behold, the one who
had six at the beginning has five now and the other six. They try
again and again, and each time the shell changes hands, and nobody
can explain how on earth it could have jumped from one man to the
other. It seems too strange to be natural, and while a cold shiver
creeps up their backs, they play on and on, with ever new delight
and wonder. At such enviable pastimes these people spend their days
and kill time, which would otherwise hang heavy on their hands. Tops,
nicely made from nuts, are a popular toy; and there are other games,
more sportsmanlike, such as throwing reeds to a distance, and throwing
wooden shells, at which two villages often compete against each other.

After I had exhausted the surroundings of Dip Point, I marched along
the coast to Port Vato, whe