d crowds of
men and lads--no women or children--to see us. Some are quite light
copper-coloured, others are very dark; nearly all are dressed with
cassowary feathers; many with ruffs round their necks made from these
feathers. There were none very tall, but all seem well-built men, with
good muscle. They have the same calabashes and chunam sticks for betel-
chewing as at Kerepunu. Some chunam sticks made from cassowary bones are
well carved. They are a very noisy lot; one would think they were trying
to see who could speak the loudest. They tell us it is impossible to
cross to the other side, as further inland the ridge ends--and there is
nothing but bare broken rook--inaccessible all round. The majority of
the men are bearded and moustached, and have cassowary feathers like a
pad behind, on which they sit. They dress with a string. The demand for
salt is very great; grains are picked up, and friends are supplied with a
few grains from what they have got for taro. The name of the place is
Kenagagara, 1810 feet above the sea-level, E.N.E. from Uakinumu.

31_st_.--Great crowds of people keep going and coming. We spent a
miserable night. Our old chief, Oriope, had a conclave round the fire,
and it took him all night to recount the doings of the _Naos_
(foreigners), not forgetting the toilet. At times he waxed eloquent, and
the whole gully rung again. It was useless telling him to be quiet. All
men and lads have the nose and ears pierced. A number of women and
children are about. Some of the women are fine, tall, muscular, and
clear-skinned, as light-coloured as Eastern Polynesians. The children
are lithe, blithe, and hearty--some very dark and some very light. The
women have brought large quantities of taro for salt. Oriope is very
sleepy, and I have every now and again to wake him up, so that to-night
he may sleep soundly, and not prevent our sleeping.

My name here is Oieva--that of the fine-looking old father of the
village. At present I am all alone the others being out after birds. The
natives are very friendly. They relish salt and ginger, which I have
tried with them, and which they pronounce good. Ruatoka and Maka have
returned; they shot a pig, which the natives who accompanied them cooked
and divided, to be carried in. The excitement is great over the
division, and the whole assembly are shouting; those from the hunt
recounting the day's proceedings, acting the shooting of the pig, to the