house in
which the teachers are to reside till our own is finished is the largest
in the place, but they can only get the use of one end of it--the owner,
who considers himself the chief man of the place, requiring the other end
for himself and family. The partition between the two ends is only two
feet high. Skulls, shells, and cocoanuts are hung all about the house;
the skulls are those of the enemies he and his people have eaten. Inside
the house, hung up on the wall, is a very large collection of human
bones, bones of animals and of fish.

I selected a spot for our house on the point of land nearest the
mainland. It is a large sand hill, and well wooded at the back. We have
a good piece of land, with bread-fruit and other fruit trees on it, which
I hope soon to have cleared and planted with food, for the benefit of the
teachers who may be here awaiting their stations, as well as for the
teacher for the place. The frontage is the Straits, with the mainland
right opposite. There is a fine anchorage close to the house for vessels
of any size.

Early next morning there was great excitement ashore. The large war
canoe came off, with drums beating and men dancing. They came alongside
the _Bertha_, and presented us with a small pig and food. Then the men
came on board and danced. The captain gave them a return present. Mr.
McFarlane and I went ashore immediately after breakfast, and found that
the teachers had been kindly treated. We gave some natives a few axes,
who at once set off to cut wood for the house, and before we returned to
the vessel in the evening two posts were up. As the _Bertha's_ time was
up, and the season for the trade winds closing, everything was done to
get on with the house. Mr. McFarlane worked well. Two men from the
_Bertha_, and two from the _Mayri_ joined with the four teachers in the
work, and by Tuesday the framework was nearly up. We landed our things
that day, and immediately after breakfast on Wednesday, December 5th, we
went ashore to reside; and about ten a.m. the _Bertha_ left. On the
Tuesday, Mr. McFarlane and I visited several villages on the mainland:
three in a deep bay, which must be very unhealthy, from the many swamps
and high mountains around. The people appeared friendly, and got very
excited over the presents we gave them.

We got an old foretopsail from the captain, which we rigged up as a tent,
in which the teachers slept, we occupying their quarters. We