rought out a number of bamboos, with some tall ferns, with
which they constructed some rude huts, sufficient to hold all the party.
We, imitating their example, did the same, and commending ourselves to
Him who had hitherto so mercifully watched over us, lay down to sleep.

By dawn the next morning the savages were on foot, and having consumed
the remains of their supper, began to shove off their boats. Macco
managed to get hold of a little more sago and meat, with which we made a
scanty breakfast. We were in hopes that they were going to leave us
behind, but they had no such intentions; and as soon as the boats were
in the water, their mop-headed chief made signs to us to go on board--an
order we obeyed with as good a grace as we could command. The canoes
paddled on the whole of the next day, the coast scenery being very
similar to what we had previously passed. Towards evening we entered a
large bay completely sheltered from the sea. On one side of it, towards
which they directed their course, we came in sight of what appeared to
be a village built out on the water.

Their dwellings, if such they were, were curious, dilapidated edifices.
They stood on platforms supported by posts, placed apparently without
any attempt at regularity. Many of the posts were twisted and crooked,
and looked as if they were tumbling down. The houses were very low, the
roofs being in the shape of boats turned bottom upwards. They were
connected with the land by long rude bridges, which seemed as if they
could scarcely support the weight of a person going over them. As we
drew nearer, we saw that the fronts of these dwellings were ornamented
with rude carving, sometimes of the human figure, such as the grossest
savages alone could wish to exhibit. Under the roofs of the houses were
hung as decorations rows of human skulls; trophies, we concluded, of
their combats with neighbouring tribes.

The canoes were received with loud shouts from the inhabitants of the
village, who came out on the platforms to welcome them, lowering down
some roughly made ladders to enable them to ascend. Alongside the
platforms were a number of canoes of various sizes, some capable only of
containing one person, with outriggers to prevent them going over. Our
captors made a sign to us to follow them, and we now had to stand in a
row and be inspected by their friends. We were arranged on the
platform, for the houses were far too low to allow of our standi