Some of the fish were of a dark brown colour, like bream, others were
long and thin, with a pipe-like nose and four fins, somewhat
resembling the wings of a flying-fish.
Seeing smoke in the distance, rising from under some high palm-trees,
we thought we should like to go and see whence it proceeded, and
accordingly set off to walk through a sort of bush, over sharp coral
that cut one's boots terribly, the sun blazing down upon us fiercely
all the time, until we reached a little settlement, consisting of
several huts, the inhabitants of which were absent. Fine plaited mats
for beds, cocoa-nut shells for cups, mother-of-pearl shells for
plates, and coral, of various kinds and shapes, for dishes and cooking
utensils, formed their only furniture. We saw three women, one very
old, with nothing but a palm-leaf mat as a covering, the others
dressed in the apparently universal costume, consisting of a long
bright-coloured gown, put into a yoke at the shoulders, and flowing
thence loosely to the ground, which completely conceals the wearer's
form, even to the tips of her toes. I think these dresses must come
from England or America, for they are evidently machine-made, and the
cotton-stuft of which they are composed has the most extraordinary
patterns printed on it I ever saw.
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