As I Did Not Expect To Stay Here So
Long As I Had Done At Dorey, I Built A Long, Low, Narrow Shed,
About Seven Feet High On One Side And Four On The Other, Which
Required But Little Wood, And Was Put Up Very Rapidly.
Our sails,
with a few old attaps from a deserted but in the village, formed
the walls, and a quantity of "cadjans," or palm-leaf mats,
covered in the roof.
On the third day my house was finished, and
all my things put in and comfortably arranged to begin work, and
I was quite pleased at having got established so quickly and in
such a nice situation.
It had been so far fine weather, but in the night it rained hard,
and we found our mat roof would not keep out water. It first
began to drop, and then to stream over everything. I had to get
up in the middle of the night to secure my insect-boxes, rice,
and other perishable articles, and to find a dry place to sleep
in, for my bed was soaked. Fresh leaks kept forming as the rain
continued, and w e all passed a very miserable and sleepless
night. In the morning the sun shone brightly, and everything was
put out to dry. We tried to find out why the mats leaked, and
thought we had discovered that they had been laid on upside down.
Having shifted there all, and got everything dry and comfortable
by the evening, we again went to bed, and before midnight were
again awaked by torrent of rain and leaks streaming in upon us as
bad as ever. There was no more sleep for us that night, and the
next day our roof was again taken to pieces, and we came to the
conclusion that the fault was a want of slope enough in the roof
for mats, although it would be sufficient for the usual attap
thatch. I therefore purchased a few new and some old attaps, and
in the parts these would not cover we put the mats double, and
then at last had the satisfaction of finding our roof tolerably
water-tight.
I was now able to begin working at the natural history of the
island. When I first arrived I was surprised at being told that
there were no Paradise Birds at Muka, although there were plenty
at Bessir, a place where the natives caught them and prepared the
skins. I assured the people I had heard the cry of these birds
close to the village, but they world not believe that I could
know their cry. However, the very first time I went into the
forest I not only heard but saw them, and was convinced there
were plenty about; but they were very shy, and it was some time
before we got any. My hunter first shot a female, and I one day
got very close to a fine male. He was, as I expected, the rare
red species, Paradisea rubra, which alone inhabits this island,
and is found nowhere else.
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