16th June 1898

Thursday
Coaling again finished by 8.30pm on receiving 46 ton in all, the steam cutter coming off at 8pm with one of the

traders boats in tow grounded on a reef, the boat being full of coal sank, but was picked up on the beach in the morning the coal

having shot out of her when she heeled over, went on shore during the day, to traders house to get some chickens for wardroom we landed upon some sharp coral rocks and was met by about 100 Naked savages in a high state of pleasurable excitement, we was taken into the village which was a long straggling place built in a clearing in the forest, having the appearance of an enormous

avenue with Henry? Joy? Cottages scattered about here and there at the foot of the trees for about a mile, everything here was much

different to the Santa Cruz Islands, the natives are much darker both men and women are splendidly formed and in many cases

very handsome,they wear no clothes even the women not getting beyond a loin cloth, their ornaments were more than usually

various, they had armlets & anklets formed of very prettily arranged native beads which was made from shells and dyed blue, red, & yellow Some of the young girls wore a little mother of pearl ornaments somewhat resembling a bird fixed in a hole at the extreme tip of the nose, which gave them the most curious appearance, the canoes of these Islands are very beautiful to look at, they are built
 of burnt plank of wood held together with strong thwarts and cemented with some kind of stuff obtained form a tree, the stern is carried up to a considerable height like the bow of a Gondola they are narrow and have no outrigger but sit on the water like a duck

there is a large amount of inlaying work the design being quaint but not without credit, in some case there being many thousands

of pieces of pearl shell all carefully shaped and let into the wood, the paddles are short and thin and are used indifferently on either side two or three strokes on ones side and then the same on the other and so on after getting a few curios some Yams and Chickens we went on board.