I gave
the children presents of beads this morning, and some of the old
gentlemen objected, saying they ought to have had them; but I did not
understand them. It is very convenient at times not to understand what
is said--it is thoroughly native. We have been asking them if they will
receive teachers, and they all say yes, and at once, for it means
tomahawks, knives, and salt. They say, "To-morrow we'll all go and get
the two teachers at Munikahila and bring them here now." We here are in
excellent health and spirits; a little disappointed at not being able to
cross. Certainly we have not lived on the best, and we have camped
anywhere. I like these mountaineers--free, independent, and kind. When
they cook taro, if near, we get a hot taro to eat, and often they bring
hot taro to the house. They bring their presents of taro and sugar-cane
and at once walk away. They have very good houses, thatched with grass,
some with a verandah on two sides, and all built six feet and more from
the ground.
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