As we came in sight of them, the chief set up a
      shout, and frequently repeated the word Klock-klock, which we
      supposed to be the name of the village, or perhaps the generic
      name for villages. The dwellings were of the most miserable description imaginable,
      and, unlike those of even the lowest of the savage races with
      which mankind are acquainted, were of no uniform plan. Some of
      them (and these we found belonged to the Wampoos or Yampoos, the
      great men of the land) consisted of a tree cut down at about four
      feet from the root, with a large black skin thrown over it, and
      hanging in loose folds upon the ground. Under this the savage
      nestled. Others were formed by means of rough limbs of trees,
      with the withered foliage upon them, made to recline, at an angle
      of forty-five degrees, against a bank of clay, heaped up, without
      regular form, to the height of five or six feet. Others, again,
      were mere holes dug in the earth perpendicularly, and covered
      over with similar branches, these being removed when the tenant
      was about to enter, and pulled on again when he had entered. A
      few were built among the forked limbs of trees as they stood, the
      upper limbs being partially cut through, so as to bend over upon
      the lower, thus forming thicker shelter from the weather. The
      greater number, however, consisted of small shallow caverns,
      apparently scratched in the face of a precipitous ledge of dark
      stone, resembling fuller’s earth, with which three sides of the
      village were bounded. At the door of each of these primitive
      caverns was a small rock, which the tenant carefully placed
      before the entrance upon leaving his residence, for what purpose
      I could not ascertain, as the stone itself was never of
      sufficient size to close up more than a third of the opening. This village, if it were worthy of the name, lay in a valley of
      some depth, and could only be approached from the southward, the
      precipitous ledge of which I have already spoken cutting off all
      access in other directions. Through the middle of the valley ran
      a brawling stream of the same magical-looking water which has
      been described. We saw several strange animals about the
      dwellings, all appearing to be thoroughly domesticated. The
      largest of these creatures resembled our common hog in the
      structure of the body and snout; the tail, however, was bushy,
      and the legs slender as those of the antelope. Its motion was
      exceedingly awkward and indecisive, and we never saw it attempt
      to run. We noticed also several animals very similar in
      appearance, but of a greater length of body, and covered with a
      black wool. There were a great variety of tame fowls running
      about, and these seemed to constitute the chief food of the
      natives. To our astonishment we saw black albatross among these
      birds in a state of entire domestication, going to sea
      periodically for food, but always returning to the village as a
      home, and using the southern shore in the vicinity as a place of
      incubation. There they were joined by their friends the pelicans
      as usual, but these latter never followed them to the dwellings
      of the savages. Among the other kinds of tame fowls were ducks,
      differing very little from the canvass-back of our own country,
      black gannets, and a large bird not unlike the buzzard in
      appearance, but not carnivorous. Of fish there seemed to be a
      great abundance. We saw, during our visit, a quantity of dried
      salmon, rock cod, blue dolphins, mackerel, blackfish, skate,
      conger eels, elephantfish, mullets, soles, parrotfish,
      leather-jackets, gurnards, hake, flounders, paracutas, and
      innumerable other varieties. We noticed, too, that most of them
      were similar to the fish about the group of Lord Auckland
      Islands, in a latitude as low as fifty-one degrees south. The
      Gallipago tortoise was also very plentiful. We saw but few wild
      animals, and none of a large size, or of a species with which we
      were familiar. One or two serpents of a formidable aspect crossed
      our path, but the natives paid them little attention, and we
      concluded that they were not venomous. As we approached the village with Too-wit and his party, a vast
      crowd of the people rushed out to meet us, with loud shouts,
      among which we could only distinguish the everlasting Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! We were much surprised at perceiving that, with
      one or two exceptions, these new comers were entirely naked, and
      skins being used only by the men of the canoes. All the weapons
      of the country seemed also to be in the possession of the latter,
      for there was no appearance of any among the villagers. There
      were a great many women and children, the former not altogether
      wanting in what might be termed personal beauty. They were
      straight, tall, and well formed, with a grace and freedom of
      carriage not to be found in civilized society. Their lips,
      however, like those of the men, were thick and clumsy, so that,
      even when laughing, the teeth were never disclosed. Their hair
      was of a finer texture than that of the males. Among these naked
      villagers there might have been ten or twelve who were clothed,
      like the party of Too-wit, in dresses of black skin, and armed
      with lances and heavy clubs. These appeared to have great
      influence among the rest, and were always addressed by the title
      Wampoo. These, too, were the tenants of the black skin palaces. That of Too-wit was situated in the centre of the village, and
      was much larger and somewhat better constructed than others of
      its kind. The tree which formed its support was cut off at a
      distance of twelve feet or thereabouts from the root, and there
      were several branches left just below the cut, these serving to
      extend the covering, and in this way prevent its flapping about
      the trunk. The covering, too, which consisted of four very large
      skins fastened together with wooden skewers, was secured at the
      bottom with pegs driven through it and into the ground. The floor
      was strewed with a quantity of dry leaves by way of carpet. To this hut we were conducted with great solemnity, and as many
      of the natives crowded in after us as possible. Too-wit seated
      himself on the leaves, and made signs that we should follow his
      example. This we did, and presently found ourselves in a
      situation peculiarly uncomfortable, if not indeed critical.