Identifier: discoveriesinaus00stok (find matches)
Title: Discoveries in Australia;
Year: 1846 (1840s)
Authors: Stokes, John Lort, 1811-1885
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: London : T. and W. Boone
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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mb two ladders, made of hard red wood richlycarved, placed almost perpendicularly against thecliff. In a recess under the upper step we noticedfour small idols that bore a strong resemblance tothose of the South Sea islanders. After reaching the top of the ladder we passedthrough a gateway, evidently intended for defence,and then found ourselves in the village of Oliliet,built on a level space of considerable extent, acces-sible only from seaward by the path we had ascended,which the removal of the ladders would renderimpracticable, and on the land side protected by awall, beyond which the jungle appeared to be verydense. The houses, all raised on piles six or eight feetabove the ground, could only be entered by meansof a ladder leading through a trap door in the floor.The roofs neatly thatched with palm leaves, andformed with a very steep pitch projected consider-ably beyond the low side walls, and surmounted atthe gables by large wooden horns,* richly carved, * See the view annexed.
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^ i OKAN KEGA AND PABOK. 459 from which long strings of shells hung down to theground, giving the village a most picturesque ap-pearance. The houses were arranged with considerableregularity, so as to form one wide street of con-siderable extent, from which narrow alleys branchedon each side. Our conductor led us to the Oran Kega, whom wefound seated in front of a small house in the widestpart of the street, opposite to which there was acircular space marked out by a row of stones placedon the ground, and which appeared to be set asidefor religious purposes, as they seemed unwilling weshould set foot within it. Here the natives soonafterwards assembled in considerable numbers, andwere for some time enoraored in serious discussion. The Oran Kega, who was an elderly man, receivedus very civilly, and invited us to sit down beside him.Soon afterwards Pabok came up. He was veryold, had lost the sight of one eye, and wore an oldstraw hat of European manufacture, decorated withstripes of red

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