Page:Scented isles and coral gardens- Torres Straits, German New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies, by C.D. Mackellar, 1912.pdf/62

38 painted white, so that they looked cool amidst the green cocoanut palms. All these stations consist of quite a settlement of white houses; and the groups of gaily dressed natives standing about, the white houses, green waving palms, yellow sand, and the turquoise blue of the sea in front, with the white-sailed boats lying at anchor, always form a quite perfect picture. My companions are amazed at my admiration, but glad I am pleased.

Everything about this house was most tasteful. The verandah had gay Chinese lanterns hanging up, and the walls of the drawing-room were lined with Japanese vases of the basket pattern, each vase having a single orchid in it, whilst lovely flowering orchids—plucked wild outside—were thrown on the top of the pictures, where they flourished without soil or water, long trails of exquisite blossom hanging down. The effect was to me quite novel and was most effective. Fancy having a dado of living orchids all round your room. The drawing-room was like that of any refined Englishwoman anywhere: full of pictures, books, flowers, and photographs, and as pretty and charming a room as you could see anywhere. Remember this is a place separated from modern civilisation by thousands of miles of unexplored land inhabited only by savages.

At each station is a store for the convenience of their Kanaka employees, to whom they sell anything they want, including clothes and eatables. Of course all the wages come back this way, as the natives are perfect children and give any price for anything that takes their fancy, and cannot resist buying. They are very fond of " music," or noise, if you like it better are not the two words often synonymous? They go in wholesale for gorgeous concertinas, accordions,