In many cases
connection with the shore was made by means of a narrow bridge or
gangway, constructed in the same manner. On this rude platform huts
were erected by driving small piles or stakes which projected above
the floor, and to these were fastened boards standing edgeways like
the skirting of our ordinary rooms, and marking out the size of each
building. The walls of the huts were formed of small branches of twigs
interwoven and plastered over with clay. The roof was made of straw or
reeds like a thatched cottage. In size these huts were probably
eighteen to twenty feet long, eight or ten feet broad, and about six
feet high. They may have been divided into rooms, but there is no
evidence of this. Each was provided with a hearth formed of three or
four slabs of stone. The number of huts in each settlement must have
been considerable, in fact, they must have formed villages of no mean
extent, for as many as forty, fifty, or even a hundred thousand piles
have been found spread over a large extent of ground, forming the
foundation of one such settlement. It is probable, however, that these
were not so numerous when first erected, but were gradually added to
as the population increased. This fact, along with many others, shows
that these dwellings were inhabited for long periods of time, during
which the population pursued their ordinary life in comparative peace
and quietness in their island homes.
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