32 cook's voyage to sept* 



which the plantain-trees were taken, one by one, at 

 different times, from off the sacrifice ; which was 

 partly wrapped up in cocoa leaves and small 

 branches. It was now taken out of the canoe, and 

 laid upon the beach, with the feet to the sea. The 

 priests placed themselves around it, some sitting and 

 others standing ; and one or more of them, repeated 

 sentences for about ten minutes. The dead body 

 was now uncovered, by removing the leaves and 

 branches, and laid in a parallel direction with the sea- 

 shore. One of the priests then, standing at the feet 

 of it, pronounced a long prayer, in which he was, at 

 times, joined by the others ; each holding in his hand 

 a tuft of red feathers. In the course of this prayer, 

 some hair was pulled off the head of the sacrifice, 

 and the left eye taken out ; both of which were pre- 

 sented to Otoo, wrapped up in a green leaf. He did 

 not, however, touch it ; but gave to the man who 

 presented it the tuft of feathers which he had re- 

 ceived from Towha. This, with the hair and eye, 

 was carried back to the priests. Soon after, Otoo 

 sent to them another piece of feathers, which he had 

 given me in the morning to keep in my pocket. 

 During some part of this last ceremony, a king-fisher 

 making a noise in the trees, Otoo turned to me, say- 

 ing, "That is the Ealooa ;" and seemed to look 

 upon it to be a good omen. 



The body was then carried a little way with its 

 head towards the moral, and laid under a tree, near 

 which were fixed three broad thin pieces of wood, 

 differently but rudely carved. The bundles of cloth 

 were laid on a part of the moi^ai, and the tufts of red 

 feathers were placed at the feet of the sacrifice, 

 round which the priests took their stations ; and we 

 were now allowed to go as near as we pleased. He 

 who seemed to be the chief priest sat at a small dis- 

 tance and spoke for a quarter of an hour, but with. 

 different tones and gestures, so that he seemed often 

 to expostulate with the dead person, to whom he con- 



