1835.] FUNERAL OF A NATIVE WOMAN. 429 



prayers they mentioned Mr. Bushby and his family, and the mis- 

 sionaries, each separately in his respective district. 



December 26th. Mr. Bushby offered to take Mr. Sulivan and 

 myself in his boat some miles up the river to Cawa-Cawa ; and 

 proposed afterwards to walk on to the village of Waiomio, where 

 there are some curious rocks. Following one of the arms of the 

 bay, we enjoyed a pleasant row, and passed through pretty 

 scenery, until we came to a village, beyond which the boat could 

 not pass. From this place a chief and a party of men volun- 

 teered to walk with us to Waiomio, a distance of four miles. 

 The chief was at this time rather notorious from having lately 

 hung one of his wives and a slave for adultery. When one of 

 the missionaries remonstrated with him he seemed surprised, and 

 said he thought he was exactly following the English method. 

 Old Shongi, who happened to be in England during the Queen's 

 trial, expressed great disapprobation at the whole proceeding : 

 he said he had five wives, and he would rather cut off all their 

 heads than be so much troubled about one. Leaving this vil- 

 lage, we crossed over to another, seated on a hill-side at a little 

 distance. The daughter of a chief, who was still a heathen, had 

 died there five days before. The hovel in which she had expired 

 had been burnt to the ground : her body being enclosed between 

 two small canoes, was placed upright on the ground, and protected 

 by an enclosure bearing wooden images of their gods, and the 

 whole was painted bright red, so as to be conspicuous from afar. 

 Her gown was fastened to the coffin, and her hair being cut off 

 was cast at its foot. The relatives of the family had torn the 

 flesh of their arms, bodies, and faces, so that they were covered 

 with clotted blood ; and the old women looked most filthy, dis- 

 gusting objects. On the following day some of the officers visited 

 this place, and found the women still howling and cutting them- 

 selves. 



We continued our walk, and soon reached Waiomio. Here 

 there are some singular masses of limestone, resembling ruined 

 castles. These rocks have long served for burial-places, and in 

 consequence are held too sacred to be approached. One of the 

 young men, however, cried out, " Let us all be brave," and ran 

 on ahead ; but when within a hundred yards, the whole party 

 thought better of it, and stopped short. With perfect indiffer- 



