]48 cook's first voyage .tune, 



• he repaired to the place where the body lay, and was 

 received by the daughter of the deceased, and several 

 other persons, among whom was a boy about fourteen 

 years old, who were to assist in the ceremony. Tu- 

 bourai Tamaide was to be the principal mourner ; 

 and his dress, which was extremely fantastical, though^ 

 not unbecoming, is represented by a figure in one of 

 the plates. Mr. Banks was stripped of his European 

 clothes, and a small piece of cloth being tied round 

 his middle, his body was smeared with charcoal and 

 water, as low as the shoulders, till it was as black as 

 that of a negro : the same operation was performed 

 upon several others, among whom were some women, 

 who were reduced to a state as near to nakedness as 

 himself; the boy was blacked all over, and then the 

 procession set forward. Tubourai Tamaide uttered 

 something, which was supposed to be a prayer, near 

 the body ; and did the same when he came up to his 

 own house : when this was done, the procession was 

 continued towards the fort, permission having been 

 obtained to approach it upon this occasion. It is the 

 custom of the Indians to fly from these processions 

 with the utmost precipitation, so that as soon as those 

 who were about the fort saw it at a distance they 

 hid themselves in the woods. It proceeded from the 

 fort along the shore, and put to flight another body 

 of Indians, consisting of more than a hundred, every 

 one hiding himself under the first shelter that he 

 could find: it then crossed the river, and entered the 

 woods, passing several houses, all which were de- 

 serted, and not a single Indian could be seen during 

 the rest of the procession, which continued more than 

 half an hour. The office that Mr. Banks performed, 

 was called that of the Nineveh, of which there were 

 two besides himself; and the natives having all dis- 

 appeared, they came to the chief mourner, and said, 

 Imatata, there are no people ; after which the com- 

 pany was dismissed to wash themselves in the river, 

 and put on their customary apparel. 



