5a AVOYAGETO 



^ '77". and elegant : that is, more fo than we had ufually met with 

 at any of thefe iflands. But the principal objc(5l I had in view, 

 this day, in going to Oparre, was to take a view of anembahxied 

 corpfe, which fome of our gentlemen had happened to meet 

 with at that place, near the refidence of Otoo. On inquiry, 

 I found it to be the remains of Tec, a Chief well known to 

 me, when I was at this ifland, during my laft voyage. It 

 was lying in a toopapaoo^ more elegantly confl.ru(5led than 

 their common ones, and in all refpecfls fimilar to that lately 

 feen by us at Oheitepeha, in which the remains of Wahea- 

 dooa are depofited, embalmed in the fame manner. \Vl>en 

 •we arrived at the place, the body was under cover, and 

 wrapped up in cloth, within the toopapaoo; but, at my defire, 

 the man who had the care of it, brought it out, and laid it 

 upon a kind of bier, in fuch a manner, that we had as full 

 a view of it as we could wifli ; but we were not allowed to 

 go within the pales that inclofed the toopapaoo. After he 

 had thus exhibited the corpfe, he hung the place with 

 mats and cloth, fo difpofed as to produce a very pretty effecfh 

 We found the body not only entire in every part ; but, what 

 furprized us much more, was, that putrefaction feemcd 

 fcarccly to be begun, as there was not the leaf! difagrceable 

 fmell proceeding from it ; though the climate is one of the 

 hottert, and Tee had been dead above four months. The 

 only remarkable alteration that had happened, was a fhrink- 

 ing of the mufcular parts and eyes ; but the hair and naila 

 were in their original flate, and llill adhered firmly ; and 

 the feveral joints wtre quite pliable, or in that kind of re- 

 laxed ftate which happens to perfons who faint fuddenly. 

 Such were Mr. Andcrfon's remarks to me, who alfo told me, 

 that, on his inquiring into the method of elTeifling this pre- 

 fcrvation of their dead bodies, he had been informed, that, 



foon 



