202 AVOYAGETO 



'778- kcnnci, which they called hareepahoo; and before it was a 



January. ' ^ 



grave, where, as we were told, the remains of a wo- 

 man lay. 



On ihe farther fide of the area of the moral, ftood a houfe 

 or flied, about forty feet long, ten broad in the middle, each 

 end being narrower, and about ten feet high. This, which, 

 though much longer, was lower than their common dwell- 

 ing-places, we were informed, was called hemanaa. The 

 entrance into it was at the middle of the ndc, which was 

 in the mora'i. On the farther fide of this houfc, oppofitc tTie 

 entrance, flood two wooden images, cut out of one piece, 

 withpedeflals, in all about three feet high ; neither very in- 

 differently defigned nor executed. Thcfe were faid to be 

 Eatooa no I'che'ma, or reprefentations of goddcil'es. On the 

 head of one of them was a carved helmet, not unlike thofe 

 worn by the ancient warriors ; and on that of the other, a 

 cylindrical cap, refembling the head-drefs at Otaheitc, called 

 /onion; and both of them had pieces of cloth, tied about the 

 loins, and hanging a confiderable way down. At tlie fide of 

 each, was alfo a piece of carved wood, with bits of the cloth 

 Imng on them, in the fame manner ; and between, or be- 

 fore, the pedellals, lay a quantity of fern, in a heap. It was 

 obvious, that this had been dcpofited there, piece by piece, 

 and at dilferent times ; for there was of it, in all Hates, 

 from what was quite decayed, to what was llill frefli and 

 green. 



In the middle of the houfe, and before the two images, 

 was an oblong fjiace, inclofed by a low edging of ftone, and 

 covered with fhreds of the cloih fo often mentioned. This, 

 on inquiry, we found, was the grave of feven Chiefs, whofe 

 names were enumerated, and the place was called Henccne. 

 Wc had met already with lb many ilriking inflances of re- 

 fern bl a nee, 



