150 cook's voyage to march, 



ly Islands, was not inflicted on themselves from the 

 violence of grief, on the death of their friends, but 

 was designed as a propitiatory sacrifice to the Eatooa, 

 to avert any danger or mischief to which they might 

 be exposed. 



We were able to learn but little of their notions with 

 regard to a future state. Whenever we asked them, 

 whither the dead were gone ? we were always 

 answered, that the breath, which they appeared to 

 consider as the soul, or immortal part, was gone to 

 the Eatooa; and, on pushing our inquiries farther, 

 they seemed to describe some particular place, where 

 they imagined the abode of the deceased to be; but 

 we could not perceive, that they thought, in this 

 state, either rewards or punishments awaited them. 



Having promised the reader, in the first chapter, 

 an explanation of what was meant by the word taboo, 

 I shall, in this place, lay before him the particular 

 instances that fell under our observation, of its appli- 

 cation and effects. On our inquiring into the reasons 

 of the interdiction of all intercourse between us and 

 the natives, the day preceding the arrival of Terree- 

 oboo, we were told, that the bay was tabooed. The 

 same restriction took place at our request, the day 

 we interred the bones of Captain Cook. In these 

 two instances the natives paid the most implicit and 

 scrupulous obedience; but whether on any religious 

 principle, or merely in deference to the civil autho- 

 rity of their chiefs, I cannot determine. When the 

 ground near our observatories, and the place where 

 our masts lay, were tabooed, by sticking small wands 

 round them, this operated in a manner not less effica- 

 cious. But though this mode of consecration was 

 performed by the priests only, yet still, as the men 

 ventured to come within the space, when invited by 

 us, it should seem, that they were under no religious 

 apprehensions; and that their obedience was limited 

 to our refusal only. The women could, by no means, 

 be induced to come near us ; but this was probably 



