32 FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 



was not written down at the time. AVhen the head 

 of a family dies at Murakig'j the bod}^ is laid out upon 

 a frame work of sticks raised a foot from the g-round, 

 and is there allowed to rot. A small hut is raised 

 close hjy and the nearest relative of the deceased lives 

 there^ supplied ^\'ith food by his friends^ until the head 

 of the corpse becomes nearly detached by the process 

 of putrefaction, when it is removed and handed over 

 to the custody of the eldest wife. She carries it about 

 with her in a bag- during- her widowhood, accompa- 

 nying- the party of the tribe to which she belong-s 

 from place to place. The body, or rather the head- 

 less skeleton, is then interred in a shallow g-rave 

 over which a mound is raised ornamented by wooden 

 posts at the corners painted red, with sometimes 

 shells, and other decorations attached to them, pre- 

 cisely such a one as that fig'ured in the Voyag-e of 

 the Fly, vol. i. p. 149. On the occasion of our 

 visiting- the g-rave in question (at Port Lihou, on 

 Muralug"), Gi'om told me that we were closely 

 watched by a party of natives who were g-reatly 

 pleased that we did not attempt to deface the tomb ; 

 had we done so — and the temj^tation was g-reat to 

 some of us, for several fine nautilus shells were 

 hang-ing- up, and some g-ood dug'ong- skulls were 

 l3dng- upon the top — one or more of the party would 

 probably have been speared. 



