THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE 453 



Bushby and his family, and the missionaries, each separately 

 in his respective district. 



December 26th. Mr. Bushby offered to take Mr. Sulivan 

 and myself in his boat some miles up the river to Cawa- 

 Cawa; and proposed afterwards to walk on to the village of 

 Waiomio, where there are some curious rocks. Following 

 one of the arms of the bay, we enjoyed a pleasant row, and 

 passed through pretty scenery, until we came to a village, 

 beyond which the boat could not pass. From this place a 

 chief and a party of men volunteered to walk with us to 

 Waiomio, a distance of four miles. The chief was at this 

 time rather notorious from having lately hung one of his 

 wives and a slave for adultery. When one of the mission- 

 aries remonstrated with him he seemed surprised, and said 

 he thought he was exactly following the English method. 

 Old Shongi, who happened to be in England during the 

 Queen's trial, expressed great disapprobation at the whole 

 proceeding: he said he had five wives, and he would rather 

 cut off all their heads than be so much troubled about one. 

 Leaving this village, we crossed over to another, seated on 

 a hill-side at a little distance. The daughter of a chief, who 

 was still a heathen, had died there five days before. The 

 hovel in which she had expired had been burnt to the ground : 

 her body being enclosed between two small canoes, was 

 placed upright on the ground, and protected by an enclosure 

 bearing wooden images of their gods, and the whole was 

 painted bright red, so as to be conspicuous from afar. Her 

 gown was fastened to the coffin, and her hair being cut off 

 was cast at its foot. The relatives of the family had torn 

 the flesh of their arms, bodies, and faces, so that they were 

 covered with clotted blood; and the old women looked most 

 filthy, disgusting objects. On the following day some of the 

 officers visited this place, and found the women still howling 

 and cutting themselves. 



We continued our walk, and soon reached Waiomio. Here 

 there are some singular masses of limestone, resembling 

 ruined castles. These rocks have long served for burial 

 places, and in consequence are held too sacred to be ap- 

 proached. One of the young men, however, cried out, " Let 

 us all be brave," and ran on ahead ; but when within a hun- 



