CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 101 



ralists and Mr. Galwey, and with an escort of four marines; 

 the hammock I found to have some resemblance to the 

 native palanquin of India, but in a miserable dirty plight, 

 so that I ordered it to follow ; and after the walk of an hour, 

 for the first mile over a plain, covered with reedy grass, ex- 

 cept in some spots where Indian corn and a kind of French 

 bean were planted, and Avhich is under water in the rainy 

 season, and then over a fatiguing hill, we reached the banza, 

 at the entrance of which I got into the hammock, and was 

 set down under a great tree, the ground having been swept 

 clean. Here the first objects that called our attention were 

 four human skulls, hung to the tree, which we were told were 

 those of enemy's chiefs taken in battle, whose heads it was 

 the custom to preserve as trophies ; these victims, however, 

 seemed to have received the coup de grace previous to the 

 separation of the head, all the skulls presenting compound 

 fractures. After wailing half an hour under the tree, 

 we were led to the Chenoo's habitation, where, in a court 

 formed by a fence of reed mats, and which was crowded 

 with the king's gentlemen, I found a seat prepared of three 

 or four old chests, covered with a red velvet pall, an 

 old English carpet with another velvet pall being spread on 

 the ground. Having seated myself, in about five minutes 

 the Chenoo made his appearance from behind a mat screen, 

 his costume conveying the idea of punch in a puppet- 



