24 Transactions.—Miscellaneous. 
an erect position, and bound round and round with vines from head to foot, 
but always looking seaward. Mr. Amery tells that, a few years since, in 
sawing across a karamu tree, something offered unusual resistance to his 
saw; to his great astonishment he had sawn through the hip bones of a 
man; he had been lashed against the tree; it had grown and enfolded him 
in its embrace. Some noted fisherman, again, would direct his remains to 
be consigned to the waves; in which case, he would be secured, lashed 
in a waka korati, or flax-stem canoe, in a sitting position, as if in the 
attitude of fishing, a long flax line, with a baited bone hook, and a sinker 
attached, was suspended over the side, and when the wind or tide was 
favourable he was launched to sea. A few years since, an American whaler, 
beating some twenty miles from land, observed one of these canoes with a 
man apparently sitting in it. Thinking it must be some poor native driven 
out to sea, a boat was lowered. Upon approaching the canoe it was dis- 
covered to contain a dead body. The vessel was making for the South-east 
Island, so they took the dead man in tow. Upon being boarded by some 
white men, accompanied by natives, the latter instantly recognised an old 
companion they had turned adrift, and implored the captain to send him 
off again, or the kiko kiko, or evil spirit, would be exceedingly wrathful ; in 
fact, they should never hear the last of it. Softened by their pathetic 
appeals, the worthy skipper cut him adrift once more, and away he 
sped in the direction of Cape Horn. '*In my rambles through the 
bush," (says Mr. Amery), ** I have frequently observed a time and weather- 
bleached skeleton grinning at me from some old tree. Walking one day 
with an ancient native woman, she suddenly stopped, and commenced an 
affectionate and whining korero with a skull suspended from a branch. I 
said, ‘ What old friend is that ?' * Oh, said she, ‘it is my first husband ; he 
was a tane pai" (a good husband). My wife and I used both entreaties 
and arguments to break them from such indecent and unholy customs. 
One day during my absence from home a person was about to be interred 
in the usual manner. My wife, however, hastened to the spot, and insisted 
upon having a deep grave dug. She was instantly obeyed, upon which she 
read an appropriate prayer, and the body was interred with decency. From 
that time the old custom was never revived. Upon another occasion, & 
young person was about to be interred in a neat coffin; the prayer had 
been uttered, and the body was lowered into the grave; at that moment & 
huge piece of rock, weighing upwards of a ton, rolled from a height into the 
grave, crushing both corpse and coffin. Upon this the friends and relatives, 
who had hitherto maintained great decorum, clapped their hands joyfully 
together, shouting and laughing. They said the kiko kiko was killed, and 
would never come to trouble them now.” 
