48 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
highly ornamented with cloth, tastily secured on with sinnet, were 
placed near the slain, on which some were employed beating, 
while Tawattaa and another priest, elevated above the rest, ap¬ 
peared to preside over the ceremonies. Ah! said Wilson, they 
are now making their infernal feast on the bodies of the dead. At 
this moment my approach was discovered. They were all thrown 
into the utmost confusion; the dead bodies were in an instant 
snatched from the place where they lay, and hurried to a distance 
among the bushes, and shouting and hallooing evinced the utmost 
consternation. I now believed the truth of Wilson’s declaration, 
and my blood recoiled with horror at the spectacle I was on the 
point of witnessing. I directed them in an authoritative manner to 
return the bodies to the place whence they had taken them, and 
refused to advance a step farther until they had done so. With 
much reluctance they brought them back; two of them carefully 
covered with branches of the cocoa-nut tree, the others were en¬ 
tirely uncovered. I immediately caused them all to be exposed 
to my view, and to my great surprise found them unmutilated, ex- 
cept by the clubs with which they had been despatched. I inquir¬ 
ed immediately into the cause of their carrying them off in such 
haste, and was informed that they supposed the sight of dead bo¬ 
dies would have proved disagreeable to me. I told them I had 
come to claim them, in order that they might be buried, and desi¬ 
red that they might be carried to the camp, where a grave was 
already dug for their interment. I told them that I was apprehen¬ 
sive that they intended to eat them, .and expressed, with the strong¬ 
est marks of horror, my detestation of the practice. They all as¬ 
sured me they had no intention of eating them, and promised a 
compliance with my wishes should I exact it: but entreated that I 
would indulge them with the bodies a day or two longer to sing 
over and perform their ceremonies, and that I would grant them 
two to offer as a sacrifice to the manes of their priest, who had 
been slain; requesting, at the same time, that I would send a per¬ 
son to attend the ceremony and witness their burial; assuring me 
that they would bury them any depth I should wish. Gattanewa, 
Tawattaa, and the, other.priest then joined their earnest entreaties 
to the rest, and informed me that it would be the cause of great 
triumph to their enemies should I deprive them of all the dead 
