THE PE LEW ISLANDS, 
163 
had occafioned this diftrefs; he and the boatfwain both rofe 
up, and dire&ly went to the place whence thefe founds of 
forrow feemed to proceed, when they perceived a great 
number of women following a dead body, which was tied up 
in a mat, and laid on a kind of bier formed of bamboos, in 
fhape not unlike a chairman’s horfe, and fupported on the 
fhoulders of four men, no other males but the bearers 
attending. Mr. Sharp and his companion were now per¬ 
fectly fatisfied that this muft be the funeral of Raa 
Kook’s fon, yet were much puzzled to know why it had 
been conducted fo lilently, and that not a word or hint 
had been mentioned to them on the matter ; whether 
it was from that determined firmnefs of mind which was 
armed againft human weaknefs, or from whatever other 
motive, remained then, and hill muft remain, uncertain. 
—They arrived at the place of burial juft as the people 
were fetting down the bier, and laying the body in the 
grave prepared for it.—The corpfe was depofited without 
any ceremony ; the men who had carried it began immedi¬ 
ately, with their hands and feet, to throw the earth over it 
and fill up the grave, whilft the women knelt down, and 
with loud cries feemed as if they would tear it up again, 
unwilling to be deprived of the laft fight of a loved objecft, 
which death had fnatched from them.—A heavy rain coming 
on, drove fome of the people away, as it did our two coun¬ 
trymen, to the firft fhelter they could obtain. 
Y 2 
1783. 
OCTOBER, 
When 
