A VOYAGE TO 
166 
1779- good-humour with each other; and what is ftill more fin- 
_ A gular, the lady would not fuffer us to remonftrate with her 
hufband on his treatment of her, which we were much in¬ 
clined to do, and plainly told us, that he had done no more 
than he ought. 
Whilft I was alhore at the obfervatory at Karakakooa Bay, 
I had twice an opportunity of feeing a conliderable part of 
their funeral rites. Intelligence was brought me of the 
death of an old Chief in a houfe near our obfervatories, 
foon after the event happened. On going to the place, I 
found a number of people affembled, and feated round a 
fquare area, fronting the houfe in which the deceafed lay, 
•whilft a man, in a red feathered cap, advanced from an in¬ 
terior part of the houfe to the door, and, putting out his 
head, at almoft every moment uttered a mod: lamentable 
howl, accompanied with the mod lingular grimaces, and 
violent diftortions of his face, that can be conceived. After 
this had palfed a fhort time, a large mat was fpread upon 
the area, and two men and thirteen women came out of the 
houfe and fate themfelves down upon it, in three equal 
rows; the two men, and three of the women, being in 
front. The necks and hands of the women were decorated 
with feathered ruffs; and broad green leaves, curioully 
fcolloped, were fpread over their fhoulders. At one corner 
of this area, near a fmall hut, were half a dozen boys wav¬ 
ing fmall white banners, and the tufted wands, or taboo 
flicks, which have been often mentioned in the former 
chapters, who would not permit us to approach them. This 
led me to imagine, that the dead body might be deposited 
in this little hut; but I afterward underftood, that it was in 
the houfe where the man in the red cap opened the rites, 
by playing his tricks at the door. The company juft men¬ 
tioned, 
