364 
MISSIONARY TOUR 
of human sacrifices, after the flesh had rotted, were 
piled up in different parts of the heiau in which they 
had been offered. 
Idolatry, since 1819, has been abolished, and all 
ceremonies connected therewith have ceased; the other 
heathenish modes of burying* their dead are only ob¬ 
served by those who are uninstructed, and are not pro¬ 
fessed worshippers of the true God: those who are, 
inter their dead in a manner more resembling the prac¬ 
tice of Christians. The corpse is usually laid in a 
coffin, which, previous to interment, is borne to the 
place of worship, attended by the relatives in mourning 
habiliments, where a short service is performed; it is 
then carried to the grave; after being deposited there, 
sometimes the spectators are addressed by the mis¬ 
sionary, on other occasions a short prayer only is 
offered, and, as the friends retire, the grave is filled up. 
After breakfast, Mr. Thurston walked about five 
miles up the valley, in order to estimate its population, 
and preach to the people. The whole extent was well 
cultivated, and presented in every direction the most 
beautiful prospects. At one of the villages where he 
stopped, about 100 people collected, to whom he 
preached the word of salvation. I spent the morning 
in taking a drawing of the valley from the sand-hills 
on the beach; and in examining some large heiaus in 
the neighbourhood, in reference to which the natives 
taxed our credulity by the legendary tales they related 
respecting the numbers of victims w hich had on some 
occasions been offered. In the days of Umi, they 
said, that king, after helving been victorious in battle 
over the kings of six of the divisions of Hawaii, was 
sacrificing captives at Waipio, when the voice of Kua- 
