A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 768 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16.

A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 768 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16.

The corpse was then carried up to the most conspicuous part of the morai, with the feathers, the two bundles of cloth, and the drums; the last of which beat slowly.  The feathers and bundles were laid against the pile of stones, and the corpse at the foot of them.  The priests having again seated themselves round it, renewed their prayers, while some of their attendants dug a hole about two feet deep, into which they threw the unhappy victim, and covered it over with earth and stones.  While they were putting him into the grave, a boy squeaked aloud, and Omai said to me, that it was the Eatooa.  During this time, a fire having been made, the dog before-mentioned, was produced, and killed, by twisting his neck and suffocating him.  The hair was singed off, and the entrails taken out, and thrown into the fire, where they were left to consume.  But the heart, liver, and kidneys were only roasted, by being laid on hot stones for a few minutes; and the body of the dog, after being besmeared with the blood, which had been collected into a cocoa-nut shell, and dried over the fire, was, with the liver, &c. carried and laid down before the priests, who sat praying round the grave.  They continued their ejaculations over the dog for some time, while two men, at intervals, beat on two drums very loud; and a boy screamed, as before, in a loud, shrill voice, three different times.  This, as we were told, was to invite the Eatooa to feast on the banquet that they had prepared for him.  As soon as the priests had ended their prayers, the carcass of the dog, with what belonged to it, were laid on a whatta, or scaffold, about six feet high, that stood close by, on which lay the remains of two other dogs, and of two pigs, which had lately been sacrificed, and, at this time, emitted an intolerable stench.  This kept us at a greater distance, than would otherwise have been required of us.  For after the victim was removed from the sea-side toward the morai, we were allowed to approach as near as we pleased.  Indeed, after that, neither seriousness nor attention were much observed by the spectators.  When the dog was put upon the whatta, the priests and attendants gave a kind of shout, which closed the ceremonies for the present.  The day being now also closed, we were conducted to a house belonging to Potatou, where we were entertained, and lodged for the night.  We had been told that the religious rites were to be renewed in the morning; and I would not leave the place, while any thing remained to be seen.

Being unwilling to lose any part of the solemnity, some of us repaired to the scene of action pretty early, but found nothing going forward.  However, soon after a pig was sacrificed, and laid upon the same whatta with the others.  About eight o’clock, Otoo took us again to the morai, where the priests, and a great number of men, were by this time assembled.  The two bundles occupied the place in which we had seen them deposited the preceding evening; the two drums stood in the front of the morai, but somewhat nearer it than before, and the priests were beyond them.  Otoo placed himself between the two drums, and desired me to stand by him.

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A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.