Yesterday, as M^r Green and D^r Munkhouse were taking a Walk they happen'd to meet with the Body of the Man we had Shot; as the Natives by signs made them fully understand, the manner in w_^^hich the body was enterr'd being a little extraordinary I went to day with some others to see it. Close by the House wherein he resided when living was built a small Shade, but whether for the purpose or no I cannot say for it was in all respects like some of the Shades or house's they live in. This shade was about 14 or 16 feet long, l0 or 12 b_^^road and of a proportional height, one end was wholy oppen and the other end and the two sides were partly inclosed with a kind of wicker'd work. In this shade lay the Corps upon a Bier or frame of wood with a Matted bottom like a Cot frame use'd at Sea, and supported by 4 posts about 5 feet from the Ground, the body was cover'd with a Mat, and over that a white Cloth, along side of the Body lay a _^ ^wooden Club, one of their weaphons of warr-  the Head of the Corps lay next the close end of the Shad, and at this end lay 2 Cocoa-nut Shells such as they sometimes use to carry water in-   at the other end of the Shade was a bunch of Green leaves, with some try'd twigs tied all together and stuck in the ground and a stone lying by them about as big as a Cocoa-nut, near to these lay a young Plaintain tree, such as they use as Emblems of Peace, and by it lay a stone Axe; at the open end of the Shade was hung in several Strings a great number of Palm nuts:  without the Shad was Struck upwright in the ground the Stem of a Plaintain tree _^ ^{about 5 feet high} on the Top of which stud a Cocoa-nut shell full of fresh Water, and on the side of the Post hung a _^ ^small Bag wherein was a few pieces of Bread fruit roasted ready for eating, some of the pieces were fresh and others stale. The Natives did not seem to like that we should go near the Body and stod at a little distance themselves While we examine'd these matters and appear'd to be please'd when we came away-  it certainly was no very agreeable place, for it Stunk intollerably and yet it was not above 10 yards from the Huts wherein several of the Living resided. The first day we landed we saw the Skeleton of a human being laying in this manner under a Shade that was just big enough to cover it, and some days after that when some of the Gentlemen went _^ ^{with a design} to examine it more narrowly it was gone —

It was at this time thought that this manner of enterring their Dead was not common to all ranks of people as this was the first we had seen, except the Skeleton just mentioned; but various were the opinions concerning the Provisions, &C^a laid about the dead; upon the whole it should seem that these people not only beleive in _^ ^a Supream being but in a future state also, and that this must be meant either as an offering to some Deitie, or for the use of the dead in the other world, but this last is not very probable as there appear'd to be no Priest craft in the thing, for what ever provisions were put there, it appeared very plain to us that there it remaind untill it consum'd away of it self-  It is most likely that we shall see more of this before we leave the Island: but if it is a Religious ceremoney we may not be able to understand it.   for the Miysteries of most Religions are very dark and not easily understud even by those who profess them — [11]

Voyaging Accounts