The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VI. Being the Second of the Third VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VI. Being the Second of the Third Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
undoubted evidence, the prevalence of these bloody rites throughout this
immense ocean, amongst people disjoined by such a distance, and even
ignorant of each other’s existence, though so strongly marked as
originally of the same nation. It was no small addition to this concern
to reflect that every appearance led us to believe that the barbarous
practice was very general here. The island seemed to abound with such
places of sacrifice as this which we were now visiting, and which
appeared to be one of the most inconsiderable of them; being far less
conspicuous than several others which we had seen as we sailed along the
coast, and particularly than that on the opposite side of the water in
this valley; the white _henananoo_, or pyramid, of which we were now
almost sure, derived its colour only from pieces of the consecrated
cloth laid over it. In several parts within the inclosure of this
burying-ground, were planted trees of the _cordia sebestina_, some of
the _morinda citrifolia_, and several plants of the _etee_, or _jejee_
of Tongataboo, with the leaves of which the _hemanaa_ was thatched; and
as I observed that this plant was not made use of in thatching their
dwelling-houses, probably it is reserved entirely for religious
purposes.
Our road to and from the _morai_, which I have described, lay through
the plantations. The greatest part of the ground was quite flat, with
ditches full of water intersecting different parts, and roads that
seemed artificially raised to some height. The interspaces were, in
general, planted with _taro_, which grows here with great strength, as
the fields are sunk below the common level, so as to contain the water
necessary to nourish the roots. This water probably comes from the same
source, which supplies the large pool from which we filled our casks. On
the drier spaces were several spots where the cloth-mulberry was planted
in regular rows; also growing vigorously, and kept very clean. The
cocoa-trees were not in so thriving a state, and were all low; but the
plantain-trees made a better appearance, though they were not large. In
general the trees round this village, and which were seen at many of
those which we passed before we anchored, are the _cordia sebestina_;
but of a more diminutive size than the product of the southern isles.
The greatest part of the village stands near the beach, and consists of
above sixty houses there; but, perhaps, about forty more stand scattered
about, farther up the country, toward the burying-place.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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