de us.

"The chiefs now walked backward and forward in the ring with their merys
in their hands, and continued talking together for some time, but we
understood nothing of what they said. The rest of the natives were all
the while very silent, and seemed to listen to them with great
attention. At length, one of the chiefs spoke to one of the natives who
was seated on the ground, and the latter immediately rose, and, taking
his tomahawk in his hand, went and killed the other six men who were
tied to the trees. They groaned several times as they were struggling in
the agonies of death, and at every groan the natives burst out in great
fits of laughter.

"We could not refrain from weeping for the sad fate of our comrades, not
knowing, at the same time, whose turn it might be next. Many of the
natives, on seeing our tears, laughed aloud, and brandished their merys
at us.

"Some of them now proceeded to dig eight large round holes, each about a
foot deep, into which they afterwards put a great quantity of dry wood,
and covered it over with a number of stones. They then set fire to the
wood, which continued burning till the stones became red hot. In the
meantime, some of them were employed in stripping the bodies of my
deceased shipmates, which they afterwards cut up, for the purpose of
cooking them, having first washed them in the river, and then brought
them and laid them down on several green boughs which had been broken
off the trees and spread on the ground, near the fires, for that
purpose.

"The stones being now red hot, the largest pieces of the burning wood
were pulled from under them and thrown away, and some green bushes,
having been first dipped in water, were laid round their edges, while
they were at the same time covered over with a few green leaves. The
mangled bodies were then laid upon the top of the leaves, with a
quantity of leaves also strewed over them; and after this a straw mat
was spread over the top of each hole. Lastly, about three pints of water
were poured upon each mat, which, running through to the stones, caused
a great steam, and then the whole was instantly covered with earth.

"They afterwards gave us some roasted fish to eat, and three women were
employed in roasting fern-root for us. When they had roasted it, they
laid it on a stone, and beat it with a piece of wood, until it became
soft like dough. When cold again, however, it becomes hard, and snaps
like gingerbread. We ate but spa