with the flesh still on them. The other canoes, he was told, belonged to
different warriors who had been killed or had died not long since. "I
asked them," continues Captain Porter, "why they had placed their
effigies in the canoes, and also why they put the bodies of the dead
Typees in that of the priest? They told me (as Wilson interpreted) that
they were going to heaven, and that it was impossible to get there
without canoes. The canoe of the priest being large, he was unable to
manage it himself, nor was it right that he should, he being now a god.
They had, therefore, placed in it the bodies of the Happas and Typees,
which had been killed since his death, to paddle him to the place of his
destination; but he had not been able yet to start, for the want of a
full crew, as it would require ten to paddle her, and as yet they had
only procured eight. They told me also that the taboo, laid in
consequence of his death, would continue until he had started on his
voyage, which he would not be able to do until they had killed two more
of their enemies, and by this means completed the crew. I inquired if he
took any sea stock with him. They told me he did, and pointing to some
red hogs in an enclosure, said that they were intended for him, as well
as a quantity of bread-fruit, coco-nuts, etc., which would be collected
from the trees in the grove. I inquired if he had far to go; they
replied, no: and pointing to a small square stone enclosure, informed me
that was their heaven, that he was to go there. This place was tabooed,
they told me, for every one except their priests."[129]

[129] Porter, _op. cit._ ii. 109-111. A similar, or the same,
effigy of a dead chief seated in his canoe was seen by Melville
in the same valley (_Typee_, pp. 183 _sq._). He says that "the
canoe was about seven feet in length; of a rich, dark-coloured
wood, handsomely carved, and adorned in many places with
variegated bindings of stained sinnate [cinnet], into which were
ingeniously wrought a number of sparkling sea-shells, and a belt
of the same shells ran all round it. The body of the figure--of
whatever material it might have been made--was effectually
concealed in a heavy robe of brown tappa [bark-cloth], revealing
only the hands and head; the latter skilfully carved in wood,
and surmounted by a superb arch of plumes."

But it was deemed necessary to provide a dead priest or chief with human
vi