of the valley. I doubt whether the inhabitants
themselves could do so. They are either too lazy or too sensible to worry
themselves about abstract points of religious belief. While I was among
them, they never held any synods or councils to settle the principles of
their faith by agitating them. An unbounded liberty of conscience seemed
to prevail. Those who pleased to do so were allowed to repose implicit
faith in an ill-favoured god, with a large bottle-nose, and fat shapeless
arms crossed upon his breast; whilst others worshipped an image which,
having no likeness either in heaven or on earth, could hardly be called an
idol. As the islanders always maintained a discreet reserve with regard to
my own peculiar views on religion, I thought it would be excessively
ill-bred in me to pry into theirs.

But, although my knowledge of the religious faith of the Typees was
unavoidably limited, one of their superstitious observances with which I
became acquainted interested me greatly.

In one of the most secluded portions of the valley, within a stone's cast
of Fayaway's lake--for so I christened the scene of our island yachting--and
hard by a growth of palms, which stood ranged in order along both banks of
the stream, waving their green arms as if to do honour to its passage, was
the mausoleum of a deceased warrior-chief. Like all the other edifices of
any note, it was raised upon a small pi-pi of stones, which, being of
unusual height, was a conspicuous object from a distance. A light
thatching of bleached palmetto-leaves hung over it like a self-supported
canopy; for it was not until you came very near that you saw it was
supported by four slender columns of bamboo, rising at each corner to a
little more than the height of a man. A clear area of a few yards
surrounded the pi-pi, and was enclosed by four trunks of cocoa-nut trees,
resting at the angles on massive blocks of stone. The place was sacred.
The sign of the inscrutable Taboo was seen, in the shape of a mystic roll
of white tappa, suspended by a twisted cord of the same material from the
top of a slight pole planted within the enclosure.(3) The sanctity of the
spot appeared never to have been violated. The stillness of the grave was
there, and the calm solitude around was beautiful and touching. The soft
shadows of those lofty palm trees--I can see them now--hanging over the
little temple, as if to keep out the intrusive sun.

On all sides, as you approached this si