med me. An occurrence which happened about this
time affected me most powerfully.

I have already mentioned, that from the ridge-pole of Marheyo's house were
suspended a number of packages enveloped in tappa. Many of these I had
often seen in the hands of the natives, and their contents had been
examined in my presence. But there were three packages hanging very nearly
over the place where I lay, which from their remarkable appearance had
often excited my curiosity. Several times I had asked Kory-Kory to show me
their contents; but my servitor, who in almost every other particular had
acceded to my wishes, always refused to gratify me in this.

One day, returning unexpectedly from the Ti, my arrival seemed to throw
the inmates of the house into the greatest confusion. They were seated
together on the mats, and by the lines which extended from the roof to the
floor I immediately perceived that the mysterious packages were, for some
purpose or other, under inspection. The evident alarm the savages betrayed
filled me with forebodings of evil, and with an uncontrollable desire to
penetrate the secret so jealously guarded. Despite the efforts of Marheyo
and Kory-Kory to restrain me, I forced my way into the midst of the
circle, and just caught a glimpse of three human heads, which others of
the party were hurriedly enveloping in the coverings from which they had
been taken.

One of the three I distinctly saw. It was in a state of perfect
preservation, and from the slight glimpse I had of it, seemed to have been
subjected to some smoking operation which had reduced it to the dry, hard,
and mummy-like appearance it presented. The two long scalp-locks were
twisted up into balls upon the crown of the head, in the same way that the
individual had worn them during life. The sunken cheeks were rendered yet
more ghastly by the rows of glistening teeth which protruded from between
the lips, while the sockets of the eyes--filled with oval bits of
mother-of-pearl shell, with a black spot in the centre--heightened the
hideousness of its aspect.

Two of the three were heads of the islanders; but the third, to my horror,
was that of a white man. Although it had been quickly removed from my
sight, still the glimpse I had of it was enough to convince me that I
could not be mistaken.

Gracious God! what dreadful thoughts entered my mind. In solving this
mystery, perhaps I had solved another, and the fate of my lost companion
might be re