Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-06-22
BURIED ALIVE,

An English sailor, named Jackson, spent two
years among the natives of the Fejee Islands,
in the South Sea- From the narrative of his
adventures, we quote one passage, describing
burial alive. A young Fejcs man was ailing;
he had lost his appetite, and fearing to bc re-
eton--snanfe being unendurable emotionS-re-
solved to be buried alive. Jackson tried to dis
suado him from the sacrifice in vain, and the
scene now to be described followed
BY this time, all his relations had collected
roand the door. His father had kind of wood
en- spade to dig the grave with, his mother had
a new suit of tapa, his sister some vermllion
and whales tooth, US an introduction to the
great god of Ragc-Rage He arose, took up
his bed and walked, not for life, but for death,
his father, mother and sister following after,
with several other distant relations whom ac-
companied. noticed that they seemed to fol-
low something in the same way that they fol-
low corpse in Europe to the grave, (that is, as
far as relationship and acquaintance are concern
ed,) but, instead of lamenting, they were, if
not rejoicing, acting and chatting in very un-
concerned way. AT last, we reached place
where several graves could be seen, and a spot
was soon selected by the man who was to be
buried. The old man, his father, began digging
his grave, while his mother assisted hor son in
putting on a new tapa, and the sister was be-
smearing him with vernillion and lampblack, 80
as to send him decent into the invisible world,
the victim delivering messages that were to be
taken by his sister to people then absent. His
father then announced to him and the rest that
the grave was completed, and asked him, in
rather surly tone, if he was not ready by this
time The mother then nOsed him, and like
wise the sister He said, before die, should
! like a drink of water. His father made surly
remark, and said, as he ran to fetch it in leaf
doubled up, You've been a considerable trouble
during your life, and it appears you are going
to trouble US equally at your death The ia
ther returned with the water, which the son
drank off. and then looked up into tree cover
ed with tough vines, saying he should prefer be-
ing strangled with vine to being smothered in
a grave. His father became excessively angry,
and spreading the mat at the bottom of the grave,
told the son to die faka tlmaqua, Qike many
when he stepped into the grave, which was not
more than foar feet deep, and laid down on his
back, with the whales tooth in his hands
which were clasped across his belly. The spare
sides Of the mat were Tapped over him, so as to
pravent the earth from getting to his body and
then about foot of earth was shoveled in upon
him as quickly us possible. His father stamped
it Immediately down solid, and called out in a
loud voice, Sa tiko, sa tiko,' (you are stopping
there, you are stopping thcre,) meaning good
bye, goodbye The son answered with a very
audible grunt, and then about two feet more o.
earth were shoveled in and stamped as before by
the lovingfather and 'Sa tiko called out again
which was answered by another grunt, bu
much fainter. The grave was then completely
filled up, when, for curiosity's sake, said my
self, Sa tiko, but no answer was given, thougl
| iancied or really did see the earth crackle
little on the top Of the grave The father ant
mother then turned back to back on the middle
of the grave, and having dropped some kind o
leaves from their hands, walked away in oppo
site directions to running stream of wate
hard by, where they and all the rest washe,
themselves, and made me wash myself, and thel
we returned to town, where there was a fcas
prepared. AS soon as the feast was oSer, it be
ing dark, began the dance and urroar which ar
always carried on either at natural or violen
deaths. All classes then give themselves up t
: excess, especially at unnatural deaths Of thi