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Easter Island: Early Witnesses

George Cooke


695

under way and continued our route along the cliffs on the north shore of the island. At platform No. 29 a pit was excavated in which a collection of human skulls, without any other portion of the remains, was found. Our track this day led us to Anakena Bay, according to tradition the original landing place of King Hotu-Metua, his queen, and followers, from whom the present inhabitants claim their descent. We found at the head of the bay a fine, extensive sand beach, the first we had fallen in with, forming a good landing place for small boats. The breakers and still water in the vicinity were seen swarming with fish of several varieties, of which the natives gave us their names. The sand beaches were thickly strewn with the "Portuguese man-of-war" (Physalia utriculus), called by the natives Papaki, and which, to the writer's great surprise, they informed him was eaten by them as food. Adherent to the rocks was found the singular, cuirass-covered little creature, called by the natives hemoma, one of the Chitons, perhaps the magnificus, which is also used by them as an article of diet. Thus, also, a small univalve, called by them ningongi, large collections of the shells of which were found stowed away in the walls of the stone huts at the edge of the crater, on Rana Kao, where also was found the remains of the Chiton. The sea urchin, Echinus (esculentus?), in Rapa Nui - hetuki, and a diminutive snail, which they call pipi, were found at Anakena. All the above form a part of their dietary, and they seemed to speak of and regard them as tidbits.
   Sometime was passed at Anakena, exploring its vicinity where, there is every reason to suppose, an extensive town existed, for which the nature of the surface, ascending gradually from the water's edge to high land on either side, with a hill rising between and running back into the interior, forms a most admirable site. The remains of former habitations were found in various directions. At some distance back from the sea on rising ground, in an isolated position, far removed from any platform or image, was found the largest tufa crown we had yet seen and which subsequent investigation proved the largest on the island. It was slightly oval in shape, lay on its side, was buried in the earth to a depth of about 2 feet, and by actual measurement was 27 feet 9 inches in circumference, 9 feet 9 inches in diameter across the long and 9 feet 2 inches across the short oval, and 9 feet high.
   Beyond Anakena Bay the walking became especially difficult and laborious at one point, near Ovahe Bay, it was necessary to scale the face of a cliff, at about midway of its height, on a narrow ledge of rock.
   Our camp, named "Whitney," for the honorable Secretary of the Navy, was located for this night near Hangaone Bay, about 4 miles from our starting point of the morning, and it was nearly dark when we entered its welcome precincts. Supplies from the ship, brought by the boat, which had been nearly all day reaching Anakena, were carried thence overland and arrived in camp during the evening.
   Near our present camping ground we found the best water of any

695


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