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healthy, he was now pale, emaciated, and reduced almost to a skeleton. Enveloped in all the darkness of paganism, and perhaps agitated with fearful uncertainties respecting a future state, he clung eagerly to life, yet seemed to feel a conviction of his approaching end daily increasing. Like his countrymen in general, he supposed his disease inflicted in consequence of the prayers of some malicious enemy, or the vindictive displeasure of the gods of his country; hence he had consulted the sorcerers, expended on them his property, and attended to all their injunctions, if by any means his life might be spared.

The popular superstitions of the islanders lead them to imagine, that an individual who possesses the means of employing a sorcerer, may afflict with painful disease, and even occasion the death of, any person against whom he may indulge feelings of hatred or revenge. They also believe that the sorcerers, by certain incantations, can discover the author or cause of the disease, and refer it back to the party with whom it originated. So prevalent are these notions, that the people generally believe every individual, who does not meet his death by some act of violence, is destroyed by the immediate power of an unpropitious deity, by poison, or the incantations of the sorcerers employed by some cruel enemy. This belief gives the sorcerers great influence among the middling and lower orders; and in times of protracted sickness, their aid is almost invariably sought by all who can procure a dog and a fowl for the sacrifice, and a piece or two of tapa, as a fee for the priest. A dog and fowl are all that are necessary for the ceremony; but the offerings to the god, and the fees to the priest, are regulated according to the wealth

or rank of the individual on whose behalf the aid of sorcery is employed.

The ceremonies performed are various; but the most general is the Kuniahi, broiling fire, a kind of anaaná, or sorcery, used to discover the person whose incantation has induced the illness of the party for whom it is performed. When a chief wishes to resort to it, he sends for a priest, who, on his arrival, receives a number of hogs, dogs, and fowls, together with several bundles of tapa. Before he commences any of his operations, all persons, except the parties immediately concerned, retire from the house, which the priest tabu's, and prohibits strangers from entering. He then kindles a small fire somewhere near the couch of the invalid, and covers it with stones. This being done, he kills one of the dogs by strangling it, and cuts off the head of one of the fowls, muttering all the while his prayers to the god he invokes. The dog, fowl, and pig, if there be one, are then cut open, embowelled, and laid on the heated stones, the priest continuing his incantations, and watching, at the same time, the offerings broiling on the fire. A small part only of these offerings are eaten by the priest, the rest remain on the fire until consumed, when the priest lies down to sleep; and if his prayers are answered, he informs the poor sufferer, on awaking, who or what is the cause of his sickness. Additional presents are then made to the god, and other prayers offered, that the sickness may seize the person whose incantations in the first instance caused it, or if in consequence of any delinquency towards the god, on the part of the sufferer, that he would abate his anger, and remove the disease. But if, during his sleep, the priest has no revelation or dream, he informs his employers

on awaking, that he has not succeeded, and that another kuni ahi must be prepared, before he can satisfy them respecting the cause of the sickness. On such occasions the unsuccessful priest is often dismissed, and another sent for, to try his influence with the god.

Different priests employ different prayers or incantations, and are careful to keep the knowledge of them confined to their families, as each one supposes, or wishes the people to think, his own form the best; hence we have often heard the natives, when talking on the subject, say," He pule mana ko me," A powerful prayer has such a one. Though Uri is the principal god of the sorcerers, each tribe has its respective deities for these occasions. Thus the poor deluded people are led to suppose that the beings they worship are continually exerting their power against each other; or that the same god who, when a small offering only was presented, would allow sickness to continue till death should destroy the victim of his displeasure, would, for a larger offering, restrain his anger and withdraw the disease. The sorcerers were a distinct class among the priests of the island, and their art appears to claim equal antiquity with the other parts of that cruel system of idolatry by which the people have been so long oppressed; and though it has survived the destruction of the national idolatry, and is still practised by many, it is entirely discontinued by the principal chiefs in every island, and by all who attend to Christian instruction.

CHAP. XI.

Conversation with the Natives-Appearance of the Country in the Vicinity of Pualaa Extinguished Volcano in the Valley of Kapoho-Description of the Horua, a native Game-Traditionary Story of a Contest between Pélé and Kahavari—Incidents on the Journey to Hiro-Description of Ora--Public Worship at Waiakea— Conversation with a Priestess of Pélé, the Goddess of the VolcanoesOpinion of the Natives respecting the permanent Residence of Missionaries at Waiakea-Description of Native Houses.

Ir was about eight o'clock in the morning of the 7th when I joined Messrs. Thurston and Bishop at Pualaa, where we took breakfast, and afterwards spent the forenoon in conversation with the natives who thronged around us.

Two or three old men, whom we afterwards learned were priests, seemed to dispute what we said about Jehovah's being the only true God, and the Christian the only true religion. They said they thought their taö (tradition) respecting Tu, Tanaroa, Rono, or Orono, and Tairi, were as authentic as the accounts in our book, though ours, from the circumstance of their being written, or, as they expressed it, "hana paia i ka palapala,” (made fast on the paper,) were better preserved, and more akaaka, clear, or generally intelligible.

To this we replied at some length, after which the old men ceased to object, but continued to withhold

their assent. Numbers sat around, and seemed interested in the discussion. We continued talking to them on the subject of their traditions, one of which we wrote down as they repeated it.

About half-past eleven we took leave of them, and directed our way across the eastern point. A most beautiful and romantic landscape presented itself on our left, as we travelled out of Pualaa. The lava was covered with a tolerably thick layer of soil, and the verdant plain, extending several miles towards the foot of the mountains, was agreeably diversified by groups of picturesque hills, originally craters, but now clothed with grass, and ornamented with clumps of trees. The natives informed us, that three of these groups, Honuaura, Malama, and Mariu, being contiguous, and joined at their base, arrested the progress of an immense torrent of lava, which, in the days of Taraiopu, the friend of Captain Cook, inundated all the country beyond them. We soon left this cheerful scenery, and entered a rugged tract of lava, over which we continued our way till about two P. M., when we reached Kapoho.

A cluster, apparently of hills three or four miles round, and as many hundred feet high, with deep indented sides, overhung with trees, and clothed with herbage, standing in the midst of a barren plain of lava, attracted our attention. We walked through the gardens that encircled its base, till we reached the s. E. side, where it was much lower than on the northern parts. Here we ascended what appeared to us to be one of the hills, and on reaching the summit, were agreeably surprised to behold a charming valley opening before us. It was circular, and open towards the sea. The outer boundary of this natural amphitheatre was

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