154 cook's voyage to dec, 



tend, or not, to destroy him ? And that he is not 

 able to alter their determination. This is known to 

 the inhabitants on earth, as well as to the spirits ; for 

 when the moon is in its wane, it is said, that they are 

 then devouring their Eatooa ; and that, as it in- 

 creases, he is renewing himself. And to this acci- 

 dent, not only the inferior, but the most eminent 

 gods are liable. They also believe, that there are 

 other places for the reception of souls at death. Thus, 

 those who are drowned in the sea, remain there ; 

 where they think that there is a fine country, houses, 

 and every thing that can make them happy. But 

 what is more singular, they maintain, that not only 

 all other animals, but trees, fruit, and even stones, 

 have souls, which at death, or upon being consumed 

 or broken, ascend to the divinity, with whom they 

 first mix, and afterward pass into the mansion allotted 

 to each. 



They imagine that their punctual performance of 

 religious offices procures for them every temporal 

 blessing. And as they believe, that the animating 

 and powerful influence of the divine spirit is every 

 where diffused, it is no wonder that they join to this 

 many superstitious opinions about its operations. 

 Accordingly, they believe that sudden deaths, and 

 all other accidents, are effected by the immediate 

 action of some divinity. If a man only stumble 

 against a stone, and hurt his toe, they impute it to 

 an Eatooa \ so that they may be literally said, 

 agreeable to their system, to tread enchanted ground. 

 They are startled, in the night, on approaching a 

 toopapaooy where the dead are exposed, in the same 

 manner that many of our ignorant and superstitious 

 people are with the apprehensions of ghosts, and at 

 the sight of a church-yard ; and they have an equal 

 confidence in dreams, which they suppose to be com- 

 munications either from their god, or from the spirits 

 of their departed friends, enabling those favoured 

 with them to foretel future events ; but this kind of 



