Wilson and Tkegeak. — 0)i the Koroiangi. 507 



posed or tampered with in modei'u times, the singer states, 

 after noticing the gathering-together of the animals in couples 

 and their entry with the chosen men into the life-saving vessel, 

 the destruction of the whole visible world by water, the Lord 

 Ocean commanding the di-y land to appear : 



" Returned is the north wind with the . . . 

 Not found is a place whereon to alight." 



Unfortunately, the missing word at the end of the first line (in 

 Marquesan hafa), has found no translator, but, from the allu- 

 sion to no place having been found whereon to alight, it is 

 probably connected with the sending-forth of the dove or raven 

 as "the traveller of Tangaroa." In Samoan legend, Tanga- 

 roa sent his daughter (in the shape of a bird) down horn 

 heaven. She returned to him, and reported that she could find 

 nothing but breaking waves. She was sent again and again, 

 till at last the land appeared. Next, it will be remembered 

 that, although the Fijians are not members of the fair Poly- 

 nesian race, yet their speech has preserved many Polynesian 

 words in great purity, and tliat it is believed b\- Fornander 

 and other authorities that the Polynesians inhabited Fiji 

 before their dispersion to the difi'erent islands. From the work 

 of the Eev. Thomas Williams (" Fiji and the Fijians," p. 196) 

 I make the following quotation : — 



" They speak of a deluge, which according to some of their 

 accounts was partial, but in others is stated to have been 

 universal. The cause of this great flood was the killing of 

 Turukawa — a favourite bird belonging to Ndengei — by two 

 mischievous lads, the grandsons of the god. These, instead of 

 apologizing for their offence, added insolent language to the 

 outrage, and, fortifying, with the assistance of their friends, the 

 towai in w'hich they lived, defied Ndengei to do his worst. 

 It is said that, although the angry god took three months ta 

 collect his forces, he was unable to subdue the rebels, and, 

 disbanding his army, resolved on more efficient revenge. At 

 his command the dark cloud gathered and burst, pouring 

 streams on the devoted earth. Towns, hills, mountains, were 

 successively submerged ; but the rebels, secure in the superior 

 height of their own dwelling-place, looked on without concern . 

 But when at last the terrible surges invaded their fortress the y 

 cried for direction to a god, who, according to one account , 

 instructed them to form a float of the fruit of the shaddock ; 

 according to another, sent two canoes for their use ; or, says 

 a thu-d, taught them how to build a canoe and thus secure 

 their own safety. All agi-ee that the highest places were 

 covered, and the remnant of the human family saved in some 

 k ind of vessel, which was at last left by the subsiding waters 

 on Aihcnga : hence the Mbengans draw their claim to stand 



