346 AUSTRALASIAN AND POLYNESIAN 
or other relatives, &c. But the esoteric teaching of the priests 
ran thus :—Unhappy* ghosts travel over the pointed rocks round 
the island until they reach the extreme edge of the cliff facing 
the setting sun, when a large wave approaches to the base, and at 
the same moment a gigantic “dua” tree (Fagrea berteriaua ), 
covered with fragrant blossoms, springs up from Avaiki to receive 
these disconsolate human spirits. Even at this last moment, with 
feet almost touching the fatal tree, a friendly voice may send 
the spirit-traveller back to life and health. Otherwise, he is 
mysteriously impelled to climb the particular branch reserved for 
his own tribe, and conveniently brought nearest to him. 
Immediately the human soul is safely lodged upon this gigantic 
“dua,” the deceitful tree goes down with its living burden to 
nether-world. Akaanga and his assistants catch the luckless 
ghost in a net, half drown it in a lake of fresh water, and then 
usher it into the presence of dread Miru, mistress of the nether- 
world, where it is made to drink of her intoxicating bowl. The 
drunken ghost is borne off to the ever-burning oven, cooked, and 
devoured by Miru, her son,and four peerless daughters. The refuse 
is thrown to her servants, Akaanga and others. So that, at Man- 
gaia, the end of the coward was annihilation. 
At Rarotonga the luckless spirit-traveller who had no present 
for Tiki was compelled to stay outside the house where the brave 
of past ages are assembled, in rain and darkness for ever, shivering 
with cold and hunger. Another view is, that the grand rendezvous 
of ghosts was on a ridge of rocks facing the setting sun. One 
tribe skirted the sea margin until it reached the fatal spot. 
Another (the tribe of Tangiia, on the eastern part of Rarotonga) 
traversed the mountain range forming the backbone of the island 
until the same point of departure was attained. Members of the 
former tribe clambered on an ancient “dza” tree (still standing). 
Should the branch chance to break, the ghost is immediately 
caught in the net of “ Muru.” But it sometimes happens that a 
lively ghost tears the meshes and escapes for awhile, passing on 
by a resistless inward impulse towards the outer edge of the 
reef, in the hope of traversing the ocean. But in a straight line 
from the shore is a round hollow, where Akaanga’s net is concealed. 
In this the very few who escape out of the hands of Muru are 
caught without fail. The delighted demons (taae) take the 
captive ghost out of the net, dash his brains out on the sharp 
coral, and carry him off in triumph to the shades to eat. 
For the tribe of Tangiia an iron-wood tree was reserved. The 
ghosts that trod on the gveex branches of this tree came back to 
life, whilst those who had the misfortune to crawl on the dead 
branches were at once caught in the net of Muru or Akaanga, 
brained, cooked and devoured ! 
% Because they had the misforturre “to die on a pillow,” and because they had to leave 
their old pleasant haunts and homes. 
