PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION G. 619 
About half a mile from “ Parai,” close to the usual landing- 
place, is a remarkable natural basin of fresh water, called “‘ The 
cuttle-fish stream.” At certain seasons the water assumes a dark, 
.cloudy appearance, as if a cuttle-fish had ejected its ink into the 
stream. Yet in the course of a day or two the water again 
becomes clear, and sailors fill their water-casks as before. Doubt- 
less this is owing to the presence of cuttle-fish, who come out of 
the sea there to spawn. 
The stream which leaps from the precipitous eastern side of 
“The Mist” flows into the ocean by three channels; so that it. 
may be fairly said that the fountain referred to in the preceding 
myth is the unfailing source of the water-supply of the beautiful 
island of Rarotonga. 
The following invocation to the divinities worshipped by the 
Makea tribe at Rarotonga was invariably used by the master of 
the ceremonies as a preliminary to all state feasts until the 
subversion of idolatry in 1823. As the name of each god was 
pronounced with a loud voice and in the prescribed order, a 
portion of food was thrown into the bush. The divinities were 
believed to feed at dusk upon fhe essence of these offerings, the 
visible part being devoured by rats. 
The reader will note that two of the gods (Tonga-iti and 
Toutika) invoked, are referred to in the preceding myth. This. 
will show that the myth was not intended merely as a pleasant 
fairy story, but was to their minds the veritable history of a 
quarrel between the great divinities of Rarotonga, which, however; 
ended disastrously for the Makea tribe. 
. E pure kat (= Prayer before a feast). 
To kai, e Marumamao ! ds ... Marumamao (= Shadow, 7.e., pro- 
tection, thrown from afar), here 
is thy food; (O eat!). 
To kai, e Tangaroa! Noe ... Tangaroa, here is thy food; (O eat !).. 
To kai,e Eturere! ... ish ... Eturere* (= Falling-star). here is 
thy food (O eat!). 
To kai, e Tonga-iti! ... ua ... Tonga-iti (= Little Tongan), here 
is thy food; (O eat!). 
To kai,e Toutika! ... wie ... Toutika, here is thy food; (O eat!).. 
To kai, eaku Atua, kai katoa mai! All (other) divinities worshipped by 
me, here is your food; (O eat !). 
When this was over, the chiefs, greater and lesser, were named. 
in a prescribed order, and each took possession of the pile of food 
allotted to him. 
* A female divinity. 
