292 THE CORAL LANDS OF THE PACIFIC. 



from her father's house to another inside a fencing consecrated 

 to Talie Tabu, the patron god of the kings of Tonga. 



'Almost every morning a hog was killed, dressed, and 

 presented before the house as an offering to the god, that 

 he might spare the girl's life for the sake of Finoo.' The 

 divinity Avas thus invoked : ' Here thou seest assembled Finoo 

 and his chiefs, and the principal matabooles of thy favoured 

 land : thou seest them humbled before thee. We pray thee 

 not to be merciless, but spare the life of the woman for the 

 sake of her father, who has always been attentive to every 

 religious ceremony ; but if thy anger is justly excited by some 

 crime or misdemeanour committed by any other of us who are 

 here assembled, we entreat thee to inflict on the guilty one the 

 punishment he merits, and not to let go thy vengeance on one 

 who was born but as yesterday. For our own parts, what 

 other object have we in life but to serve Finoo ? But if 

 his family is afflicted, we are all afflicted, innocent as well as 

 guilty. How canst thou be merciless ? Dost thou not see here 

 Finoo ? And is not Afoo here, who descended from ancient 

 Tonga chiefs, now in Bolotoo (or paradise) ? And is not Fotoo 

 here, and did he not descend from Moumoua, formerly king 

 (or Tua) of Tonga ? And is not A'lo here, and Nine'apo, and 

 Too'bo ? then why art thou merciless ? Have regard then 

 for Finoo, and save the life of his daughter !' 



The funeral ceremonies of this child were remarkable, in 

 that they were followed by signs of rejoicing instead of mourn- 

 ing, with the purpose, Mariner thinks, of insulting the god 

 who had robbed Finoo of his dearly loved one. After the 

 body had been laid out and washed with oil and water, 

 it was anointed with sandal-wood and oil, and then wrapped in 

 14 or 15 yards of fine East India muslin, which had belonged 

 to the officers of the wrecked English ship which brought 



