402 A MISSION TO VITI. 



commanding, as to leave little doubt in the mind of the 

 chief that the god himself was now before him. Fish 

 was presented to him ; and just as the god was retiring 

 with it, Koroika hit him with an arrow, and then re- 

 treated in all possible haste. But the voice of the god 

 followed him, exclaiming, " Nought but serpents ! 

 nought but serpents !" Arrived at home, and scarcely 

 recovered from his state of agitation, he ordered dinner 

 to be brought. The cover was removed from the pot, 

 when, oh ! horror, it was full of serpents ! The chief 

 seized a jug of water, saying, "At any rate, I will drink ;" 

 but, instead of the limpid fluid, he poured out crawling 

 serpents. Unable to eat or drink, he sought comfort in 

 sleep. He unrolled his mat, and was in the act of lying 

 down upon it, when innumerable serpents appeared. 

 Mad with excitement, he rushes out of doors, and pass- 

 ing a temple, hears, to his dismay, a priest revealing 

 that the god has been wounded by the hand of a citizen, 

 and that punishment will overtake the city. There is 

 now no escape but to make a suitable atonement for the 

 terrible offence committed. He returns home, collects 

 all the valuables he can lay his hands on, presents them 

 to the god, is pardoned, and his name handed down to 

 unborn generations as a sceptic, and a fit example of 

 the danger to which all men of his disposition expose 

 themselves.* 



A different but equally severe punishment awaited 

 unbelievers in Bulu. One day, two young men paint 

 and oil themselves, and put on a new piece of native 

 cloth (just as the dead are prepared for the grave), and 



* Compare Waterliouse, ' Vah-ta-ali,' p. 46. 



