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 Waterhouse, ‘ Vah-ta-ah,’ p. 46. 
