204 JOHN FRASER. 



king also was named Alele ; he was the tirst king. l The name 

 has become a proverb ; for when a plantation is robbed, and the 

 thief is not discovered, the exclamation is — Ai se mea a Alele, 

 ' Oh ! it's Alele.' These people used to alight upon one land and 

 then on another, stow the crops of the plantations in their backs, 

 and fly off. Thus they used to carry off great spoil, and lay waste 

 many lands. On one occasion, they made a descent on the yam 

 plantation of a chief named Tui-Samata, 4 who resided at Le-futu 4 

 •on Tutuila. They carried off in the night all the crop of yams. 

 On finding in the morning that his plantation had been plundered, 

 he called his grandson named Le-le'a-sapai, child of his daughter 

 Amete, and bade him go in search of the plunderers and bring 

 back the yams. The lad set off, passed place after place, and at 

 length arrived at a land of spirits, the chiefs of whom were Sa- 

 le-vao 5 and Tulia ; their land was near the land of the Alele. 

 When he approached, they asked him whither he was going ; he 

 told them ; they said it was doubtful if the yams were not all gone 

 — all eaten up except a basket or two. They then said, ' Stop here 

 till night ; and then, before daylight, go to the place where the 

 robbers alight with their plunder.' He said, 'Let me stop till the 

 moon is up, and then I will go.' They answered, ' There is no 

 moon at present ; it is the change of the moon.' ' The moon will 

 rise towards morning,' said he. ' It will not,' they replied. And 

 so the argument went on and became vehement ; and at last they 

 said to him, ' Well, we will see ; and if the moon does not rise, 

 then you shall die.' All the spirits had assembled. He remained 

 there ; darkness fell ; the night was passing away, and no moon 

 arose. They began to talk about killing Lele'a ; then Salevao, 

 touched with compassion for the young man, went inland to behind 

 the brow of a hill, and his presence was so radiant that it caused 

 an appearance as though the moon was rising. Then said Lele'a, 

 'The moon is rising.' 'No,' answered Tulia, ' it is not; it is the pity 

 of Salevao, who has gone and caused that appearance.' They then 

 became his friends, and Tulia said to him, ' Come near ; take this 

 war-club; 6 put it in the place where the plunderers bathe, and 

 hold this string in your hand. They will fight with this, and it 

 will cause their death. Pass on straight along this road here ; 

 evil spirits will be sitting on. your right and left, but pass on; they 

 will not molest you.' 



He went as directed, before daylight, to the meeting-place of the 

 plunderers, and put the club in the water. Just about dawn, 

 down they came, singing and shouting, Fata-tu, fata-tu. 7 Down 

 went their burdens, and into the water they rushed ; the fight 

 began ; in contest with the club there was an indescriminate 

 slaughter, so that the bathing place became full of dead bodies. 

 All this time Lele'a had been concealed. Their king now came 



