TJie Night of Heathenism, 231 
districts, all cocoa-nuts, or yams, were tabued, until the 
chiefs removed it, by a feast, in which the drinking of 
yaquona took a large part. In other places, fishermen made 
offerings to their gods, to ensure a large catch of fish. 
In almost every village and town were to be seen temples 
erected to these gods, and tended by priests. These 
temples, or hures, were usually built upon a raised mound 
of stones, being of one storey, and thatched with reeds or 
spears. Although intended for religious purposes, these 
temples were sometimes, and, indeed, most frequently, put 
to other uses. Strangers were entertained in them, councils 
of war were held in them, and not unfrequently, the chief 
of the village used it for his sleeping place. Nothing 
approaching to regular worship was ever carried on within 
these temples ; and the priests knowing the dispositions ot 
the people, worked upon their fears, so that in case any 
worshipper came with a request, the answer depended 
to a large extent upon the kind and amount of offering 
made. This soro^ or offering, consisted of food, fruit, 
whales' teeth, human flesh, and fish; the answer^ whether 
for good or evil, generally was proportioned to the amount 
of soro. The priest professed to be inspired, and to give 
his decisions while under the influence of the god. He 
would become violently agitated, would shiver, as if in 
ague, roll his eyes about, and appear to be worked up into 
a frenzy. While in this state, a few oracular utterances 
would be given which would indicate to the inquirer the 
best course of action. No chief would venture to go to 
war without first consulting his priest ; and cases were very 
frequent in which shrewd, far-seeing priests stayed the 
fury of the war-spirit, by advising against it, and indeed 
commanding that it should not be undertaken at that 
time. The spirit of the god was supposed to enter into 
