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Wild Life in Southern Seas. 
“ These are the three gods—Tahua, Mau, and 
U’umao. 1 They must be fed.” 
“ Give them these,” said Tati, pointing to 
the bodies of two men who had died of hunger ; 
“ of what use is it that we should carry these 
dead men to Vahitahi, so that their wives may 
mourn over them.” 
So they took up the bodies and cast them 
over ; but though the sharks came and smelt 
them, and turned them over and over in the 
water, they would not eat them, but turned 
away in anger and swam swiftly round and 
round Tati’s canoe. 
Then said Matara, the priest, “ See, O Tati, 
thou hast insulted thy three gods—they who 
have given thee victory. Live flesh must they 
have, or it will go ill with us.” 
Then Tati took three of the prisoners and 
cast them over one by one, and as they fell the 
sharks each seized one and bit his body in two 
pieces and swallowed it. Then they lay quiet 
beside the canoe. 
“ O Tati, give them another,” said Matara, 
the priest. 
1 Deified ancestors of the Society and Austral Islanders, 
who, after death, became sharks. 
