m 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
On their return home, they passed through the district 
of Atehuru, and found the king, Pomare, and all the 
chiefs and warriors of the land, assembled at the great 
Marae, where a number of ceremonies were performing 
in honour of Oro, the great national idol. As they 
passed the Marae, they saw a number of hogs on the 
altar, and several human sacrifices placed in the trees 
around; and when they reached the spot where the chiefs 
were assembled, they found Pomare offering five or six 
large pigs to Oro, on board a sacred canoe, in which the 
ark, or residence of the idol, was placed. Notwithstand¬ 
ing his being thus engaged, they told him Jehovah alone 
was God, that pigs were not acceptable to him as offer¬ 
ings, that Jesus Christ was the true atonement for sin, 
and that God was offended with them for killing men. 
The chief at first seemed unwilling, but at last said he 
would attend to their religion. 
On the following day, when the king, chiefs, and 
people, were assembled within the temple, Otu and his 
father, pretending to have received intimation that Oro 
wished to be conveyed to Tautira, in Taiarabu, Pomare 
addressed the chiefs of Atehuru, requesting them to 
give him up; but the orators of the Atehuruan chiefs 
resisted. Otu then demanded him, but the chiefs 
still refused compliance. Pomare then recommended 
liis son, the king, to allow the Atehuruan chiefs 
to retain the idol until a certain ceremony had been 
performed. This the king declined, and again insisted 
that Oro should be given up. This was still refused; 
and, having asked for some time without effect, he rose 
up in anger, and ordered his party to withdraw. A 
number of his attendants rushed upon the canoes, others 
seized the god by force, tore him away from the people 
