224 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHE 
cannibals. In the reign of Tamatafetu, an ancestor of 
the present ruler, it is related, that when a man of 
stout or corpulent habit went to the island, or low¬ 
land on the reef, he was seldom heard of afterwards. 
The people of the island imagined those thus missing 
were destroyed by the sharks; but for many years, the 
servants of the king followed them to the island on the 
reef, and having murdered, baked them there. When the 
bodies were baked, they wrapped them in leaves of the 
hibiscus and plantain, as they were accustomed to 
wrap their eels, or other fish, taken and cooked on the 
island; they then carried them to the interior, where the 
king and his servants feasted on them. Their deeds 
were at length discovered by Feito, the wife of the king. 
She was in the house on one occasion, and, as they 
supposed, asleep, when she overheard the king and 
his servants planning the death of Tebuoroo, her bro¬ 
ther. Anxious to save her brother’s life, she revealed to 
him the purpose of the chief. He communicated it to 
the raatiras, or farmers, who immediately repaired to the 
marae of Taaroa, to inquire what they should do; and left 
wdth a unanimous determination to destroy their chief. 
Two men, Mehoura and Raiteanui, were appointed to 
hide themselves near his place of bathing; and when the 
chief came to bathe, they killed him with stones. A native 
of this island related the above statement within the last 
two years, at a public meeting held near the place where 
it is reported to have occurred, and afterwards in pri¬ 
vate stated that it was according to their traditions. 
Mr. Barff, to whom I am indebted for the tradition, adds, 
^^The people at large affirmed it to be true.” This un¬ 
natural crime does not appear to have been general; and 
the above is the only direct account that we have of its 
