168 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
one step, on pain of forfeiting his life. The priests, 
and their adherents, would immediately put to 
death any one who should have the temerity to 
follow or molest those who were once within the 
pale of the palm tabu; and, as they expressed it, 
under the shade or protection of the spirit of Keave, 
the tutelar deity of the place. 
In one part of the enclosure, houses were for¬ 
merly erected for the priests, and others for the 
refugees, who, after a certain period, or at the ces¬ 
sation of war, were dismissed by the priests, and 
returned unmolested to their dwellings and families; 
no one venturing to injure those who, when they 
fled to the gods, had been by them protected. We 
could not learn the length of time it was necessary 
for them to remain in the puahonua; but it did 
not appear to be more than two or three days. 
After that, they either attached themselves to the 
service of the priests, or returned to their homes. 
The puhonua at Honaunau is capacious, capable 
of containing a vast multitude of people. In time 
of war, the females, children, and old people of the 
neighbouring districts, were generally left within 
it, while the men went to battle. Here they 
awaited in safety the issue of the conflict, and were 
secure against surprise and destruction, in the 
event of a defeat. 
The form of it was an irregular parallelogram, 
walled up on one side and at both ends, the other 
being formed by the sea-beach, except on the 
north-west end, where there was a low fence. On 
measuring it, we found it to be 715 feet in length, 
and 404 feet wide. The walls were twelve feet 
high, and fifteen thick. Holes were still visible 
in the top of the wall, where large images had 
formerly stood, about four rods apart throughout 
