THROUGH HAWAII. 
259 
view with the chiefs, were almost as much astonished 
as the priestess herself, when Kaahumanu and the 
other chiefs ordered all her paraphernalia of office to 
be thrown into the fire; told her the message she had 
delivered was a falsehood, and directed her to return 
home, cultivate the ground for her subsistence, and dis¬ 
continue her journeys of deception among the people. 
This answer was dictated by the chiefs themselves. 
The missionaries at the station, although they were 
aware of the visit of the priestess, and saw her, followed 
by the thronging crowd, pass by their habitation on 
her way to the residence of the chiefs, did not think it 
necessary to attend or interfere, but relied entirely on 
the enlightened judgment and integrity of the chiefs, to 
suppress any attempts that might be made to revive the 
influence of Pēlē over the people; and in the result they 
were not disappointed, for the natives returned to their 
habitations, and the priestess soon after left the island, 
and has not since troubled them with the threatenings 
of the goddess. 
On another occasion, Kapiolani, a pious chief-woman, 
the wife of Naihe, chief of Kaavaroa, was passing near 
the volcano, and expressed her determination to visit 
it. Some of the devotees of the goddess met her, and 
attempted to dissuade her from her purpose; assuring 
her that though foreigners might go there with security, 
yet Pel£ would allow no Hawaiian to intrude. Kapio¬ 
lani, however, was not to be thus diverted, but pro¬ 
posed that they should all go together; and declaring 
that if Peld appeared, or inflicted any punishment, she 
would then worship the goddess, but proposing that if 
nothing of the kind took place, they should renounce 
their attachment to Pel<§, and join with her and her 
