J 06 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
passed, uncovered as lie approached; and those 
who sat in the houses by the road-side, as soon as 
they heard the cry of te arii , te arii, “ the king,” 
the king,” stripped off their upper garments, and 
did not venture to replace them till he had passed. 
If by any accident he came upon them unex¬ 
pectedly, the cloth they wore was instantly rent in 
pieces, and an atonement offered. Any individual 
whom he might pass on the road, should he hesi¬ 
tate to remove this part of his dress, would be in 
danger of losing his life on the spot, or of being 
marked as a victim of sacrifice to the gods. 
This distinguishing mark of respect was not only 
rendered at all times, and from every individual, to 
the person of the king, but even to his dwellings, 
wherever they might be. These houses were con¬ 
sidered sacred, and were the only habitations, in 
any part of the island, where the king could alight, 
and take refreshment and repose. The ground, 
for a considerable space on both sides, was in their 
estimation sacred. A tii, or carved image, fixed 
on a high pedestal, and placed by the road-side, at 
a short distance from the dwelling, marked the 
boundary of the sacred soil. All travellers passing 
these houses, on approaching the first image, strip¬ 
ped off the upper part of their dress, and, whether 
the king was residing there or not, walked un¬ 
covered to the image at the opposite boundary. 
After passing this, they replaced their poncho, or 
kind of mantle, and pursued their journey. 
To refuse this homage would have been con¬ 
sidered not only as an indication of disaffection 
towards the king, but as rebellion against the go¬ 
vernment, and impiety towards the gods, exposing 
the individuals to the vengeance of the supreme 
powers in the visible and invisible worlds. Such 
