RURUTU. 
399 
every thing made by our hands, as an object of 
worship, be totally charred in the fire/’ To these 
statements they added this remarkable declara¬ 
tion^—“ Behold, you say, O Auura, that we have 
souls, or spirits—till now we never knew that man 
possessed a soul.” Auura then introduced the 
two Missionaries from Raiatea, stated their object, 
and recommended them to the kind attention of 
the people. 
At this time, two men, pretending to be inspired 
by Rurutu’s god, rose up. One said, “ We will 
hold the good word.” The other began by de¬ 
claring his acquaintance with the foundation of 
the universe, his descent from Taaroa, his birth in 
the heavens—and was proceeding, when the chief 
interrupted him, and requested him to demonstrate 
his relation to the celestial world, by “ shooting up 
into the sky;” and then, accusing him as the de¬ 
stroyer of the Rurutuan people, ordered him away. 
The teachers th^n addressed the meeting, and, 
after briefly stating their object, recommended 
them to provide an entertainment the next day, of 
which they and their wives and children should 
unitedly partake, and thus prove the deception of 
their false gods. 
On the succeeding day, a feast was prepared; 
turtle, pork, and other kinds of food considered 
sacred, were dressed, and a number of both women 
and children sat down, and ate of the prohibited 
dishes. The priests had declared, that any who 
should thus offend, would be instantly destroyed 
by the gods of their ancestors—this was to be the 
test of their power. 
The inhabitants were not uninterested spectators 
at this feast; and when, afterwards, they saw no 
one convulsed, or suddenly stricken with death* 
