374 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
rolled on the earth, foaming at the mouth, as if 
labouring under the influence of the divinity by 
whom he was possessed, and, in shrill cries, and 
violent and often indistinct sounds, revealed the 
will of the god. The priests, who were attending, 
and versed in the mysteries, received, and reported 
to the people, the declarations which had been 
thus received. 
When the priest had uttered the response of 
the oracle, the violent paroxysm gradually sub¬ 
sided, and comparative composure ensued. The 
god did not, however, always leave him as soon as 
the communication had been made. Sometimes 
the same taura , or priest, continued for two or 
three days possessed by the spirit or deity; a piece 
of native cloth, of a peculiar kind, worn round one 
arm, was an indication of inspiration, or of the in¬ 
dwelling of the god with the individual who wore 
it. The acts of the man during this period were 
considered as those of the god, and hence the 
greatest attention was paid to his expressions, and 
the whole of his deportment. 
In the year 1808, during the civil war between 
the king and rebel chiefs, of whom Taute was the 
leader, the priest of Oro, who was known to be not 
only attached to the king’s interests, but a per¬ 
sonal friend of Pomare, left the royal camp, and 
went over to that of the enemy. Many of 
Pomare’s friends endeavoured to persuade him to 
remain with them, but no one dared to use force, 
as it was supposed that he acted under the inspi¬ 
ration of his god. This circumstance greatly dis¬ 
couraged the king and his friends, and probably 
prepared the way for their discomfiture and 
flight, as they supposed the god had forsaken them 9 
and fought with their enemies. 
