THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
163 
fhould not anfwer their expectations, they think it no im¬ 
piety to change; as has very lately happened in Tiaraboo, v 
where, in the room of the two divinities formerly honoured 
there, Oraa *, God of Bolabola, has been adopted, I fhould 
fuppofe, becaufe he is the protfecffor of a people who have 
been victorious in war; and as, fince they have made this 
change, they have been very fuccefsful themfelves againft 
the inhabitants of Qtaheite-nooe , they impute it entirely to 
Oraa , who, as they literally fay, fights their battles. 
Their afliduity in ferving their Gods is remarkably con- 
fpicupus. Not only the wbattas , or offering-places of the 
morals , are commonly loaded with fruits and animals; but 
there are few houfes where you do not meet with a fmall 
place of the fame fort near them. Many of them are fo 
rigidly fcrupulous, that they will not begin a meal, without 
firft laying afide a morfel for the Eatooa ; and we had an op¬ 
portunity, during this voyage, of feeing their fuperftitious 
zeal carried to a moft pernicious height, in the inftance of 
human facrifices ; the occafions of offering which, I doubt, 
are too frequent. Perhaps, they have recourfe to them 
when misfortunes occur; for they alked, if one of our men, 
who happened to be confined, when we were detained by 
a contrary wind, was taboo f Their prayers are alfo very fre¬ 
quent, which they chant, much after the manner of the 
fongs in their feftive entertainments. And the women, as 
in other cafes, are alfo obliged to fliew their inferiority in 
religious obfervances; for it is required of them, that they 
fhould partly uncover themfelves, as they pafs the morals ; 
or take a confiderable circuit to avoid them. Though they 
have no notion, that their God muff always be conferring 
* We have another inftance of the fame word being differently pronounced by our 
people. Captain Cook, as appears above, fpeaks of OHa, as the Bolabola God. 
Y 2 benefits, 
1777. 
December. 
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