An Account of the Natives of the Tonga Islands/Chapter XII
CHAPTER XII.
Shortly after Toobó Malóhi and his followers had departed for the Hapai islands, Finow's younger daughter, named Sáw-aw mái Lalángi (which, in the Hamoa language, means descended from the sky), about six or seven years of age, fell sick; on which occasion she was removed from her father's house to another inside a fencing, consecrated to Tali-y-Toobo, the patron god of the Hows. Almost every morning a hog was killed, dressed, and presented before the house, as an offering to the god, that he might spare her life for the sake of Finow. On these occasions, one or other of the matabooles, and sometimes two or three in succession, made an address to the invoked divinity (for he had no priest), to the following purpose: "Here thou seest assembled Finow and his chiefs, and the principal matabooles of thy favoured land" (the Tonga islands, taken collectively), "thou seest them humbled before thee. We pray thee not to be merciless, but spare the life of the woman[1] for the sake of her father, who has always been attentive to every religious ceremony[2]: but if thy anger is justly excited by some crime or misdemeanor committed by any other of us who are here assembled, we entreat thee to inflict on the guilty one the punishment which he merits, and not to let go thy vengeance on one who was born but as yesterday. For our own parts, why do we wish to live but for the sake of Finow; but if his family is afflicted, we are all afflicted, innocent as well as guilty. How canst thou be merciless! dost thou not see here Finów,—and is not A′foo here, who descended from ancient Tonga chiefs now in Bolótoo;—and is not Fótoo here, and did he not descend from Moomoóe formerly How of Tonga;—and is not A′lo here, and Niucápoo, and Toobó!—then why art thou merciless?" (spoken in rather an impatient and peremptory tone) "have regard for Finow, and save the life of his daughter."
Every morning, as before stated, for about a fortnight, a hog was killed and offered to the god, and addresses were made similar to the above, and repeated five, six, or seven times a day, but the god seemed to hearken not to their petition, and the child daily got worse. In about fourteen or sixteen days, finding their prayers unavailing, they took her to another fencing in the neighbourhood, consecrated to Too′ifoo′a Bolo′too. Here the same ceremonies were practised for about a week, with as little good result. Finow, finding his daughter getting worse instead of better, ordered his large canoes to be launched, and his wives, chiefs, matabooles, in short his whole household, to go on board. His sick daughter was conveyed into the canoe which he and his wives occupied, Mr. Mariner also being on board. They set sail for the island of Hoonga, which belonged / THE TONGA ISLANDS. 353 to a priest called Toohd Tka^ who was accusi- tomed to be inspired by Finow's tutelar god Toobb Total. On this island several enclosures or fencings are consecrated to this god : to one of which his daughter was carried, and the same offering and same kind of address was frequently made ; but in this case, not before the conse- crated house where the sick child lay, but where- ever the priest happened to be, which was gene- rally at his own house or at Finow's. It must here be remarked that those gods who have priests are invoked in the person, of the inspired priest wherever he may happen to be : those who have no priest are invoked at the consecrated house by a mataboole, as was the case in the late instance with Tali-y-Toobo, who has no priest. Toobb Total was thus invoked every day, in the person of his priest, during a fortnight or three weeks. Seated at the head of the cava ring*, he seemed much affected, and generally shed a profusion of tears. To their earnest en- treaties he scarcely ever made any answer, and when he did, it was, for the most part, to the following effect; " Why do you weary your- " selves with entreating me?" (speaking as if he were the god) " if the power to restore the " woman rested solely with me, I would dtp it : " be assured it is all done by the will of the
- See the form of invocation, p. 99.
VOL. I. A A 354 TRANSACTIONS AT " gods of Bolotoo." Every clay he visited the sick girl, occasionally sat down by her, took her hand and shed tears. During this time the ma- tabooles frequently repaired to the house of the priest, and laying cava before him, consulted him privately. On one of these occasions, Fi- now not being present, he told them that if they knew why the child was sick they would not come thus to invoke him : he then declared, in general terms, that it was for the common good. Know, being informed of this, addressed the priest at the consultation on the following morning, asking him (or rather the god within him) what he meant by the general good ? ** If " my spirits are oppressed, are not those of all
- ' my subjects so likewise ? but if the gods have
" any resentment against us, let the whole
- ' weight of vengeance fall on my head : I fear
" not their vengeance, — but spare my child ; " and I earnestly entreat you, Toobo Totdi, to
- ' exert all your influence with the other gods,
" that I alone may suffer all the punishment « they desire to inflict." To this the god re- turned no answer, and the priest retiring among the people, the company separated. As soon as Finow anived at his house, his spirits no doubt much agitated, and his pride, in all probability, much hurt, he laid down on his mat, and felt himself much indisposed. His THE TONGA ISLANDS. 355 illness hourly increased, and feeling, as he said, a secret presentiment of approaching death, his female attendants ran out and informed his chiefs and matabooles, who in consequence im- mediately repaired to his house, and found him unable to speak ; for as soon as he saw them he endeavoured in vain to give utterance to his ideas, and seemed choked by the vehemence of his inward emotions. At length a flood of tears coming to his relief, he acknowledged the jus- tice of the gods, but lamented greatly that he was about to meet his death on a bed of sickness instead of going to brave it in the field of battle. After a little pause, he said in a calm but firm tone of voice, " I tremble at the approaching " fate of my country : for I perceive plainly, " that after my death the state of affairs will be much altered for the worse. I haye had " daily proofs that the obedience of my subjects
- ' is not excited by their love but by their
" fears." Several chiefs and matabooles who, owing to the crowd, were not able to get into the house, but overheard what passed, went immediately to the priest of Toobo Totdi, and presenting him cava root, sat down before him. An old mataboole then addressed him, stating that they had firm belief in the power which the gods possessed of inflicting what punishment A A 2 they chose upon mortals : but he entreated the god to use his influence with the other powers of Bolotoo, that they might not take offence at what Finow had said in the morning, which was merely spoken on the impulse of the mo- ment, when warmly agitated with sentiments of affection for his daughter, and not from any real disrespect to the gods : he supplicated him also to have regard to the general good of the islands, and not by depriving them of Finow, to involve the whole nation in anarchy and confusion. The priest remained some time in silence, and was much affected : at length he / announced that the gods of Bolotoo had, for a long time past, debated among themselves with regard to the punishment they should inflict upon Finow, for the many instances he had shewn of disobedience to religious precepts, and of exceeding disrespect for divine power ; that they had at first resolved upon his death, but that he (Toobo Total) having repeatedly interceded in his behalf, some of the other gods also took his part; in consequence of which there arose very violent dissensions in Bolotoo ; not, as he explained to them, by actual fight- ing, for gods are immortal, and can neither be killed, wounded, nor hurt, but by urgent and potent arguments, which had occasioned, he said, the late high winds and tremendous thunTriE TONGA ISLANDS. 357 der. That they had consequently come to a resolution of saving his life, seeing that his death would be a greater evil to his people than to himself, and of punishing him in another and perhaps more severe way, viz. by the death of his most dear and beloved daughter, who must therefore be inevitably taken from him : for as it had been decreed, beyond all re- vocation, that either he or his daughter must die, her life could not be saved without taking away his. As a sort of proof of this decree, he bade them remark that whilst Finow was at this time ill, his daughter was much better, and comparatively full of life and spirits, (which was actually the case.) To-morrow, he said, her father would be tolerably well, for the gods had not decreed his immediate death, but only a temporary illness, to impress on his mind a sense of their power, and then his daughter would relapse, and become as bad or worse than ever. The priest being now silent, the chiefs and matabooles left him, with a strong belief of the truths he had been telling them. When they arrived at Finow' s house they found him some- what better, but did not communicate what they had heard from his priest. This however was soon rumoured among the other chiefs and matabooles, in the king's cook-Jwuse, where they generally resort for cava, and which from custom has become a sort of rendezvous to pick up or retail news. Mr. Mariner, who had been with Finow (his patron, father, and pro- tector,) during his illness, coming to the cook- house and hearing what the priest had said, went out of curiosity to Finow' s daughter, and was surprised to find her sitting up, eating ripe bananas, and in very good spirits, talking at in- tervals to her female attendants. In the evening Finow, feeling himself for the most part recovered, visited his daughter, and found her much worse than, as he was in- foi'med, she had been in the morning. He now expressed his intention of passing the night at her house, which he accordingly did. When he awoke in the morning he felt himself per- fectly recovered ; but going to his daughter's mat, he found, to his utmost grief, that she was worse than ever. In the course of the morning he went down to the sea-shore, to give some orders respecting an alteration he designed in the sail of his canoe, in which he also employed himself (to distract his thoughts probably) the greater part of the day. At night he again slept at the house of his daughter ; and very early the following morning gave orders for all his chiefs, matabooles, and attendants, to go on board his canoes, and gave directions for his THE TONGA ISLANDS. 359 daughter also to be carried on board ; then fol- lowing himself, made sail for the island of Ofoo, with intention of consulting Allii Vciloo, the tutelar god of his aunt Toe Oomoo. They arrived after two hours sail ; and immediately, on landing, went and presented cava root to the priest of that god (the name of the priest Mr. Mariner has forgotten). In the mean time the sick child was taken to the god's conse- crated house. The company being seated in the presence of the priest, a bowl of cava was presented to him, — when the god said — It is
- ' in vain that you come here to invoke me
" upon a subject on which you have obtained " all the information that it is necessary for " you to know. Toobo Totdi has already in- " structed you in the will of the gods, and I " can commwnicate nothing farther." The priest having said this, Finow and his attend- ants rose up and went their way. In the course of the afternoon the supposed victim of divine vengeance was removed to several other consecrated houses in the same island, and was suffered to remain about half an hour or an hour in each, with the hope that she would de- rive benefit from the auspices of either of the deities, who were imagined to reside in those places. Removal, hoAvever, appeared to make her worse J and at length she was almost speechless. During the night her father, with anxious solicitude, sat by the side of her mat, watching, with sighs and tears, the progress of her disorder. The next morning, which brought no sign of returning health to enliven the hopes of an afflicted parent, — Finow gave directions to proceed to Macave, the place at Vavaoo where (as the reader will recollect) Booboonoo, Cacahoo, and several other great warriors, were seized by Finow's orders. By the time they had got a little more than half way to Vavaoo, the poor child died. Immedi- ately all the female attendants began to lament in a most woful strain, beating their breasts with violent agitation, and exhibiting every mark of sorrow and despair ; — but Finow sat in silence and dejection, weeping for the fate of his daughter. In a little time they reached the coast of Vavaoo, and took the body to a large house, called Boono, (six posts,) on the maldi at Neafoo, followed by Finow, his wives, chiefs, matabooles, and attendants, all habited in mats. The body was laid out on a fine and beautiful Hamoa mat, and then washed over with a mixture of oil and water : after which it was anointed with sandal-wood oil. It must be here noticed, that the king had determined, in the event of his daughter's death, not to bury her exactly after the Tonga THE TONGA ISLANDS. 361 fashion, but partly according to that, partly agreeably to the custom of Hamoa, and partly according to a fancy of his own. After the body was washed and anointed with oil, it was wrapped up in fourteen or fifteen yards of fine East India embroidered muslin, which had formerly belonged to one of the officers of the Port au Prince. It was next laid in a large cedar chest, which had been made on board the same ship, for the use of Mr. Brown, out of some cedar planks taken in a prize. Over the body were strewed wreaths of flowers, made for the purpose by her female attendants. Orders were now issued by Finow, that nobody should wear mats, (although it was customary on such solemn occasions,) but should dress themselves in new tapas (this is the Hamoa custom) ; and instead of if, leaves round their necks, he ordered that they should wear wreaths of flowers, (this was an idea of his own,) as if dressed for some occasion of rejoic- ing. The chest was placed on two large bales of gnatoo, in the middle of the house, and the body laid thus in state for the space of twenty days ; during which time Mooonga Toobo, Fi- now*s principal wife, and all her female attend- ants, remained constantly with the body. In the course of the first night the mourners broke out in a kind of recitative, like that on occasion 362 TRANSACTIONS AT of the death of Toob6 Niiha, (p. 143,) but in a very imperfect way, because Finow had ordered that no appearance of sorrow or sound of lamentation should .be made ; but, in spite of this injunction, they occasionally could not re- strain their grief, beating their breasts with every mark of deepfelt anguish. It is difficult to conceive the reason of Finow's whimsical conduct on this occasion, unless it were (as ge- nerally interpreted) an impious and revengeful endeavour to insult the gods, by ordering those ceremonies not to be performed which were considered objects of religious duty on such sacred occasions. Every morning and evening provisions and cava were brought for the enter- tainment of those who attended on the body. On the nineteenth day it was removed from the cedar chest, and deposited in the model of a canoe, about three feet and a half long, made for the express purpose, and nicely polished by one of Finow's carpenters (this is the Hamoa custom). By this time the body had become much inflated, and extremely offensive; but the office of removing it was performed by some foreigners, natives of Hamoa, who were accustomed to such tasks *. During the whole
- At Hamoa (the Navigr.tor's island) it is the custom to
keep the dead above ground for a considerable length of time, as above related : as the body;, during this period, is th;pi tonga islands. 363 of this day, aiid the following night, the body- inclosed in the canoe, with the lid closely fast- ened down, remained in the house : in the mean time Finow issued orders for a general assembly of all the inhabitants of the island, to take place the ensuing morning before the house, and nobody to be absent under any pre- text whatsoever, not even that of illness.. Early the following day all the people, ac- cording to Finow's orders, assembled before the house, where there was a large supply of provisions and cava for the conclusion of the ceremony. In the mean time the body was conveyed to the Fytoca, where it was depo- sited, inside the house, without any pomp or form, not within the grave, but on the top of it, that Finow might see the coffin whenever he pleased, and take it away with him whenever he went to a distance. On this extraordinary occasion, which the caprice of Finow rendered a scene of rejoicing rather than of mourning, after the provisions apt to become very inflated^ it is the duty of a relation to prevent this happening to a great extent, by the practice of a most disgusting operation^ viz. making a hole in some part of the abdomen, and^ the mouth being applied, sucking out the putrescent fluids, and spitting them into a dish : and this is done out of love and affection for the deceased^ with- out any apparent signs of disgust ! Mr. Mariner had this from several natives of Hamoa. 364 TRANSACTIONS AT and cava were shared out, they began the en- tertainments of wrestling and boxing as usual at festivals. After the men had sliown their strength and dexterity in these feats by single engagements, the king gave orders that all the women who resided north of the mooa should arrange themselves on one side, read}' to com- bat all the women who resided south of the mOoa, who were to arrange themselves on the other. It was not a very rare occurrence for women to fight in pairs on occasions of rejoic- ing ; but a general engagement like this, with about fifteen hundred women on each side, was a thing altogether new, and beyond all pre- cedent, and quite unexpected at a funeral cere* mony. The women, however, readily engaged, and kept up the contest, with obstinate bravery, for about an hour, without a foot of ground being lost or gained on either side ; nor would the battle have subsided then, if Finow, seeing the persevering courage of these he- roines, had not ordered them to desist, the battle having cost them several sprained ancles and broken arms. They fought with a great deal of steadiness, and gave fair hits, without pulling one another's hair. The men now di- vided themselves in like manner into two par- ties, and began a general engagement, which was persisted in a considerable time with much THE TONGA ISLANDS. 365 fury, till at length that party which belonged to the side of the island on which Finow dwelt began to give way : instantly he rushed from the house in which he was seated, to reanimate his men by his presence and exertions, which he effected to such a degree, that the opposite party in their turn fell back, and were com- pletely beaten off the ground. This contest being now ended, the company dispersed, each to his respective home, whilst Finow retired to a small house, which had been built since his daughter's, death, near Boono (the large house on the maldi) ; and there, feeling himself much exhausted, he laid down to rest from his fatigue. He had not been long in this posture before he found him- self very ill : his respiration became difficult : he turned himself repeatedly from side to side ; his lips became purple, and his under jaw seemed convulsed : from time to time he groaned deeply and most horribly : all the by- standers were much affected, the women shed a profusion of tears, and the men were occu- pied no doubt with the thoughts of what com- motion might happen in the event of his death, what blood might be spilt, and what battles won and lost. The king, in the meanwhile, seemed perfectly sensible of his situation : he attempted to speak, but the power of utterance. was almost denied to him ; one word alone could be clearly distinguished, (land or country) : hence it was supposed that he meant to express his anxiety respecting the mischiefs and disturbances that might happen to the country in the event of his death. After wait- ing a little time, finding he did not get better, the prince, and a young chief named Voogi, went out to procure one of Finow's children by a female attendant, to sacrifice it to the gods, that their anger might be appeased, and the health of its father restored*. They found the child in a neighbouring house, uncon- sciously sleeping in its mother's lap : they took it away by force, and retiring with it behind an adjacent Fytoca, strangled it, as quickly as pos- sible, with a band of gnatoo : they then car- ried it, with all speed, before two consecrated houses and a grave, at each place hurrying over a short but appropriate prayer to the god to interfere with the other gods in behalf of Finow, and to accept of this sacrifice as an atonement for his crimes. This being done, they returned to the place where Finow lay, but found him with scarcely any signs of life,
- For further particulars respecting this ceremony, see p.
217. The younger Finow used often to express his regret that the gods Avere so relentless as to require such cruel sa- crifices. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 367 speechless and motionless j—his heart, how- ever, could be just felt to beat. In the mean while he was placed on a sort of hand-barrow, which had been made on purpose, during the time the child was strangled. Fancying there were still some hopes of his recovery, his friends carried him on this bier to different consecrated houses, although he had, almost beyond a doubt, breathed his last with violent struggles, about ten minutes before. He was first carried to the house dedicated to Tali-y- Toobo, where an appropriate prayer to the god was hurried over as quickly as possible : the corpse (for it was now perhaps nothing more, for there was no pulse at the wrist ; and Mr. Mariner, applying his hand to the region of the heart, found it had ceased sensibly to beat) was conveyed to the house of the god Tobi-fooa- Bolotoo, where a similar prayer was preferred. Not contented with this, they next carried it to the grave of a female chief named Chinita- cala, and her spirit was in like manner invoked. Some hope still remained ; and his body was carried a mile and a half up the country, on the road towards Felletoa, to the residence of Tooitonga, their great divine chief, at Nioo Lolo. When arrived here, the body was con- veyed to Tooitonga's cook-house, and placed over the hole in the ground where the fire is 368 TRANSACTIONS AT lighted to dress victuals : this was thought to be acceptable to the gods, as being a mark of extreme humiliation, that the great chief of all the Ilapai islands, and Vavaoo, should be laid where the meanest class of mankind, the cooks, were accustomed to operate. All this time Tooitonga remained in his own house, for his high character, as a descendant of the gods, rendered it altogether unnecessary, and even degrading and improper, that he should inter- fere in this matter. By this time, his friends losing all hopes, and being convinced that he was really dead, brought the body back to Neafoo, where it was placed in the large house on the maldi, called Boono. In the mean while, many^ chiefs and warriors secretly repaired to their spears, (which were tied up in bundles,) and put them loose, ready to be seized at a mo- ment's notice ; and selecting out their clubs, arranged them, in order to be used on the urgency of occasion ; expecting every moment the shout of war from one quarter or another: and if we just take a cursory view of the state of affairs, at this critical juncture, we shall find that such apprehensions were by no means groundless. No sooner was the late How deceased, than all those principal chiefs who had, or imagined that they had some just claims to the government of Vavaoo, were expected to take up arms to assert their cause. Among these was Voona Lahi, otherwise Tooa Caláo; who, it may be recollected, returned from Hamoa with the late king's son (see p. 151), and was chief of Vavaoo at the period of the Tonga revolution; but was afterwards dispossessed of his island by the late How.—Toobo Toa was another chief who it was thought would lay claim on this occasion, on account of his great strength in fighting men, and for having killed the late chief of Vavaoo (Toobó Nuha). A third chief was Finow Fiji, the late How's brother, who perhaps had a greater claim than either of the two before mentioned, on account of his relationship; he was also a brave warrior, and considered to be a man of great prudence and wisdom: by some it was not supposed that he would lay any claim; for, although he was a brave warrior, when occasions called forth his courage, he was still a very peaceable man, remarkable for sage counsel, and for strong aversion against every kind of conspiracy or disturbance whatsoever. It was the prince and his party who entertained this high idea of his moderation; two other chiefs and their dependents thought otherwise of Finow Fiji, and expected he would prove a very 370 TRANSACTIONS AT powerful claimant*. Apprehensions were also entertained respecting the young chief Voogi, who assisted in strangling the child, for though it was not supposed he would lay claim to the sovereignty, yet being known to be strongly in the interest of Toobo Toa, his conduct required to be strictly watched. These were the chiefs, whose behaviour at this moment the young prince had to notice with a watchful eye. He had considerable confidence, however, in the sincerity of his uncle : Toobo Toa was attheHa- pai islands : — Voona and Voogi therefore were the two whose designs he had most immediately to be apprehensive of. Such was the state of political affairs at the time of Finow's death. As soon as his body was deposited on the bales of gnatoOy as before mentioned, one of his daughters, a beautiful girl of about fifteen, who stood by at the time, went almost frantic with excess of sorrow. The expressions of her grief were at first in loud and
- Finow originally had two brothers, viz. Finow Fiji, and
Toobo Nuha, but by different mothers. Finow's lengthened name was Finow Ooloocalala. The proper family name is iFinow, but no member of the royal family is allowed to as- sume the family name till his appointment to the sovereignty, unless his father choose to give it him as a sort of first name, to which his own proper name is attached, as was the case with Finow's brother, who was called Finow Fiji. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 371 frequent screams, or in broken exclamations : Oyaooe'! ecoo tammi/ e' ! O yaooe ! Alas! — Oh! my father ! — alas ! — Her sorrow was so great that, at times, she appeared quite bereft of rea* son ; and her truly pathetic expressions of it, joined to those of the widows, and female at- tendants of the late king, all beating their breasts, and screaming from time to time, ren- dered the house truly a house of mourning, be- yond the power of the imagination to picture. The place was lighted up at night, by lamps with cocoa-nut oil, (used only on such occa- sions) presenting a scene, if possible, still more affecting than that which happened on the oc- casion of Toobo Nuha's death. In the course of the night, Mr. Mariner went into the house several times, partly out of cu- riosity indeed, but principally moved by feelings of regret for the loss of his great and kind pa- tron ; — for though he could not in every point of view admire him as a man, — yet he could not but esteem him and reverence him as a bene- factor : he had received from him great and numerous favours : and notwithstanding his faults, there was a something essential in his, character which commanded respect ; and Mr- Mariner felt that, in losing him, he had sus- tained a very great loss. The prince checked him in these frequent visits to the house j urg- B B 2 ing, that as he was a man, he ought to feel as a man, and not mingle his sorrows with those of women ; but if he wished to express his love for Finow, who had adopted him as his son, and had given him the name of a son whom he had lost some years before*, he should demon- strate that love and respect for the memory of so good a father, by engaging his attentions in the interests of his family, particularly in those of himself, who was his lawful heir ; — and not show his affliction by a silly profusion of tears and sighs, which was beneath the exalted cha- racter of a warrior. About the middle of the night, no actual dis- turbance had taken place, but some of the prince's confidents,, who were dispersed about to be on the watch, brought intelligence that Voojiaw&s holding secret conferences with some of the natives of Vavaoo. The prince, however, thought it advisable not to take any active mea- sures, nor to appear to notice it : he therefore
- The name of this son was Togi Oocummea, (an iron axe)
which was also the name of one of the gods of the sea : for as they only obtain iron axes from across the sea, they na- turally attribute the advantages which they possess, in having such a useful intrument, to the bounty of a sea god, whom they have accordingly designated by this name. Finow's son, who was so called, was a great favourite of his father, who, when he adopted Mr. Mariner, gave him the same name, as a proof of his real esteem. Mr. M. always went by this name, or for shortness sake, Togi. THE TONGA ISLANDS. •merely ordered his spies to keep a strict eye upon their proceedings, and to obtain all the farther information they well could, without in- curring suspicion. At the same time he re- solved in his own mind, as soon as the consent of the people should establish his authority, to banish all suspicious chiefs to the Hapai islands. About an hour afterwards, he learnt that Foogi the preceding day had ordered sundry parties of his men to post themselves behind the bushes, on each side the road to Nioo Lalo, during the time that Finow's body was being carried there, with orders to rush out and kill all who accom- panied the body, in case a fit opportunity pre- sented itself: but no such opportunity having offered, his men had assembled armed along with him, at a house near the water side, with his canoe close at hand, and had been there all the preceding part of the night. The prince ordered that no notice should be taken of his hostile position, but that all his own men should keep themselves well armed, and in perfect rea- diness to meet the enemy in case of a revolt : he also dispatched men to watch as narrowly as possible other chiefs, whom he began to think might be connected with Voogi. During the remainder of the night, no disturbance took place. In the morning, as soon as it was light, the people began to assemble on the malh, out of respect to the departed chief ; and sat on the ground, waiting for the commencement of the ceremonies usual on such extraordinary occa- sions. In the mean time, the prince, and his uncle, Finow Fiji, prepared cava at a neighbouring house, and presented it there to the priest of Toobo Totai out of respect to that god, who was now become the tutelar deity of the young prince. By the mouth of his priest the god desired him not to fear rebellion ; for who should dare to rebel against a chief who was the pecu- liar care of the powers of Bolotoo ? He com- manded him moreover to reflect on the circum- stances of his father's death, as a salutary lesson to himself : " Your father," said the divinity, " is now no more ; — but why did he die ? — be- cause he was disrespectful to the gods !" The conference here ended. A short time after, the prince, whilst reflecting on the words of the oracle, was addressed by a woman, who was sit- ting behind him in waiting, and who was much respected by the late king and his family, on account of her having given him some informa- tion respecting a real or supposed conspiracy, the part of the Vavaoo chiefs ; (Booboono, Cacahoo, and others, who were seized in conse- quence at Macave, and afterwards put to death ; see p. 276.) This woman remarked to the prince THE TONGA ISLANDS. that his father, just before he was taken ill, had sent two men to her to procure a rope, (she having the care of a store-house,) with orders to bring it to him secretly. These two mep, whose names were Toohengi and Boboto, (the former the son of Toobo Boogoo a priest, the latter a cook,) happening now to be pre- sent, the prince turned to them, and asked if they knew the purpose for which his father wanted this rope j^whom he meant to bind with it ?— Hearing this question, Mr. Mariner, who was sitting close to him, exclaimed " What 1 " did you not know that he intended to bind « and afterwards to kill Toobo Tea, the priest " of Toobo Total, to be revenged on this god " for not bringing about his daughter's re- " covery*?" This fact was afterwards confirmed by other persons, and particularly by certain warriors, who had actually received orders to seize Toobo Tea, and murder him. Thus was a plan of sacrilegious wickedness brought to light, which made all those who now heard it for the first time shudder at the mere thought :
- ' No wonder!'* (for such was the general exr
- This intention of the king had only been cautiously
whispered about^ among a few chiefs and matabooks, that were constantly with him ; and his sudden sickness and speedy death, which prevented him putting his threats into execution, had so occupied every body's thoughts^ that the circumstance for a time was forgotten. clamation) " no wonder that he died ! a chief " with such dreadful intentions ! " Mr. Mariner then stated, in addition, that he had heard the king say more than once, (a few days before he died,) *' How unmindful are the gods of my " welfare !— but no ! it is not the decree of the " gods in general it is to that vexatious Too- " bo Totai, that I owe my misfortunes ; he
- does not exert himself for my good : but wait
" a little, I'll be revenged ! his priest shall not " live long*!" The prince and his uncle, Finow Fiji, next held a consultation together respecting their mode of conduct, particularly in regard to cer- tain chiefs, who were suspected of not being well disposed towards their family. Finow Fiji, for his own part, said, that he had no other wish than to coincide in whatever should seem likely to establish the peace and welfare of Hafooloo Hozv (the name given to Vavaoo and all its neighbouring small islands, taken collectively), and that the only method of doing this would
- Finow had often stated to Mr. Mariner his doubts that
there were such beings as the gods: — he thought that men were fools to believe what the priests told them. Mr. Ma- riner expressed his wonder that he should doubt their exist- ence, when he acknowledged that he had more than once felt himself inspired by the spirit of Moomoe (a former How of Tonga) : " True ! " replied the king, " there may be gods ; but what the priests tell us about their power over mankind, 1 believe to be all false." THE TONGA ISLANDS. 377 be to send all those chiefs, who pretended to have a right to the sovereignty, or who were suspected of such pretensions, away to the Hapai islands. As to his nephew, he said, that there could not well arise any dispute to his right of succession (except on the part of ill disposed chiefs), inasmuch as he was the late king's heir, and was well beloved by the Vavaoo peo- ple, on account of his having been the adopted son of the late Toobo Nuha, and also because he was born at Vavaoo, and brought up there. The prince agreed with his uncle on the pro- priety of sending the pretenders to the Hapai islands, particularly Voona, who was of the line of those chiefs who governed Vavaoo before the revolt of Tonga ; and also Voogi, who was at the head of a strong party of men, and was known to be in the interest of Toobo Toa. The prince concluded by saying, " But let us wait
- as quietly as possible, till the burial of my
father, and then we shall have a different " scene in the affairs of Vavaoo : when all pro- " moters of civil discord are banished, the land
- shall be cultivated, and shall appear again
"flourishing; for we have had war enough!" To which every body present replied, " *Tis all " we wish for.'* From the above sentiments of the two. chiefs, it will appear to be their intention to confine the new sovereignty to the island of Vavaoo, and its neighbouring isles, without receiving tribute (unless voluntarily paid, which was not at all likely to be the case,) from the Hapai islands, now in possession of Toobó Tóa, against whom the prince had no intention of waging a new war, and shedding more blood for the mere purpose of obliging him to continue that tribute as heretofore.
The conference being ended, the two chiefs turned their attention to the removal of the body of the late How to Félletóa to be buried, as there were no fytócas at Neáfoo but such as belonged to the family of Tooitonga; and it would have been contrary to custom to have buried an individual of the How's family in a grave belonging to that of Tooitonga.
- ↑ On such occasions they call the person for whom they intercede, however young, either a man, or woman, according to the sex, although they have appropriate words to express boy, girl, and child.
- ↑ Finow was noted for his want of religion: the above words, therefore, were used as mere form, and because no one dared to say otherwise.