Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/223

RELIGION. 193 who having been long in company with their illustrious father, are quite competent to carry on his office. As it is probable that the elder son will shortly receive the paternal title or an equivalent, we will speak of him as Samuyalo, the " Killer of souls." On hearing the paroquet, Samu and his brothers hide themselves in some spiritual mangrove bushes, just beyond the town, and alongside of the path, in which they stick a reed as a prohibition to the spirit to pass that way. Should the comer be courageous, he raises his club in defiance of the tabu and those who placed it there ; whereupon Samu appears, to give him battle, first asking, " Who are you, and whence do you conne ? " As many carry their inveterate habit of lying into another world, they make themselves out to be of vast importance, and to such Samu gives the lie, and fells them to the ground. Should the ghost conquer in the combat, he passes on to the judgment-seat of Ndengei ; but, if wounded, he is disqualified for appearing there, and is doomed to wander among the mountams. If he be killed in the encounter, he is cooked and eaten by Samu and his brethren. Some traditions put the examination questions into the mouth of Samu, and judge the spirit at this stage; but the greater number refer the inquisition to Ndengei. Those who escape the club of the Soul-destroyer, walk on to Nain- delinde, one of the highest peaks of the Kauvandra mountains. Here the path to Mbulu ends abruptly at the brink of a precipice, the base of which is said to be washed by a deep lake. Beyond this precipice pro- jects a large steer-oar, which one tradition puts in the charge of Ndengei himself, but another, more consistently, in the keeping of an old man and his son, who act under the direction of the god. These accost the coming spirit thus : " Under what circumstances do you come to us 1 How did you conduct yourself in the other world ? " If the ghost should be one of rank, he answers, "I am a great Chief. I lived as a Chief, and my conduct was that of a Chief. I had ■ great wealth, many wives, and ruled over a powerfiil people. I have destroyed many towns, and slain many in war." To this the reply is, " Good, good. Take a seat on the broad part of this oar, and refresh yourself in the cool breeze." No sooner is he seated, than they lift the handle of the oar, which lies inland, and he is thus thro^^Ti down headlong into the deep waters below, through which he passes to Murimuria. Such as have gained the special favour of Ndengei are warned not to go out on the oar, but to sit near those who hold it, and, after a short repose, are sent back to the place whence they came, to be deified. Murimuria seems to be a district of inferior happiness in Mbulu,