THE TONGA ISLANDS.

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now should think proper to take away his life.The king replied, that he did not mean to takeaway his life, for that it was not the custom atTonga to kill those of whom one has no reasonto be afraid, and that he did not think it worthhis while to destroy a mere butterfly, (an insig-nificant being) but that he should take othermeasures of punishment not less exemplary.He then desired the culprit to consider himselffor the future as divested of all power and rank,'no longer to be the commander of men, buta single and unprotected individual; that hischiefship from that moment was null, and thatconsequently he was never more to take hisseat as a chief, at his cava ceremonies*. Acertain chief, who was present, observed to Fi-now that if he suffered this man to live, al-though he was deprived of power, he might ne-vertheless by pernicious counsel inspire otherchiefs with sentiments derogatory to the welfareof Finow’s government. To which the king re-plied, that this was not a war between men, inwhose success or ill success the gods took nointerest, but one in which his tutelar god,Toobo Totai, presided in a particular manner

* One who is born a chief is always a chief, and all whoassociate with him must, as a point of religious duty, shewhim the customary forms of respect; but in consequence ofthis sentence, nobody would associate with Mappa Haano.