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had been detained partly by contrary winds,and partly by the people going to visit theirrelatives at different islands.
It has already been mentioned, more thanonce, that places, which have been consecratedeither by express declaration, or by the burialof great chiefs, are forbidden to be the scene ofwar, and that it would be highly sacrilegious toattaek an enemy, or spill his blood within theirconfines. This circumstance, however, occurreda few days after the dispute about the femaleprisoners ; the particulars of it are as follow :Palavali (brother of Havili), went out one dayon a foraging party with six men in two smallcanoes, and landed near a consecrated inclosure,called Griacao, one of the most fertile places inthe whole island. Here they met with four ofthe enemy, who, perceiving their inferiority,made an endeavour to get into the consecratedplace, where they would have been perfectlysafe : Palavali, however, seeing their intention,got between them and the fencing, when one ofthe enemy made a bold push to pass his anta-gonist, and scramble over the reed-work, andhad actually got one leg over, when Palavalistruck him a furious blow on the head, andfelled him dead within the place; seeing nowwhat he had done, he was struck with fear, andyan away to the canoes, followed by his men.