THE TONGA ISLANDS.

217

As soon as he arrived at the, fortress, he com-municated to Finow what had passed, saying, inhis defence, that he was so eager in pursuit, asto be out of’all self command. The king im-mediately ordered cava to be taken to the priestof his own tutelar god, that the divinity mightbe consulted as to what atonement was properto be made for so heinous a sacrilege. The priestbeing inspired, made answer, that it was ne-cessary a child should be strangled to appeasethe anger of the gods *. The chiefs, then, helda consultation, and came to the determinationof sacrificing a child of Toobo Toa, by one ofhis female attendants f. Toobo Toa was pre-sent, and gave his consent that his child (abouttwo years old) should be immolated to appeasethe anger of the gods, and turn aside their ven-geance for the sacrilegious crime committed.The child was accordingly sought for; but itsmother, thinking her child might be demanded,had concealed it; being, at length, found by

* This is perfectly consistent with the Tonga custom,whenever the divinities are supposed to be exceedingly of-fended. It is a piece of superstition far from being un-common in the history of mankind. Unpleasant truths aswell as agreeable ones must be sought out and related, if wewish to arrive at a true knowledge of our own nature.

f On such occasions, the child of a male chief is alwayschosen, as being worthier than others, and a child by an in-ferior female attendant, because it is not a chief j only thosechildren being chiefs whose mothers are chiefs.