Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/230

164 was consecrated, it was thought necessary to address him humbly upon the subject. Ac- cordingly, his priest, followed by chiefs and matabooles, dressed in mats, with leaves of the IJi tree round their necks, in token of humility and sorrow, went in solemn procession to the house : they sat down before it, and the priest addressed the divinity to the following purpose : " Here you see the chiefs and matabooles that " have come to thee, hoping that thou wilt be " merciful : the boys are young, and being fo- " reigners, are not so well acquainted with our customs, and did not reflect upon the.great- " ness of the crime : we pray thee, therefore, " not to punish the people for the sins of these " thoughtless youths : we have spared them, " and hope that thou wilt be merciful and spare retired in the same way they came. — The chiefs, • and particularly Finow, most severely repri- manded the boys, and endeavoured strongly to impress upon their minds the enormity of the offence, and that they owed their lives solely to their presumed ignorance of the extent of the crime. — They were both of them heartily frightened. A few days after the review a canoe arrived from Vavaoo, with a few Hapai people, who were suffered to leave that island at their par-
 * us." — The priest then rose up, and they all