Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/282

216 had been detained partly by contrary winds, and partly by the people going to visit their relatives at different islands. It has already been mentioned, more than once, that places, which have been consecrated either by express declaration, or by the burial of great chiefs, are forbidden to be the scene of war, and that it would be highly sacrilegious to attack an enemy, or spill his blood within their confines, This circumstance, however, occurred a few days after the dispute about the female prisoners ; the particulars of it are as follow : Palavali (brother of Havili), went out one day on a foraging party with six men in two small canoes, and landed near a consecrated inclosure, called Gnacao, one of the most fertile places in the whole island. Here they met with four of the enemy, who, perceiving their inferiority, made an endeavour to get into the. consecrated place, where they would have been perfectly safe : Palavali, however, seeing their intention, got between them and the fencing, when one of the enemy made a bold push to pass his anta- gonist, and scramble over the reed-work, and had actually got one leg over, when Palavali struck him a furious blow on the head, and felled him dead within the place ; seeing now what he had done, he was struck with fear, and van away to. the canoes, followed by his men.