Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/357

Rh THE TONGA ISLANDS. 291 surrounding scenery, or to reflect on the fate of those rebellious men, who, so long ago, de- parted from the scene of public tumult, by dying in an unsuccessful attempt to change the order of things. Here the moral reflections of the natives are sometimes heard in the follow- ing strain ; " Where now are those men who " chiefs? where now is the proud boast of su- " with the dust, and their names are almost " forgotten * ! — But their souls ! how are they " affected ? are they now the same ambitious " spirits in Bolotoo, as they were once in " Tonga, when they animated this silent dust " which is now all that remains of them ?— are " they still the partizans of sedition, tumult, " and war ? — but no ! in Bolotoo they are all " gods, and see with a clear understanding " what is right, without the folly of fighting !'* Such are the reflections of those who visit this spot and view the lonesome habitations of the dead ; but it is not often that such visits are made, owing to the difficulty of the ascent, of the old matabooles, who have been at the pains of inquir- ing particulars from their fathers ; but the cause in which they suffered is very imperfectly understood, and, no doubt, mixed up with a great deal of invention and surmise. U 2
 * once held up their heads in defiance of theii?'
 * ' periority ? Their bodies lie here mingled
 * The names of some of these chiefs are still known to a few