fish-hooks in--smelling the place the white man touched--the chief’s distrust of a chair--gigantic savages--barefaced attempt to steal a cabin-boy--bent on thieving--an attempt to make off with a mastiff and his kennel--more successful with a kitten--the dog recovers his spirits and makes free with the calf of a thief’s leg--summary dismissal of the unscrupulous guests. Pages 183–203. PART XI. RELIGIOUS RITES AND SUPERSTITIONS. CHAP. XXVI.--Religion in savage lands--the mysterious “still small voice”--its existence indissociable from human nature--“incomprehensible” synonymous with “evil” in the savage mind--nothing so incomprehensive as death--nothing so much feared--death the savage’s poisoned honey-pot--the greegree-man must be patronized at any price--Samoan mythology--Tangaloa and his daughter--she descends and plants a creeping plant on the barren rock--what the plant grew to--the man who pushed the heavens up--the young men who resolved to visit the moon--the one was smoked up and the other climbed up--how the moon came down and took up a scoffing woman--the child of the sun--that great luminary in danger of being strangled with a rope--“Oh! have mercy on me and spare my life”--a Figian version of the flood--toilsome journey of the soul from earth to heaven--the savage charm--desperate endeavours to cheat the grim ferrymen--quarrelsome Figian gods--a singular case of abduction--the lonely Naiogabui and the daring Ravovonikaugawa--success of the expedition--Rokoua gets scent of the elopement and goes in pursuit--he disguises himself--all fair in love and war--failure of Rokoua’s stratagem--he tries once more--this time disguised as a fishwoman--the wicked Naiogabui betrays her father, who is knocked on the head--the Hades of the Samoans--miscellaneous gods of the Samoans--a deity for every village--Samoan form of oath--the cup of truth--mourning the destruction of a god’s image--the most fashionable god in Polynesia--human sacrifices--whole families set apart for this purpose, to be fetched when wanted--sudden death to the victim--Tapu--its ancient institution--universal influence of the tapu--Mr. Ellis’s opinion of the working of “tapu”--muzzled pigs and blindfolded chickens--tapued pigs--the ceremony of taking “tapu” off the porkers--the princes and noblemen exhibit their prowess in carrying pigs about--presenting his majesty with pig’s fry--a tremendous feast--The institution of Tapu in New Zealand--inconvenience of being tapued--a good jacket lost through the superstition--The terrible tinder box--how to secure a canoe--the chief’s sacred head--the sacred kumara grounds--the sacred pole and the missionaries--the chief’s backbone--the difference between _noa_ and tapu--tapuing a river--the Pakeka and the iron pot--one of