are informed by blasts on the conch, or by the firing of a musket, that the deity has returned to the world of spirits. The convulsive movements do not entirely disappear for some time; they are not, however, so violent as to prevent the priest from enjoying a hearty meal, or a draught of yankona or a whiff of tobacco, as either may happen to be at hand. Several words are used by the natives to express these priestly shakings. The most common are _sika_ and _kundru_. _Sika_ means to appear, and is used chiefly of supernatural beings; _kundru_ means to grunt or grumble. The one refers to the appearance, the other to the sound attendant upon these inspired shakings. [Pageheader: AN INSPIRED PRIEST] As whatever the priest says during the paroxysm is supposed to be direct from the god, a specimen or two of these responses will be interesting.... A priest of Ndengei, speaking for that divinity, once said, "Great Fiji is my small club. Muaimbila is the head; Kamba is the handle. If I step on Muaimbila I shall sink it into the sea, while Kamba shall rise to the sky. If I step on Kamba it will be lost in the sea, and Muaimbila shall rise to the sky. Yes, Vitilevu is my small club. I can turn it as I please. I can turn it upside down."[61] The propitiatory offering might be anything from a bunch of cocoanuts covered with turmeric powder to a great feast. In the last case, part, called the _singana_, was set apart for the god, the rest apportioned among the people. In theory the god consumed the spiritual essence of all the food, and the people ate its grosser fibre. The _singana_ was eaten by the priest and a few privileged old men; it was tabu to youths and women. The psychological aspect of the inspiration of the Fijian priest is difficult to appreciate. The inspired paroxysm is something more than conscious deception. Williams was present when a famous Lakemba priest was questioned by the Tongan chief, Tubou Totai:-- "Lanngu, did you shake yesterday?" "Yes." "Did you think beforehand what to say?" "No." "Then you just say what you happen to think at the time, do you?" "No. I do not know what I say. My own mind departs from me, and then, when it is truly gone, my god speaks by me."