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their faces brilliantly painted and wearing their distinctive shell neck-laces.
   The solemn ceremonies, attendant upon the declaration of war, were performed by the assembled braves, in accordance with the ancient customs handed down by their forefathers. Obeisance was first made to the sky, each warrior repeating the prayer, "May we be killed in battle if we neglect to worship the Great Spirit." The ceremonies concluded with obeisance to the god of feathers, each warrior wearing the feather-hat of his clan - Era Nuku, the god of feathers, whose costume consists of feathers for the head, feathers for the neck, and feathers to be waved by the wind. He who brings good luck when feathers are worn that are tied by a string of hair. He who protects the yams and potato plantations when feathers are tied upon a stick, and placed close together between the hills. He who keeps off the evil spirit when feathers are planted over the burial-places.
   The god of feathers, whose wife is Manana. Manana Take came from the skies. She once visited the land in the shape of a fish, which was captured and given to the king on account of its size and beauty. Recognizing the divine nature of the fish, the king was thereafter debarred from swimming in the sea.
   (The next hieroglyphics on the tablet are supposed to have been written in some ancient language, the key to which has long ago been lost, After this unknown section the translation is continued as follows):
   When the island was first created and became known to our forefathers, the land was crossed with roads beautifully paved with flat stones. The stones were laid close together so artistically that no rough edges were exposed. Coffee-trees were growing close together along the borders of the road, that met overhead, and the branches were laced together like muscles. Heke was the builder of these roads, and it was he, who sat in the place of honor in the middle where the roads branched away in every direction. These roads were cunningly contrived to represent the plan of the web of the gray and black-pointed spider, and no man could discover the beginning or the end thereof.
   (Here again are some sections of the tablet written in the characters that are not understood, after which the following translation is made:)
   In that happy land, that beautiful land where Romaha formerly lived with his beloved Hangaroa, and where Turaki used to listen to the voice of the fowl, and feed them with watery food. In that beautiful land that was governed by gods from heaven, and who lived in the water when it was cold. Where the black and white-pointed spider would have mounted to heaven, but was prevented by the bitterness of the cold.

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