for we
felt certain that if he could not take care of himself, it was out of
the question that he could take care of us. Accordingly we discontinued
_pooja_ (worship). We soon found he could not keep the lamp burning,
nor the garlands fresh, nor the temple clean, nor do a single thing for
himself. The lamp went out, the flowers withered, the temple became
dirty; and then,' (they added, laughing) `the roof fell in, just over
his head, and there he sat, _soommanay_ (tamely) under it; so we saw
very well he could not take care of himself. Notwithstanding all this,
we had some fears that the return of their annual feast-day would revive
their love for heathenish merry-makings with a force too strong for
their new convictions. The day came, and we watched the village
narrowly. There was no car, no procession, no music: and, when night
came, no _tom-tom_ was beaten, no rocket sent up, nor any other sign
that it was the day of Runga.' One morning, when preaching in the
village, I observed that the old man who used to conduct the services of
the temple, was not in the congregation; and feeling, for the moment, a
suspicion lest he should have returned to his former occupation, I
asked, `Where is the _poojari_?' A young man instantly replied,
smiling, and patting his person, `O, he has gone to the fields with the
cattle: now that the temple is given up, he must do something for his
stomach.'"

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

AN IDOL THROWN OUT OF A TEMPLE.

Mr Male, who succeeded Mr Jenkins at Goobbe, has left upon record a
further account of what happened to the idol Runga. He says, "One day
in August, 1842, as I was returning from Toomcoor to Goobbe, I overtook
a Brahman, and in the course of conversation he enquired whether or not
I had heard of what had befallen Singonahully _Runga Swami_. I replied
that I had not. He then said, `_Runga Swami_ has been thrown out of his
temple, and is now outside the door among the stones.'

"`Well,' I said, `what do you think will be done?' He answered, `Why,
formerly, a great deal of money would have been collected, and with it
many things would have been done to purify the god; and then he would
have been replaced in the temple; but now the people care nothing about
it, no money will be given and nothing will be done. If anything be
said to the people of the village on the subject, they will say, "What
can we do? We have nothing to give: we did not throw the god out,
etcetera,