deceased had been sacrilegious in their
lifetime. As the Tongans are particularly subject to scirrhous tumours,
it seems probable that many innocent persons were thus posthumously
accused of sacrilege on the strength of a post-mortem examination into
the state of their livers.[71] Another disagreeable consequence of
breaking a taboo was a peculiar liability to be bitten by sharks, which
thus might be said to act as ministers of justice. As theft was included
under the general head of breach of taboo, a simple way of bringing the
crime home to the thief in case of doubt was to cause the accused to go
into the water where sharks were known to swarm; if they bit him, he was
guilty; if they did not, he was innocent.[72]

[70] W. Mariner, _Tonga Islands_, ii. 220.

[71] W. Mariner, _Tonga Islands_, i. 194, note *; compare 434,
note *.

[72] W. Mariner, _op. cit._ ii. 221.

Sec. 6. _Priests and their Inspiration_

Priests were known by the title of _fahe-gehe_, a term which means
"split off," "separate," or "distinct from," and was applied to a man
who has a peculiar sort of mind or soul, different from that of ordinary
men, which disposed some god occasionally to inspire him. Such
inspirations frequently happened, and when the fit was on him the priest
had the same reverence shown to him as if he were the god himself; at
these times even the king would retire to a respectful distance and sit
down among the rest of the spectators, because a god was believed to
exist at that moment in the priest and to speak from his mouth. But at
other times a priest had no other respect paid to him than was due to
him for his private rank in society. Priests generally belonged to the
lower order of chiefs or to their ministers, the _matabooles_; but
sometimes great chiefs were thus visited by the gods, and the king
himself has been inspired by Tali-y-Toobo, the chief of the gods.[73]
The profession of priest was generally hereditary, the eldest son of a
priest becoming, on his father's death, a priest of the same god who had
inspired his deceased parent. In their uninspired moments the priests
lived indiscriminately with the rest of the people and were treated with
no special deference.[74]

[73] W. Mariner, _Tonga Islands_, ii. 80 _sq._

[74] W. Mariner, _op. cit._ ii. 136-138.

The ceremony of inspiration, during which the priest was believed to be
possessed by a god and to speak in his name, was regularl