The Hawaiian Archipelago - Six Months Among The Palm Groves, Coral Reefs, And Volcanoes Of The Sandwich Islands By Isabella L. Bird
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gates stood perpetually open, and though the fugitive was liable to
be pursued to their very threshold, he had no sooner crossed it than
he was safe from king, chief, or avenger.
These gates were wide,
and some faced the sea, and others the mountains. Hither the
murderer, the manslayer, the tabu-breaker fled, repaired to the
presence of the idol, and thanked it for aiding him to reach the
place of security. After a certain time the fugitives were allowed
to return to their families, and none dared to injure those to whom
the high gods had granted their protection.
In time of war, tall spears from which white flags were unfurled,
were placed at each end of the enclosure, and until the proclamation
of peace invited the vanquished to enter. These flags were fixed a
short distance outside the walls, and no pursuing warrior, even in
the hot flush of victory, could pursue his routed foe one foot
beyond. Within was the sacred pale of pahu tabu, and anyone
attempting to strike his victim there would have been put to death
by the priests and their adherents. In war time the children, old
people, and many of the women of the neighbouring districts, were
received within the enclosure, where they awaited the issue of the
conflict in security, and were safe from violence in the event of
defeat. These puhonuas contain pieces of stone weighing from two to
three tons, raised six feet from the ground, and the walls,
narrowing gradually towards the top, are fifteen feet wide at the
base and twelve feet high.
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