Now the seer heard this command from some distance away, and in the
night he took a banana plant covered with _tapa_ like a human figure and
put it inside the place where he had been imprisoned, and went back and
joined his daughters and told them all about his troubles.
And near the day of sacrifice at the temple, the seer took Laieikawai
and her companions on board of the double canoe.
In the very early morning of the day of sacrifice at the temple the man
was to be brought for sacrifice, and when the head men of the temple
entered the prison, lo! the body was tightly wrapped up, and it was
brought and laid within the temple.
And close to the hour when the man was to be laid upon the altar all the
people assembled and the chief with them; and the chief went up on the
high place, the banana plant was brought and laid directly under the
altar.
Said the chief to his head men, "Unwrap the _tapa_ from the body and
place it upon the altar prepared for it."
When it was unwrapped there was a banana plant inside, not the prophet,
as was expected. "This is a banana plant! Where is the prophet?"
exclaimed the chief.
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