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, etcetera."'" Mr Male adds, "The remarks of the Brahman were very true, for the people did not do anything to reinstate the idol. I spoke to them several times about the downfall of their god, but they made very light of the matter. However, after the idol had been thus degraded for many weeks, some villagers, out of pity to the poor old priest, promised that they would reinstate the idol when they had money enough to pay for all the ceremonies. The priest, therefore, in order to preserve the idol from further indignities, and also to commence the process of purification, put it into a well near the temple, to remain there, until the villagers performed their promise." The next event, cheering to the Missionaries, was the baptism of Daniel.