POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
343 
So long, however, as they continued slaves or captives, 
their lives were in jeopardy. Sometimes they were 
suddenly murdered, to satiate the latent revenge of their 
conquerors; at others reserved as human victims, to be 
offered in sacrifice to their gods. Slavery, in every form, 
is perfectly consistent with paganism, and was maintained 
among them as one means of contributing to its support. 
This kind obtains in most of the islands, but is probably 
far more oppressive in New Zealand than in the Society 
Islands. The slaves among the former are treated with 
the greatest cruelty, and often inhumanly murdered and 
eaten. 
The manahune also included the teuteu, or servants of 
the chiefs; all who were destitute of any land, and 
ignorant of the rude arts of carpentering, building, &c. 
which were respected among them, and such as were 
reduced to a state of dependence upon those in higher 
stations. Although the manahune have always included 
a large number of the inhabitants, they have not in 
modern times been so numerous as some other ranks. 
Since the population has been so greatly diminished, 
the means of subsistence so abundant, and such vast 
portions of the country uncultivated, an industrious 
individual has seldom experienced much difficulty in 
securing at least the occupancy of a piece of land. 
The fishermen and artisans (sometimes belonging to 
this class, but more frequently to that immediately 
above it,) may be said to have constituted the connect¬ 
ing link between the two. 
The hue raatira, gentry and farmers, has ever been the 
most numerous and influential class, constituting at all 
times the body of the people, and the strength of the 
nation. They were generally the proprietors and culti- 
