164 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
mindful of those who had been left behind in a 
state of painful uncertainty at Eimeo. As soon as 
possible after the battle, a canoe was despatched 
by Mahine, king of Eimeo and Huahine, with the 
tidings of its result. Matapuupuu, or, as he is 
now called, Taua, was the bearer of the gladden¬ 
ing intelligence, and was a very suitable person 
to be sent on such an errand. He was a native of 
Huahine, where he had been chief priest since the 
death of his elder brother, who had sustained that 
office before him. He came up from Huahine to 
Pomare’s assistance in 1811; early in the year 
1813, he had made a profession of Christianity, 
and was among the first whose names were written 
down at Eimeo. He was not only a priest, but an 
Areoi, and a warrior of no ordinary prowess. 
When his canoe approached the shore of Eimeo, 
the teachers and their pupils hastened to the 
beach, under the conflicting emotions of hope and 
fear. The warrior was seen standing on the prow 
of his light skiff, that seemed impatiently dashing 
through the spray, and rushing along the tops of 
the waves towards the shore, which its keel 
scarcely touched, when, with his light mat around 
his loins, his scarf hanging loosely over his shoul¬ 
der, and his spear in his hand, he leaped upon 
the sandy beach. Before they had time to ask a 
single question, he exclaimed, “ Ua pau! Ua pau! 
i te bure anaeVanquished ! vanquished ! by 
prayer alone ! His words at first seemed but as 
words of irony or jest; but the earnestness of his 
manner, the details he gave, and the intelligence 
he brought from the king and some of the chiefs, 
confirmed the declaration. 
The Missionaries were almost overcome with 
surprise, and hastened to render their acknowledg- 
