288 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
Any attempt at translating their expressions 
would convey so inadequate an idea of their origi¬ 
nal force, as to destroy their effect. u Roll onward 
like the billows —fyreak on them with te haruru o 
te tai , the ocean’s foam and roar when bursting on 
the reefs—hang on them as te uira mau tai , the 
forked lightning plays above the frothing surf—- 
give out the vigilance, give out the strength, give 
out the anger, the anger of the devouring wild 
dog,—till their line is broken, till they flow back 
like the receding tide.” These were the expres¬ 
sions sometimes used, and the impression of their 
spirit-stirring harangues is still vivid in the recol¬ 
lection of many, who, when any thing is forcibly 
urged upon them, often involuntarily exclaim, 
ec Tini Rauti teie” equal to a Rauti this. 
If the battle continued for several successive 
days, the labours of the Rautis were so incessant 
by night through the camp, and by day amid the 
ranks in the field, that they have been known to 
expire from exhaustion and fatigue. The priests 
were not exempted from the battle; they bore 
arms, and marched with the warriors to the 
combat. 
The combatants did not use much science in the 
action, nor scarcely aim to parry their enemy’s 
weapons; they used no shield or target, and, 
believing the gods directed and sped their weapons 
with more than human force upon their assailants, 
they depended on strength more than art for suc¬ 
cess. Their clubs were invariably aimed at the 
head, and often, with the lozenge-shaped weapon, 
they would tapai , or cleave, the skulls of their 
opponents. Their spears they directed against the 
body, and the maui was often a deadly thrust, 
piercing through the heart. 
