148 POLYNESIAN BESEAItCHES. 
now became much more numerous. As we passed 
along, our guide pointed out the place where 
Tairi, Tamehameha’s war-god, stood, surrounded 
by the priests, and, a little further on, he shewed 
us the place where Tamehameha himself, his 
sisters, and friends, fought during the early part 
of the eighth day. A few minutes after we had 
left it, we reached a large heap of stones over¬ 
grown with moss, which marks the spot where 
Kauikeouli was slain. The numerous piles of 
stones which we saw in every direction, convinced 
us that the number of those who fell on both sides 
must have been considerable. 
The Sandwich Islands, like many other parts of 
the world, have frequently felt the cruel scourge 
of war. Their traditionary history, so far as we 
have been able to trace it, is distinguished by 
nothing so much as accounts of the murderous and 
plundering expeditions of one island against an¬ 
other, or the sanguinary battles between the inha¬ 
bitants of different parts of the same island. The 
whole group have seldom, if ever, been united 
under one authority; but, in general, separate 
governments, and independent kings or chiefs, 
have existed in each of the large islands ; and 
sometimes the six great divisions of Hawaii have 
been under as many distinct rulers or chieftains. 
Their inclinations or interests often interfered, and 
almost every dispute terminated in an appeal to 
arms. Indeed, a pretext for war was seldom 
wanting, when one party thought themselves suf¬ 
ficiently powerful to invade with success the ter¬ 
ritories of their neighbours, and plunder their 
property. Their modes of warfare must, therefore, 
necessarily exhibit much of their national cha¬ 
racter ; and having in the course of the narrative 
