DEIFIED SHARKS. 
Ill 
or spread the influence of the king over the sea to 
the sacred islanddescribing also the nature of 
his girdle, and addressing the king at the close, by 
saying —Medua teie a oe e te Arii: “ Parent this, 
of you, O king;” indicating that from the gods all 
his power was derived. 
As soon as the ubu was finished, the multitude 
on the beach, and in the surrounding canoes, lifted 
up the right-hand, and greeted the new monarch 
with loud and universal acclamations of Maeva 
arii! maeva arii ! The steersman in the sacred 
canoe struck his paddle against the side of the 
vessel, which was the signal to the rowers, who 
instantly started from the shore towards the reef, 
having the god, and the king, girded as it were 
with the deity, on board; the priests beating their 
large drum, and sounding their trumpets, which 
were beautiful large turbo, or trumpet-shells. The 
thronging spectators followed in their canoes, 
raising their right-hand in the air, and shouting 
Maeva arii! 
Having proceeded in this manner for a con¬ 
siderable distance, to indicate the dominion of the 
king on the sea, and receive the homage of the 
powers of the deep, they returned towards the 
shore. 
During this excursion, Tuumao and Tahui, two 
deified sharks, a sort of demi-gods of the sea, were 
influenced by Oro to come and congratulate the 
new king on his assumption of government. If 
the monarch was a legitimate ruler, and one ele¬ 
vated to the office with the sanction of the superior 
powers, these sharks, it was said, always came to 
pay their respects to him, either while he was 
bathing in the sea, or during the excursion in the 
sacred canoe. But it is probable, that when they 
