254. POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
collecting their- dependents, encamped on the 
borders of the lake nea: Maeva, and threatened to 
avenge the insult to the gods, by attacking the 
chiefs who had sanctioned their destruction. Both 
parties, however, after assuming a hostile attitude 
for some time, adjusted their differences, and 
returned in peace to their respective districts, 
mutually agreeing to embrace Christianity, and 
wait the arrival of the Missionaries, whose resi- 
dence among them they had been led to expect. 
In this state we found them when we landed; 
they had, with the exception of one or two indi- 
viduals, forsaken idolatry, and, in profession at 
least, had become Christians; probably without 
understanding the nature of Christianity, or feel- 
ing in any great degree its moral restraints or its 
sacred influence. A few, including two or three 
who had been to Eimeo, had acquired. the ele- 
ments of reading, or had learned to repeat the 
lessons in the spelling-book, more from memory 
than acquaintance with spelling and reading; the 
rest remained nearly in the same state in which they 
were when visited in 1808 and 1809, excepting 
that their superstitious ceremonies were cisconti- 
nued, and they had a building for the worship of 
the true God. 
For a number of Sabbaths after our arrival, but 
few of the inhabitants assembled for public wor- 
ship, and the schools were very thinly attended. 
Those who came were so little acquainted with 
the gospel, that in the lessons given in the school, 
and the addresses delivered to assemblies met for 
worship, it was found necessary to begin with the 
first principles of instruction, and of Christianity. 
Numbers excused themselves from attending, on 
account of the wearisomeness of learning their 
