sed them to be superior beings, and offered no opposition when they
proceeded to take possession of the Marai, on which holy place they were
not only exempted from persecution, but also by the offerings daily
placed there before the images of the gods, from any danger of suffering
a scarcity of food. Here, then, they lived very comfortably; and from
their having, immediately on their arrival, taken up their abode in the
Marai, the people, who were all acquainted with the story of Opuna,
concluded they were sent thither by Rono, to watch over the grave of
his beloved consort. To this opinion they were indebted for a veneration
greater than that entertained for the gods themselves. The priests alone
had the privilege of providing for their wants, which they did with the
utmost care: the people were not even allowed to approach the
neighbourhood of the Marai.

The white men, however, soon found their time hang heavy in this entire
seclusion, and formed a more intimate connexion with the priests, whom
they assisted in the holy rites and ceremonies, and at length even made
their appearance among the people: the latter then discovered them to be
mortals like themselves, differing only in colour, but still retained a
high respect for their superior knowledge and good deportment. Maidens
of the highest rank were given to them for wives; and each of them was
installed governor of an island. "The descendants of these strangers,"
said Karemaku, "may still be distinguished by their whiter colour."
Here, as at Tahaiti, the Yeris differ from the lower classes in their
superior size, and some also by a greater degree of fairness.

The helmets and short mantles which Cook and King have described as
worn by this people, were introduced by these white strangers. At first,
the kings only appeared in this costume; but in Cook's time it was
common also among the Yeris. Now that European fashions have quite
banished those of the original inhabitants, it is only preserved and
shown to strangers as a relic of the past. The helmet, of wood covered
with small red and yellow feathers, and adorned with a plume, perfectly
resembles those of the chivalrous knights of yore; and the short mantle,
also most ingeniously made with feathers to supply the want of woven
stuff, forms a complete representation of the mantles worn by those
ancient heroes: hence it is sufficiently evident that the white men who
landed on O Wahi were Europeans; and that we are t