The sixteen mutineers who had landed at Matavai scattered more or less over the island, but mostly stayed at Pare with Tu, their patron; and there they set to work November 12, 1789, to build a thirty-foot schooner, in order to escape. The schooner was launched August 5, 1790.

These dates are rather interesting because they fix a few points which would without them be very uncertain. The war which immediately followed, and which reestablished Tu for the moment in his fortunes, deserves to be called the War of the Mutineers of the Bounty. When Tu died, thirteen years later, the missionaries entered in their Journal many details about his life and character; and among other things they said:

"He was born in the district of Oparre, where his corpse now is, and was by birth chief of that, district, and none other. The notice of the English navigators laid the foundation for his future aggrandisement; and the runaway seamen that from time to time quitted their vessels to sojourn in the island (especially that part of his Majesty’s ship Bounty’s crew which resided here), were the instruments for gaining to Pomarre a greater extent of dominion and power than any man ever had before in Otaheite."

Tu began by asking the mutineers to go with him to Eimeo and fight Mahine. They refused, but cleaned his guns, which enabled him, by aid of Itiiti, to win a success. Mahine then came over to Faaa and

Indigenous Histories