Her spokesman, her uncle, replied, saying: "What you have spoken is good for the queen of Tahiti. We know that she is queen of Tahiti, and she has therefore everything to say to her people; but you forget that Pomare is our guest. She gave herself up into our hands, and we have made our minds up that we will protect her, and no harm shall ever come to her during her stay with us."

My husband then spoke and told these people of the harm that they were doing the queen whom they pretended to love, and that if they did not accept the conditions which the French had offered, she would altogether lose her own power on the island.

These arguments seemed to trouble them, for Tapoa, a powerful chief at once replied: "You are right, and these are wrong. We have not the power to go to Tahiti and force the French away from that island, and put this queen in their place." Pomare seemed to me very weak-minded at that meeting, for she did not say a word. She kept crying on. My husband then spoke to her, and said: "What have you got to say? Can't you say something for yourself and for your own government, or have you forgotten that you are the queen of Tahiti, and that these people here have nothing in common with you?"

The speaker replied at once, and said: "We are trusting to the help of Great Britain, who has promised us to send ships and men to fight our cause, and to keep us an independent state."

The queen herself then said: "I trust to the word of Great Britain, and I will not return and be under the French." My husband then replied by saying: "Now we have your own words, and I beg of you to reconsider them. If you do not wish to go back, give us your eldest son or your mother, and let us go to Tahiti and accept the protectorate for them." Tamatoa got up in a rage and said: "We will not permit any of the Pomare sons or anything belonging to her to return to Tahiti." Ariipaea then got up and said: "We have now heard your reply to the French governor of Tahiti, and we wish

Indigenous Histories