ANCIENT MASKED WARRIORS
These two young girls who were destined to play such an important rôle in the history of their country, grew up under much the same influences and developed characters as widely different as the antipodes. They saw each other only occasionally until Aimata's mother sent one day for Ariitaimai to make a long visit at the royal castle, as was the custom among the islanders, as Pomare had claimed her as his adopted daughter according to the ante-natal contract. Here blossomed and grew the friendship which was destined later to save to Pomare IV. her throne, and to deliver Tahiti from a war which could only have resulted in the extermination of the native population and the destruction of the island as an independent government. The real struggle between France and England for the possession of the island began in 1836, when two French priests landed at Tahiti to convert not the pagans to Christianity but Protestant Christians to the Roman faith. Aimata now become Pomare IV., promptly ordered their arrest and expulsion. The French priests made a protest to their government and Louis Philippe sent a frigate to Papeete, the harbor city, with an ultimatum, and the Queen was obliged to yield. The English consul and the missionaries contested the occupation of the French, and another frigate was sent to Tahiti. Queen Pomare now appealed to Queen Victoria and offered to submit to a British protectorate. She also sent a protest to the government of the United States, against allowing the French to forcibly occupy Tahiti. But the English Queen was busy with more important home affairs, and neglected the appeal from the little island so far away, and the protest to the United States was apparently ignored. By a lack of appreciation of the Queen's communication, the United States lost the control of the gem of all the Pacific isles, and lost also a rare opportunity to aid and protect a brave people in their struggle for independence. This attitude of England and the United States left the contest to be settled between the natives and the French. After a desultory war lasting over four long, miserable years, with the advantage first on one side and then on the other, the French government decided to end the matter and sent two frigates to the island. The government had offered previously to this to place Pomare permanently on the throne under a French protectorate, but she would not consent to this, looking constantly for help from the English who had done so much for her father. So she left Tahiti, the scene of the contest, and fled to Raiatea to her own family for protection, while waiting for the help which never came.
Ariitaimai, in her own beautiful home at Papara, pondered over the wretched state of her beloved country and her heart was sore both for her idolized friend and poor bleeding Tahiti. Was there no way out of this Slough of Despond into which the foreigners had plunged her unhappy country? She knew the temper of the island chiefs and that they had sworn to die fighting for the independence of their country. She remembered the fate of Tati, who had been branded a traitor with Opuhara's last breath because he counseled submission to the English, and she dared not propose to them any compromising measures. She looked out despairingly over the trackless sea, and appealingly up at the towering mountains which had been her companions during prosperity and adversity, but no answer came to her anxious questionings. Then suddenly, one day, word was brought to her by an old woman of her clan that two French frigates had landed in the harbor of Tahiti. She knew this meant the end, unless Queen Pomare could be persuaded to return to Tahiti and accept the offer of the French. The old crone who had brought her the news said to her: "Don't you know that you are the first in the Island, and that it remains in your hands to save all this and your land?" Then Ariitaimai hesitated no longer, but hastened to the governor and told him what she had heard. He replied: "You have heard the truth. The colonel commanding the troops has heard of so many instances of insult given to the French that we have decided at last to go out and finish up the affair." This brusque answer aroused in Ariitaimai all the stored-up energy of years. She became immediately the diplomatic representative of her people, and begged the governor to give her a few days that she might see the chiefs and make at least an effort to avert the terrible havoc to lives and property which this would cause. Ariitaimai was well known to the governor, and although evidently amused that a young woman should take upon herself this difficult task, readily consented. Like two generals they sat down and talked over all the terms of the peace; the governor agreeing to restore Pomare to her throne if she would return immediately, and to leave the chiefs in possession of their estates and control each of his own chiefery, all to be under the protection of the French flag. This, he said, they were willing to do, although the Queen had broken her written agreement with them, and by deserting her country and throne had absolved them from all obligations to her. Before the conclusion of the interview Ariitaimai had won the respect and admiration of the governor, and from that time on they worked together to bring about a peaceable settlement of the long and disastrous war. The journey which she was obliged to make in order to meet the chiefs in council was a long one, and while she was making her preparations the governor's own aid-de-camp arrived ready to accompany her, bringing the governor's horses and all necessary passports. She says in her memoirs: "I knew that my influence with the natives would be sufficient to save us from any trouble with them." Arrived at last at the principal native fort where the chiefs were assembled, her first act showed her the accomplished diplomat. She sent a trusty messenger for Nuutere, the one whose influence against peace she most feared, and who with the other chief, Teaatoro, practically controlled the situation. When he came out to see her she took him by the hand and said: "My object in coming here is to bring peace, and I have counted on you for the sake of old friendship to be my speaker in this trying instance." She quaintly adds: "He was very much perplexed at this," evidently not understanding why she could not speak for herself as she had often done before. But to her surprise Ariitaimai found the old chief very much broken in spirit and quite ready to listen to her arguments for peace, and she soon had his promise to speak for the acceptance of the governor's proposition. Human nature is very much the same the world over, whether encased in a brown skin or white. Nuutere called Teaatoro to him, and, after a hasty consultation, came over and whispered to Ariitaimai that Teaatoro would be all right. This practically settled the matter, but as in all political assemblies the usual formalities must be gone through with and Nuutere called upon each one of the chiefs for his opinion. The speakers all teemed with love and admiration for my heroine and I can not refrain from making some quotations. Nuutere, after stating the object of the meeting, called upon Teaatoro to make the first speech. He said: "We are all as one person in this meeting, and we have suffered together as brothers. We have heard what the object of this lone woman's visit amongst us is, solely for our good and that of our children. What can we say to this? We can only return her one answer, which is to thank her for the trouble and danger she has taken upon herself, for the peace she has brought, and she must return to the French commander with this our answer. We have been five months on the point of starvation. We lost a great many of our men at Tamavao. The best of our blood was spilled at Mahaena. At Piha-e-atata, our young men were slain. Our Queen left us in the midst of our troubles without the least sorrow for us. We have heard no more of the help which was promised us by Great Britain." Another chief rose and said: "Ariitaimai, you have flown amongst us, as it were, like the two birds of Ruataa and Teena. You have brought the cooling medicine of vainu into the hearts of the chiefs. Our hearts yearn for you and we can not in words thank you; you have brought us the best of all goods, which is peace. You have done this when you thought we were in great trouble, and ran the risk of losing our lives and property. Your people will prove to you in the future that your visit will always remain in their memory." The old chief of her own district turned toward Ariitaimai and said only: "As you are my head, my eyes, my hands and my feet, what more can I say? What you have decided we accept and will carry out." One dissenting voice only was heard, a young chief who had but lately come into his possessions and was anxious to distinguish himself as a warrior. He called out in a loud voice: "Why have you decided upon this peace so soon? Tahiti is not broken asunder. We could play with the French until we could get aid of Great Britain, who has formally promised to help us through in this war. I think you have all done wrong." But the young man had his lesson to learn and it was promptly taught him by Ariitaimai's spokesman. The spirit of young America is not appreciated in Tahiti, where reverence for age and worship of the ancestors is a vital part of the native pagan religion. Nuutere turned on the young man and asked: "Where were you, that consider yourself such a fighting man, in the fights which have already happened? I have never perceived you ahead of the others. You do not excel the youngest of our men in all of these battles. What are you known as in the annals of the country which allows you to get up and speak when your chiefs have already given the word?" Ariitaimai set out immediately on her return trip, this time escorted by ten of the chiefs. Although they made all possible haste the time had already expired before they reached the governor's headquarters, and preparations were being made to attack one of the native forts, the officers having concluded that her errand had been a failure. The governor, seeing her at a distance, rode out to meet her and helped her from her horse. He asked her anxiously in Tahitian, "Is it peace?" and she replied that it was peace and that everything was all right with the chiefs. He held her hand as he said with great feeling: "The Tahitians should never forget you; but your work is not finished. You must now go to Raiatea and bring us back the Queen." So Ariitaimai started on her second and more difficult errand. At first Queen Pomare refused to receive her, sending word that she was told that she had gone over to the French; but later she granted her an interview in which she cried very much, upbraiding her friend for the stand she had taken, and accusing her of betraying her interests to the French.
The Queen then sent for the chiefs of her own family with whom she had taken refuge, and, after a prolonged conference, they advised her not to return. She said to Ariitaimai: "I trust to the word of Great Britain, who has promised us to send ships and men to fight our cause and to keep us an independent state, and I will not return and be under the French." So after repeated pleading poor Ariitaimai was obliged to return to the governor with Pomare's answer. He was much disappointed but said as the chiefs of Tahiti had agreed to peace and as he had nothing to do with the chiefs of Raiatea they must decide on another monarch, and offered to make Ariitaimai queen of Tahiti in Pomare's place. But this the faithful friend would not listen to, and begged the governor to allow her again to see Pomare, as she believed that when she had had time to think the matter over she would change her mind. To this the governor very reluctantly consented, as he was entirely out of patience with Pomare, and would much have preferred to make Ariitaimai queen, which could have been done with great propriety, as she was at that time the head chiefess of the island. After a stormy trip she arrived again at Raiatea and this time was fortunate enough to find her friend Aimata alone, the chiefs having gone to an assembly to consult over the affairs of their own island. This time our faithful ambassadress did not hasten her visit. She renewed and strengthened the ties of friendship which had bound them together since their early girlhood, and she records in her memoirs that they had a beautiful visit together before any mention was made of the real object of her coming. The charming way in which she speaks in her memoirs of Pomare's flight shows the tenderness of her affection for her friend. She says, calling her by her girlhood name: "The unfortunate Aimata had troubles of every sort, domestic, political, private and public, until at last the missionaries English and French, fought so violently for control of her and the island that she was fairly driven away." With all her acuteness and learning in other matters, she seems to have had no realization of the true character of the woman she so beautifully idealized. She still saw in the Queen the qualities she loved in the young girl, and her affection blinded her to the defects in her friend's character which entirely unfitted her for the position she occupied. Events do not move as rapidly in Tahiti as in America, and our young diplomat, having the governor's promise to await her return, took her own time. She remained with the Queen two months and had the satisfaction of returning home with her promise to sail for Tahiti as soon as her favorite schooner Ana could be made ready. But, before sailing, another idea took possession of the unreasonable woman and she sent word to the Tahitian chiefs that as the English had brought her to Raiatea she would return only in an English ship, and demanded that one be sent to fetch her.
This unexpected and preposterous demand plunged poor Ariitaimai into the deepest grief. For the first time a note of complaint of her friend appears in her memoirs. The French governor laughed at the demands of Pomare and again offered the throne to Ariitaimai, and argued long to prove to her that it was her duty to accept it. Where in history is the woman who would not now have felt that she had exhausted all the demands of friendship, who would not by this time have been tempted by the dazzling prospect of a throne, upheld by a powerful governor who had become her devoted friend and admirer, to be surrounded by chiefs who had already accepted her leadership, and who, for years, had held her position among them as chief ess as a sacred trust? But no ambitious dreams disturbed the clear judgment of this simple-minded woman. She had set herself a task and her only ambition was to accomplish it. Not for one moment did the loyal woman waver in her devotion to her friend. She refused absolutely to entertain a thought of the queenship, and retired to her country home almost in despair. She says very simply in her memoirs: "We then remained at home in great trouble and did not know what was to be done next. The governor on several occasions offered to make me the sovereign of the island in place of Pomare, which, however, I could not entertain." It is in this simple and childlike manner she describes all the events in this perplexing situation. Not by one word does she anywhere intimate that she is doing anything extraordinary or praiseworthy or more than her simple duty.
She was not allowed to remain long inactive. Word came to her that the governor and chiefs were getting very restless and impatient at the unsettled state of the island politics and had decided not to negotiate further with the Pomares; and, moreover, that a document to this effect had been already drawn up and practically agreed upon. This roused her again to see the governor; and this time Fate put a powerful weapon in her hands. Just as she was leaving her home an old native preacher came along and secretly gave her a letter from her beloved Aimata. She wrote that she was sorry that she had not come back when she promised, that she was much distressed at the news from Tahiti, that she was an unhappy woman and, if not too late, she would surely come back if her faithful friend would come for her. Happy Ariitaimai fairly flew to the governor. What after all if it should be too late! She had never gone to the governor with so much fear and trepidation, and her fears were in no way lessened by his reception of her request that she be allowed to go once more to Raiatea and make a last effort to bring back the Queen. This request for the first time irritated the governor toward her. He said: "Have you not done enough for the Pomares that you should continue to go down to fetch them?" and he showed her the document which she had heard of but which was much worse than she supposed, as it proposed to break up the act of protectorate that had been already made and distinctly stated that as Ariitalmai had refused to be made queen he would make the island a French colony at once. But with that precious letter in her bosom she would not be thwarted in her purpose, and did not leave the governor until she had received his very grudging permission to see Pomare and, if she consented to return, to take her to Moorea and let him know. With this she was obliged to be contented. More she could not accomplish without divulging the secret of her letter, and this, she argued, would be disloyal to her friend; for was it not a secret letter sent to her at great risk? No, she would accomplish her purpose without humiliating her Queen. Pomare should return at the request of the governor without losing aught of her queenly dignity.
And now this little drama draws rapidly to a close. Ariitaimai made her third trip to Raiatea and accompanied Pomare to Moorea, and sent word to the governor that he would find them there. Obedient to this gently expressed command of his ambassadress, the governor very courteously went to Moorea in person to receive the Queen and bring her back to her home and throne. In the same dispassionate style Ariitaimai tells of the homeward journey: "As we all went on board a salute was fired. We sailed around the island, flying the protectorate flag at the fore, to inform the people of these islands that their Queen had returned. We then continued our route for Papeete and on arriving there the forts from the shore saluted the flag." But O! the irony of Fate! As they entered the harbor what a sight met the eyes of the poor Queen! Both British and American ships were anchored there, having come at last in answer to her appeals, but only in time to see her placed on her throne by the grace of the hated French, But peace had been bought too dearly to be broken now even by this vacillating queen, and the British and American officers, seeing the situation, had the good sense to assist in the general festivities celebrating the long-looked-for peace. The memoirs conclude with this simple statement: "The Queen remained several hours on board the steamer as the governor wished the natives to see that the Queen had really come back. There were soldiers in line on shore to receive us and we were conducted to the governor's house. The peace of the island was then decided upon. On arriving at the governor's house we found all the commanders of the troops and vessels there and before them I was thanked by Governor Bruat for what I had done for my country."
When a world of men
Could not prevail with all their oratory
Yet hath a woman's kindness overruled.
SHAKESPEARE.