Williams. — The Stori/ of John liuiherford . 455 



iug day each of theiu was stripped of his clothes, and, heiug laid 

 on his back, -was lield down by five or six men, and tattooed. 

 At this village Rutherford and four of the others remained for 

 about six months, one of them, named John Watson, having 

 been taken away by a chief named Nainy soon after their 

 arrival there. After this they set out, in company with Aimy 

 and another chief, to pursue their journey further into the in- 

 terior, one of their number, however, whose name is not given, 

 being left with Eangadi. On their arrival at another village, 

 the chief of which was called Plama, another, whose name was 

 John Smith, was left with him. When they had travelled 

 about twelve miles further tliej^ stopped at a third village, and 

 here they remained two days. The chief of this village, 

 Ewanna, treated them very kindly, and one of the white men, 

 named Jefl'erson, was left with him. From thence Rutherford 

 and his remaining companion resumed their journey with 

 Aimy and another chief until they came to Aimy's own village, 

 which thenceforth became their home. 



The first event of importance which occurred at this place 

 was the death of Rutherford's companion, more than a year, 

 perhaps, after their arrival, though the time is not distinctly 

 marked. It occurred on this wise. Aimy and his family went 

 to a feast at another village a few miles distant, and while 

 they were away the chief's mother, v/ho had been ailing for 

 some time, died. On Airny's return there was much discus- 

 sion as to the cause of the old woman's death. After hearing 

 all the circumstances from the tohunga who had been in at- 

 tendance on the invalid, an old chief gave it as his opinion 

 that it was clear that the immediate cause of the old lady's 

 death was that she had eaten potatoes which had been peeled 

 with ". white man's knife after the said knife had been used 

 for cutting rushes wherewith to repair a house ; on which ac- 

 count he thought that the white man to whom tlie knife 

 belonged should be killed. Rutherford ventured to plead for 

 his comrade's life, but it was all in vain. The chief who had 

 ])ronouuced the sentence proceeded to execute it by striking 

 the poor man on the head with his mere, and so killing him. 



Rutherford was now left alone among the natives, and, his 

 clothes being all worn out, he had to adopt in his dress the 

 fashions of the country. For the first sixteen months of his 

 residence at x^imy's village he kept a reckoning of days by 

 notches on a stick ; but when he afterwards moved about with 

 the chiefs he neglected this mode of tracing the progress of 

 time. At length Aimy proposed, in the presence of the tribe, 

 that he should be made a chief. To this proposal he con- 

 sented ; whereupon his hair was cut in the most approved 

 fashion, his head and his face were adorned with red-ochre 

 and oil, and his newly-acquired dignity was further marked by 



