in Manning s ' Old New Zealand ' 335 



different sort of person from our friend the beach- 

 coomber, a runagate rogue without property, position, 

 or influence ; but one more in the position of the 

 Indian post- trader of the Far West, a man who had 

 to combine mercantile pursuits with wise policies, 

 and delicate handlings of many questions, foreign 

 and domestic. Not that the Pakeha Maori ever 

 had any taint of the unutterable rascaldom of that 

 scoundrelly representative of that most scoundrelly 

 ' Indian Ring ' which Americans so tamely permit 

 to disgrace their country. He was ' backed ' by no 

 one, and had never to cheat in order to bribe his 

 Government ; and, in fact, had he attempted to treat 

 his clients as the traders treat theirs, the sharp- 

 witted and swift-handed Maories would have made 

 but short work with him. 



The life was to a certain extent risky, but not 

 more so than would be pleasant to a young man 

 with reasonable nerve, and muscles strong enough 

 to permit him to take a share in any little difficulty 

 which might be going on, without any great fear as 

 to the result. With all his oddities there was a 

 great deal that was attractive in the unconverted 

 Maori, and the days passed pleasantly enough ; the 

 white man and the brown giving in to each other's 

 little peculiarities as bon camarados should. The 

 white man took the shapely daughters of the brown 

 man to wife, and became the happy father of those 

 bright, flashing, witty, kindly, half-caste young ladies 

 who used to be the glory and delight of Auckland 



