W. T. L. Travers.—The Life and Times of Te Rauparaha. 61 
leading chiefs who accompanied Rauparaha, was Rangihaieta, who, as will be 
remembered, had, during the previous invasion, taken prisoner a N gatiapa 
woman of rank named Pikinga, whom he had made his slave-wife. When 
her brothers heard of the arrival of N gatitoa at Wanganui, they, with 
a party numbering altogether twenty men, came to meet her, and accom- 
panied Ngatitoa as far as the Rangitikei river, for, as the weather con- 
tinued extremely fine, Te Rauparaha thought it desirable to push the 
advance as rapidly as possible. On arriving at the mouth of the Rangitikei 
the people rested for some days, those in the canoes landing for that 
purpose. During this rest, armed parties were sent inland, in various 
directions, for the purpose of capturing any stray people whom they could 
find, in order that they might be killed and eaten ; but these parties found 
the country nearly deserted, the remnant of the original tribes having taken 
refuge in the fastnesses of the interior. Te Rauparaha then pushed on to 
the mouth of the Manawatu, where he and his people again halted, parties 
here, also, going inland in search of Rangitane, with the same intentions with 
which they had previously sought the Ngatiapa, and with very much the same 
result. Their next stage was Ohau, where Ngatitoa settled until after they 
had taken Kapiti, as will be mentioned in the sequel. During this time the 
Muaupoko occupied the country inland of Ohau and stretching to the ` 
Manawatu River, having a pa on Lake Horowhenua, and on the banks of 
Lake Papaitanga, which is close to it, Shortly after Rauparaha had settled 
at Ohau two of the chiefs of Muaupoko visited him, and offered, if he would 
come over to their pa at Papaitanga, to make him a present of several large 
canoes. He was extremely delighted at this offer, and at once consented to 
go. Rangihaieta, however, endeavoured to dissuade him, saying, “ Raha, I 
have had a presentiment that you will be murdered by Muaupoko,” but 
Rauparaha laughed at his fears ; and, attracted by the prospect of obtaining 
the canoes—which had been glowingly described to him by the two chiefs— 
would not listen to any suggestions against the proposed visit. He even 
refused to take any large force with him, confining himself to a few men, and 
to some of his own children. It appears, however, that a plot had been laid 
between Turoa and Paetahi (father of Mete Kingi, lately one of the Maori 
members of the Assembly), chiefs of the Wanganui tribes, and the leading 
chiefs of the Muaupoko, to murder Te Rauparaha, and the invitation to 
Papaitanga, with the offer of the canoes, were only steps in the plot for that 
purpose. It is quite clear that he apprehended no danger, and that he fell 
into the trap laid for him with wonderful facility. It was evening when he 
and his companions arrived at the pa, where they were received by Toheriri, 
at whose house Rauparaha was to sleep. His people were all accommodated 
in different parts of the pa, Rauparaha alone remaining with Toheriri, The 
