Barstow. — Our Earliest Settlers. 425 



excuse that he was sick, and being threatened with a flogging if he con- 

 tinued his refusal, pleaded that he was a chief and should not be so treated. 

 Flogged he was though. The ship arrived safely at Whangaroa, the natives 

 were allowed to land, and next day returned on board to take the captain to 

 see the spars ; meanwhile Hori had told his people of the indignity put upon 

 him. Captain Thompson, with two boats' crews, were guided by the Maoris 

 some five miles from the ship up the Kaeo Eiver, and after landing were led into 

 the kahikatea bush which grows near the banks. An onslaught was made upon 

 them, and every man slain. The natives, after putting on the sailors' clothes, 

 pulled down in the dusk to the ship, which they surprised — Hori answering 

 the sentry's hail — except some few sailors, who took refuge in the rigging, a 

 Mrs. Morley and child, a girl named Braughton, and the cabin boy. All 

 on board were ruthlessly killed that night ; the sailors were shot next 

 morning ; but the other four, who had shown compassion towards Hori 

 after his flogging, were spared. They were afterwards given up to a party 

 of Bay of Islands natives, of whom Tamati Waka was one, taken over 

 thither, kindly treated, and put on board the first vessel bound for 

 Sydney. 



Altogether seventy souls belonging to the ship perished in this sad affair, 

 but more lives yet were lost in consequence of it. Unfortunately for him- 

 self, Te Pahi was at Whangaroa when the tragedy took place. He sub- 

 sequently asserted that he was altogether ignorant of the attack at Kaeo, 

 having been at a distant part of the harbour, but hearing of the capture 

 of the vessel, went on board, and did his best to prevail upon the natives to 

 spare the surviving sailors, but without avail, and thereupon returned dis- 

 gusted to his own place at the bay. The tidings quickly spread, and reach- 

 ing the captain of a whale-ship lying at the bay, he at once put to sea. 

 Shortly after, falling in off the coast with several other ships, the crews, upon 

 hearing the news, determined upon revenge, and learning Te Pahi had been 

 at the scene of slaughter, manning their boats, pulled in at night and 

 attacked a pa, situated on a small islet opposite to Bangihoua, in which Te 

 Pahi usually lived. Except Te Pahi himself and one other man, every 

 native in the pa was killed, and these two were wounded, the former whilst 

 swimming ashore being struck by a musket ball fired at him by a lad who 

 was keeping one of the boats. Te Pahi died from the wound within a year, 

 and thus Mr. Marsden lost his most powerful and trusty supporter. It 

 seems probable, judging from the partiality shown by Te Pahi to the 

 pakeha, that his story was the correct one, and that he suffered owing to 

 the similarity of his name to that of Hori's brother, Te Puhi, who un- 

 doubtedly was one of the ringleaders in the bloody affair ; but it is certain 



