NEW ZEALAND. 42I 



in the porch of Tibbey's house, one of their thoughtless visiters, hy 

 way of affording amusement to the company, played off upon Ko- 

 towatowa a boyish trick, by burning him on the nose with a cigar. 

 This prodxiced great anger in the chief, who would have at once 

 punished the rudeness, but through the timely interference of the 

 bystanders, he became appeased, but required some atonement for the 

 insult offered him ; a half-dollar was given him, but he said he would 

 accept only half, as he did not want to be paid for it, but merely 

 desired a token that it had been atoned for. In the opinion of all, he 

 rose much above the silly trifler who had been the perpetrator of the 

 joke. 



The natives are peculiarly sensible to any insult of this kind. A 

 short time before our arrival, a mischievous white boy, staying with 

 our consul, had placed a small brass kettle on the head of an old 

 chief, which caused some amusement to the bystanders. The chief 

 at the time did not show any signs of being offended. He had always 

 been well disposed and peaceable towards the whites, and was known 

 to have a strong partiality towards the family. On going to the pa, 

 however, he mentioned the circumstance to his tribe, which produced 

 a great excitement among them. They assembled and advanced in a 

 body to the dwelling, to require satisfaction for the affront offered, 

 and although they were told and convinced it was done in playful- 

 ness, they required atonement; and this being refused, they took all 

 the clothes that were hanging to dry on the lines, and every thing 

 they could find about the premises. They even took the shoes and 

 clothes off a sick boy, who was lying in the veranda. Their rapacity 

 was only stopped by the courage of the mistress of the house, who, 

 being unable to check their proceedings by remonstrances, threw a 

 billet of wood at the principal chief. This bold act astonished him, 

 and from admiration of her courage, caused them at once to desist, 

 saying she had a big heart, which is their figurative term for a coura- 

 geous person. Insults given in this accidental way, have been known 

 to occasion the most deadly feuds. They have, however, great com- 

 mand of temper when insulted. As an instance of this, an anecdote 

 was related to me of some chiefs having become offended at the Epis- 

 copal missionai-ies in consequence of some transaction respecting lands, 

 in which they conceived themselves wronged. The offended parties 

 proceeded to Pahia in order to demand redress ; but on their arrival 

 there, the missionaries were absent, and although the whole property 

 was at their mercy, there being no one on the premises but females, 



vol. 11. 106 



