21 8 
NAPIER 
CHAP. 
inside, most evenly put together, and the floor all 
covered with well-made flax mats. Three really pretty 
girls were squatting inside, one making rush bags, and 
the other two combing and plaiting their thick black 
locks. Most of the other whares were uninviting, with 
just one entrance, and a sickening smell of closeness 
pervaded them. The women congratulated Mrs. T. on 
her well-grown carpi (good) daughters. Many of Ti 
Whiti’s followers are deserting him, and this last meeting 
was the smallest that has been known for many years. 
He is always kept well supplied with money, but it is 
all spent in feasting. 
We went over the ground where 1800 troops were 
stationed ; but the only remains now left to mark the 
spot are some English weeds, growing rankly in what 
were once gardens, the foundations of an old stable, 
and the earthworks on top of the hill where the old 
redoubt overlooked the town. Before leaving we were 
invited to have some tea. A long table was spread 
with a cloth and plates of cakes and buns, the butter 
being put carefully in a lump on the top of each ; tea 
without milk and a decanter of thick-looking wine, 
which we thought best not to try. We all did full 
justice to our repast, and, after thanking them for their 
kindness, we shook hands with a great many of them 
and made our adieux. I forgot to say that they 
showed us their billiard-room, with a full-sized table, 
and the walls hung round with Scriptural pictures 
of the most garish description. Among the whares 
is one larger and more ornamented than the rest, 
where, in olden times, the Tohunga (chief) lived, to 
whom it was held sacred. These chiefs obtained a 
great ascendency over their followers ; they had the 
power of ventriloquism and practised the art of doctor- 
ing, making decoctions from astringent barks valuable 
