214 INDIFFERENCE CHANGED TO 
the morning, I preached to the Europeans, at the 
Kerikeri. In company with Mr. Kemp, I then 
visited the natives down the river : we met with 
three small parties. At one little village, the 
people were mending their nets ; the place where 
they were at work was tapued ; and, according to 
custom, they would not allow us to go within the 
prescribed limits. We called them to us, as we 
had a message to communicate ; they left their 
nets, and came, and formed a circle around us ; 
but when they heard that our message was from 
Heaven, and that it concerned the welfare of their 
immortal souls, they nearly all walked away, one 
by one ; and the few who remained, either fell 
fast asleep, or began to talk about the work which 
they had left, to come to listen to us. They all 
demanded payment for hearing what we had to 
say : of course they got nothing ; and, when they 
found it was in vain to beg, they returned laugh- 
ing to their labour, which they pursued with 
greater diligence than before they were inter- 
rupted by our call. 
At a considerably later period, how altered was 
the temper of the natives! Under the date of 
June 1, 1832, I find the following report of the 
observance of the Lord's Day, at another of our 
Stations. — Our Chapel at the Waimate is, every 
Sunday, crowded to excess, with an attentive con- 
gregation : numbers cannot find admittance ; and 
we shall be obliged immediately to extend our 
borders, and to enlarge the curtains of our habi- 
