CONCERNING BAPTISM. 
255 
LETTER VII. 
FROM ATUA HAERE, CHIEF OF THE NGA-TI-TAUTAHI, 
TO THE REV. W. YATE. 
To Mr. Y ate, the parson at the Waimate. — Atua 
Haere, the chief of the Ngatitautahi, at Kaikohi, is he, 
who is writing by his son^s hand to you. These are my 
words, which my son marks with a pen upon a slate to 
you. Thirty-seven of us in this residence have, many 
moons, been wishing to be baptized. I am the old man, 
and the old chief of this tribe ; and all my sons say, Atua 
Haere write — Atua Haere, speak — Atua Haere, be urgent 
before Mr.Yate goes on board ship, for all the — we can- 
not tell how great — way to England. You know us, and 
the thoughts of our hearts : you have erected your tent 
by my house at Kaikohi, and you know all our desires. 
We think within us, and our mouths say, it is good to 
believe, it is good to pray, it is good to listen, it is good 
to work. Our Church, our House of Prayer, is not 
finished. We native men are foolish; and took the props 
from under the roof before it was secured, and it fell in ; 
and we took the sides, and the ends, and all down. 
And when the House of Prayer was down, that I thought, 
in my thoughts, would be ready in two weeks for you 
and Mr. Davis to come, and Mr. Clarke and Mr. Hamlin 
to come and instruct us in, I cried ; and my heart and 
my people^s hearts were pained, and became dark ; and 
we said, “ It is no use, we cannot build a house large 
enough and then you sent Kohuka, your son, whom 
you redeemed from slavery, to come and help us, and 
show us how ; and our hearts became light, and we went 
to work again, and the roof is now fast. Mr. Yate, you 
must come to Kaikohi. Mura, and Wahanga, and Kaha, 
will come and carry your cloth-house [meaning, a tent]. 
