516 
HONGI. 
He received his wound in January, 1827. On the 6th of 
March, 1828, the life of this remarkable savage terminated. 
In his last hours, so far from attending to the words of the 
Missionaries, he urged his followers to prosecute the war, and 
exterminate his enemies ; when Patuone visited him, a day 
or two before his death, and was told he was dying, he said, 
u Ho, I am not dying, my heart is quite light, I am not 
dying.” The next day he fainted, and was supposed to be 
dead, when he revived, he said he should die, but not until 
the morrow ; he ordered his powder to be brought to him, 
and when he saw it, said to his children, Ka ora Icoutou , — 
you will be safe, intimating the powder would be their 
protection ; he then summoned his sons, gave the coat of 
mail he had received from the King of England to one of 
them, and divided his battle-axes and fire-arms amongst 
them, sternly demanding, “ Who will dare to attack my 
followers after I am gone ? ” Early next morning, though 
evidently sinking fast, he continued to rally his friends, and 
said, No matter from what quarter your enemies come, let 
them be ever so many, should they come here hungry for 
you, Ida toa , Jda toa , be brave, be brave ! thus will you 
revenge my death, and thus only do I wish to be revenged. 
He continued repeating these words until he expired. 
Patuone, as soon as he heard that Hongi was dead, bid his 
followers sit still, whilst he and a few of his friends went to 
see the corpse, lest Hongi* s people should be alarmed, as they 
had blockaded all the entrances to the pa ; at first he was 
refused permission to enter, until Hunaroa interfered; he 
found one of his sons binding him up, his head still reclining 
on his breast ; when the body was fully dressed, and his head 
richly ornamented with feathers, all the obsequies due to so 
great a Chief were performed ; his family, fearing an attack, 
wished to bury him at once, but Patuone said, Why all this 
haste ? you will be the first to bury your father alive : let 
him smell before you bury him : what if he does smell ? 
Yielding to this advice, he laid in state for two more days, 
which were spent in repeating the jpihi, or funeral ode, in 
cutting themselves, crying, and firing off guns ; in the mean- 
