566 
MAN1HERA AND KEREOrA. 
the Saints is the seed of the Church, that Paul was not only- 
consenting to Stephen's death, but also the keeper of the 
garments of those who stoned him, and yet that very man, 
in after days, became the chiefest of the Apostles ; so might 
this tribe, which had, through ignorance, consented to and 
joined in this cruel murder, hereafter become as eminent for 
its love to God and devotion to His service. 
I was rejoiced to find that Herekiekie, the Chief of Tokanu, 
was not at home when the crime was committed, and that, 
on his return, he was greatly incensed with his people for 
thus bringing such a stain on his place. 
I wrote to Manihera’s friends, expressing the hope that 
they would take a Christian view of the sad affair, and not 
make it a pretext for future bloodshed. On the 1st of April, 
a large meeting was held to hear the letters of Manihera's 
friends read, and to decide what should be done, for there 
was a very general feeling of indignation against the mur- 
derers ; the letters were read, they all breathed a very 
Christian spirit, the tenor of them was, that they were not 
angry though sorrowful for their friends' death ; that as they 
had died in the Lord's cause, they should leave it with Him, 
and not in the old way demand blood for blood. 
William Tauri, the head teacher, who was also a Taupo 
Chief, expressed his entire concurrence in the sentiments 
which the Nga ti ruanui had expressed, and made use of the 
following beautiful simile, to show that although a minister 
or teacher might be taken away, yet that event, however 
deplorable, would not hinder the spread of the Gospel ; a 
minister, he said, was like a lofty Kahikatea tree full of fruit, 
which it sheds on every side around, causing a thick grove 
of young trees to spring up ; so that although the parent 
tree may be cut down, its place is thus more than supplied 
by those which proceed from it. 
Another said, “ If a soldier of the Queen were to be killed, 
and we were bidden to arise, should we not do so ? And now 
that a soldier of Christ is murdered, shall we sit still ? When 
Paul, the teacher of Onetea, was drowned in the Wanganui 
river, did not his friends come and carry away his body to be 
