Chap. IV. NAYTI— NATIVES. 77 
hoop. This boat earned many a pound in later times 
by trading round the coast. 
Colonel Wakefield returned on board in the evening, 
having ascended the main branch of the river until 
some snags prevented the further progress of the canoe. 
He described the banks as of the richest soil, and 
covered with majestic timber, except where fertile but 
scanty gardens had been cleared and cultivated by the 
natives. He found some fifty people at work there, 
who had concealed themselves in the bush the day be- 
fore on hearing our guns when we saluted the New 
Zealand flag as we anchored. They greeted him on 
his ascent, and presented him with potatoes cooked in 
readiness on his return. At one spot they inquired of 
the guide whether the White men in the ship were mis- 
sionaries. Upon his answering that they were all devils, 
" shouts of laughter," Colonel Wakefield afterwards 
wrote, " betrayed their acquaintance with his allusion, 
" and their opinion of the uncharitable tenet which had 
" given rise to it." 
September 22nd, Sunday. — The breeze of yesterday 
had increased into a gale, and blew with great violence 
from north-west. The ship, however, was not affected 
by it. Several canoes came off with natives, to be pre- 
sent at our Church service One of them, a low skim- 
ming-dish thing without topside planks, filled and 
turned over, ducking six or seven natives, including a 
woman, who were passengers. They seemed to be per- 
fectly used to such accidents, and some hung on to the 
bottom of the canoe while the others swam with one 
hand and gathered the paddles which had gone adrift. 
One of our boats soon rescued them, and they were 
furnished with dry blankets and sent to warm them- 
selves at the galley. 
In the evening a messenger arrived from abreast of 
