82 ADVENTURE IN. NEW ZEALAND. Chap. IV. 
today ; many chiefs being present from the other set- 
tlements. It ended, as yesterday, in the thorough ap- 
proval of the measure by a very large majority ; Pua- 
kawa and a few adherents still looking with a doubting 
eye upon the transaction. When the speeches were 
concluded, and the whole nature of the proposed trans- 
action, including the provision for the Native Reserves, 
had been explained to them. Col. Wakefield asked the 
chiefs, through Barrett, whether they had made up their 
minds ? They asked in return, " Have you seen the 
" place ? how do you like it ?" He answered that he 
had seen it sufficiently, and that it was good : upon 
which they replied, that it would be for him now to 
speak, as they had decided upon selling their lands on 
their own judgment, aided by the advice of their people 
in the neighbourhood. They referred to Puakawa and 
his people, who were the only dissenters, and said that 
they had but little right to speak about the land, and 
had shown no solid argument against its sale. Their 
chief one had been that the white people w^ould drive 
the natives away, as they had done at Port Jackson; 
and this the others over-ruled by adducing the Native 
Reserves, and saying that they would live with the 
Englishmen as with each other. 
After the serious discussion had closed, some of the 
warlike chiefs amused us and themselves by sham-fight- 
ing, and their exercise with the spear and tomahawk. 
One, named Kaihaia, diverted us much by his active 
menacing gestures and hideous grimaces of defiance, 
leaping about like a monkey, and bringing a long 
pointed wooden spear within an inch of our bodies ; 
then retreating with a roar of laughter every time he 
saw us shrink from the thrust. He is nicknamed 3 a- 
ringa kuri, or " Dog's-ear," and professed great hatred 
for Rauperaha, whose name he frequently shouted out 
