84 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. IV. 
might give it weight and force ; but on his arrival, we 
found him so importunate for presents to himself, and 
so totally devoid of influence or authority among the 
chiefs, that we did not regret his returning to tend a 
sick child at home. 
A very ample and liberal compensation, according to 
the number of native inhabitants and the standard of 
value assigned to land in all former purchases, had 
been appointed by Colonel Wakefield. As he was re- 
solved, however, to distinguish this purchase by a free- 
dom from that haggling and over-reaching spirit which 
we had ascertained to have characterized all former 
dealings with the New Zealanders, he informed them 
through Barrett, that he should show them at once 
what he intended to give, and that he would suffer no 
bargaining for more or less. 
It was plainly, however, contrary to the custom of 
the Maori to dispose of so important an affair with- 
out plenty of talking ; so they debated in due form as 
to the course to be adopted in distributing the goods ; 
and TVarefori, as he had been repeatedly urged by us, 
used his best endeavours to prevent the occurrence of 
one of those fierce and sometimes fatal scrambles which 
Barrett and the other white men told us were the uni- 
versal consequence of a large present of goods to any 
of these tribes. He entreated the different chiefs to 
exert their influence towards preventing such an event 
when our boats should land the goods at the different 
settlements. Some of them seemed half inclined to 
protest against this reform of their customary habits, 
and appeared to look forward with some interest to the 
excitement of a scramble, in which they knew that per- 
sonal prowess obtained the better share. Puakawa 
took advantage of this slight difterence of opinion to 
address another violent harangue to the assemblage, 
