88 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. IV. 
he held up so discouraging a prospect to his fellow 
men ; and when Barrett had interpreted his words, 
I glowed with pleasure at the thought that the day 
would come when he would recognize that there were 
White men different from those he had yet seen, who 
would make use of their superiority, and even their 
legal right, only to afford the most extended hospitality 
and kindness to such as himself, and to raise him up 
to a level with themselves. 
These long and repeated discussions were most inte- 
resting and satisfactory ; as they proved how thoroughly 
the most dissentient natives understood the force of the 
transaction, and how gratefully they would welcome 
the subsequent disarming of their suspicions. 
Puakawa wound up his oration by declaring that 
there were about half the goods now shown that had 
been on the deck the day before. His audience, how- 
ever, who had carefully examined the heaps, expressed 
the same frank dissent which never failed to attend 
upon any of his statements which exceeded the bounds 
of truth, or seemed improbable as conjectures. 
The debate had lasted till sunset ; and all but the 
elder chiefs returned to the shore for the night. 
September 27th. — This morning the distribution on 
the deck of the goods commenced ; TVareporx superin- 
tending it with much formality, and several of the chiefs 
addressing the numerous spectators at intervals. Some 
trouble arose from the desire not to open the cases of 
nmskets, of which there were only five, that some might 
be sent to each of the six settlements. In these large 
acquisitions of property, the natives always like to re- 
ceive a bale, a case, or a cask whole, as the transaction 
assumes a more opulent ajipearance in the opinion of 
the other tril^es among whom the news travels. For 
instance, more pigs can be obtained for an unbroken 
