168 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. VI. 
Barrett now related to us all that had occurred since 
we left him here. In the first place, constant rumours 
had been brought down the coast of fresh invasions 
projected from Tf^aikato. In readiness for these, he had 
removed all his family and goods to the island, and the 
natives had stored it with firewood and potatoes. Nu- 
merous parties of released slaves had passed along from 
the northward to their native places further south, 
spreading all the missionary doctrines ; and never omit- 
ting to preach the uncharitable one of calling all White 
men rewera, or " devils," who were not missionaries, or 
to warn the natives against selluig their lands to us, 
who would, they said, drive them away to the moun- 
tains. A variation of this calumny was that we were 
Pikapo, (the Maori corruption of episcopoiy or Roman 
Catholics,) and would therefore infallibly cut their 
throats or drive them away. 
Some White missionaries, and also some lay White 
traders from Kawia and other places to the north, had 
on more than one occasion headed these agitating par- 
ties ; and had distinguished themselves by vehement 
support of these statements and determined attempts to 
obtain the land for themselves. 
Mr. White had, on his former visit, asserted his claim 
to the district ; as founded on his purchase of the 
rights of a large number of inhabitants of Tara- 
naki, originally made captive by the TVaihato tribe, 
but now freed at Hokianga, Kaipara, and other 
places since their masters had embraced the Christian 
religion. 
The natives residing at JVga Motu, or " the Islands," 
as the land abreast of them is called, refused to acknow- 
ledge this claim ; saying very truly, that they who had 
never lost caste by servitude, or taken refuge in a dis- 
tant land from the persecutions of their enemies, like 
