Chap. VII. COLONEL WAKEFIELD'S JOURNEY. ISS 
several other gentlemen, whose tents or huts were 
pitched in the neighbourhood. 
Colonel Wakefield was living in one corner of a 
large store-house built by Epuni in the pa at Pitone. 
On my way to this grand residence, I was affectionately 
greeted by the old chief and his people, who screamed 
our names, " Tiraweke " and " Takuta " or " Doctor," 
in most dolorous strains. A perfect tangi or lament- 
ation took place in the pa over E Rangi and the 
rest of Barrett's train ; and they all expressed their 
unfeigned delight at our happy meeting, and their 
satisfaction at the arrival of our friends from Eng- 
land. 
While Saturday cooked some salt pork and potatoes 
at the fire in the court-yard, I sat down and listened 
to a brief account of my uncle's doings since we parted 
at Kaipara. 
When he had left our boat, he proceeded in a canoe 
about twenty miles further, and then struck into a 
native path, attended by E Ware, Saturday, and a 
guide. He described the country as barren-looking, 
and interspersed with large swamps. Wherever the 
kauri forest had been cut down or burnt, nothing 
grew but stunted fern. This unpromising appearance 
is described by many persons as peculiar to land on 
which the kauri has grown. It is probably a very 
exhausting crop. The path to the Bay of Islands 
proved much longer than it had been described to him. 
He slept two nights in the bush, the second night in 
heavy rain after a march of seventeen hours. He 
described his fatigue during this journey as excessive. 
Anxious in mind, lest he should not be able to meet 
the emigrant ships at the appointed time, and with 
limbs unaccustomed to severe exercise, he used, he told 
me, to push on ahead of the natives until ([uite ex- 
