184 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. VII. 
slave-boy. His protracted absence at night had raised 
the fears of his sons, who, upon searching for him, had 
found only a pool of blood. They had returned for 
the other men of the joa ; and these, tiring their muskets 
at random in their usual way when excited, as they 
went up the hill, had caused the alarm. 
Colonel Wakefield returned to the store at Pitone ; 
issued forty stand of arms to the men on the beach ; 
and appointed a rendezvous in case of need. Late in 
the evening, armed boats landed from the ships, ready 
to assist, and anxious to hear the news. At daylight. 
Colonel Wakefield returned to ff^aiwetu, with Epuni 
and TVarepori; and a large party of natives started up 
the hill to renew the search. About a mile from the 
pa, Puakawa^ body was found in the potato-ground. 
His head had been cut oflP, and his heart taken out. 
The woman and boy were not to be seen, and were 
supposed to be captives. They wrapped the nmtilated 
corpse in his red blanket, and bore it, lashed to a tree, 
in procession to the village ; where the usual tavgi took 
place, after it had been deposited in the wahi tapu, or 
" sacred ground.'' Colonel Wakefield tried to con- 
sole the widow and children, and then returned to 
Pitone with the chiefs. They seemed inclined to 
believe that the murderers were natives from the 
neighbourhood of Kapiti, probably of the Ngatirau- 
kawa tribe, set on by White men living there ; and 
particularly alluded to the Church missionaries said 
to have recently established themselves there, as likely 
to be hostile to our plans. Colonel Wakefield of 
course refused to place any faith in this supposition. 
It was found out afterwards that the murder had been 
committed by a foraging party of the Ngatikahuhunii , 
or original inhabitants. 
Poor Puakawa ! his death was sincerely regretted 
