266 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. VIII. 
speeches, and friendly war-dances, and sham fights, 
and we started on the 18th at daybreak. 'i"vt*at> 
At the close of a beautiful day we were off Ofaki. 
A well-manned canoe which had been out fishing went 
in to the beach at full speed on our approach. Our 
party seemed quite as much afraid as those in the fugi- 
tive bark, for they begged me to cease firing at some 
black- fish which were following in our wake, lest the 
Ngatiraukawa should think the shots meant as de- 
fiance, and come out to fight us. E Kuru had also 
begged me, at the commencement of the voyage, not 
to throw potato-peel, fish-bones, or any article of food 
overboard, as the sea was tapu, or sacred. I could not 
learn the reason, but it seemed to be only during the 
period of our passage. 
At dusk the whole fleet crowded together, the canoes 
touching each other, in order to say prayers. The 300 
voices rising in unison from the undulating raft pro- 
duced a solemn effect. A calm moonlight night 
succeeded, and the canoes were hauled up on the beach 
about a mile north of TVaikanae. I got into a canoe 
with my former conductor, E Ao, and persuaded him 
to proceed to the village at once, as a very heavy dew 
was falling. The main body encamped at a distance, 
in order to make their entry by daylight. It was mid- 
night by the time I was housed. 
In the morning I went to Arapawa iti, the Wanga- 
nui village, and found the surrounding potato-gardens 
covered with people, all in their best clothes. The 
TVaikanae natives circulated among the bivouacs of 
their newly-arrived visitors, many of them dressed in 
their European clothes ; and those who had none were 
dressed in new blankets or mats. Their head-dresses 
were ornamented with albatross and hum feathers. 
The hogs were alljlanded, and fastened with flax ropes 
