Chap. IX. A PRESENT FROM THE NATIVE^. 291 
and return with me to Port Nicholson. I talked with 
him mildly, and at some length ; and he ended by con- 
fessing that a wiser course would be for him to remain 
and prepare them gradually by his example as well as 
precept for more gentle conduct when the White men 
should arrive. He cried as he told me that he was 
ashamed to think how much worse I must consider his 
people than the other Maori whom I had seen ; and 
urged me to bring, with the White people, plenty of 
constables and soldiers to induce respect and tran- 
quillity. Rangi Tauwira very pithily expressed his 
wishes in this respect by a simple illustration. " These 
" are pakeha" said he, as he lifted a handful of sand. 
" Do this to TVanganm ! " and he scattered the sand 
over the deck near him. 
I was now taken ashore to see a present, or homai 
no homai, literally a " gift for a gift," which had been 
prepared for me. It consisted of thirty pigs and about 
ten tons of potatoes, ranged in a row along the line 
which had been occupied two days before by the goods. 
Having counted them and got them on board, I gave 
JE Kuru a blanket each for the pigs, and a pipe or a 
head of tobacco for every two baskets of potatoes. 
The baskets being small, this was reckoned a very 
liberal rate of payment. The chief divided it at once 
among the owners of the provisions, who were almost 
entirely his own people. 
I accepted and paid for this gift as a private specu- 
lation on my part. ' On the occasion of JE Knrus 
former present to me of his canoe-load, I had given 
him, in Port Nicholson, a blanket for each pig, and 
sold them to the settlers up the Hutt very readily. 
Both he and I had been so satisfied with our respective 
profits in the transaction, that I had at once accepted 
his offer to load the schooner on the same terms, and 
u2 
