304 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. X. 
had he applied tx) me in the first instance. He was 
a man from Sydney who kept a tjivern at Pitone, 
and who had thus early displayed his acquaintance with 
the penal laws, without giving me the least notice. 
A brig from Sydney about this time brought news 
that a subscription for our relief was being collected at 
that place, the most false reports having been circulated 
there that we were destitute and starving, and half- 
drowned by floods ! A speculator had hurried down 
with a cargo of flour, thinking to sell it at a high price ; 
but he could not sell a bag, and was quite surprised to 
find that we had plenty to eat. 
Not long before the arrival of the Colonial Secretary, 
Mr. Tod had carried his opposition to the settlers to 
so dangerous an extent as to call forth the severe anim- 
adversion of the Council, and the' public exposure of 
his intrigues in the ' Gazette.' He had engaged a 
large body of natives to build him a house upon the 
land to which he had laid claim, and encouraged them 
by continued presents of food and clothes, and pro- 
mises of still larger ones when the house should be 
completed, to become personally interested in the 
support of his pretensions. He was warned that, if 
he did not desist, the authorities would remove his 
house ; and had so repeated this warning to the na- 
tives, that they expressed their intention of resisting 
such an exercise of authority by force if necessary, and 
were very nearly brought into actual collision with 
some of the settlers, who vented their indignation 
alike upon the corrupting White man and the faith- 
less natives. A judicious spirit of forbearance among 
the leaders of the White people had prevented any 
breach of the peace, but the seeds of a nmtual distrust 
between the two parties had naturally been sown. 
The natives had become divided into two parties, for 
