386 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. XIII. 
singled out by the tohunga, or sages, from the whole 
tribe. They were headed by Tauteica, a chief of almost 
equal importance to Heuheu himself, and most of the 
other great names of the tribe. The number was made 
up of tried and experienced warriors, and victory was 
promised to them by the soothsayers, who confined their 
number to that above mentioned. 
At the beginning of the campaign, they had carried 
all before them. The inhabitants fled almost without 
a blow towards Patea, and abandoned Te Ihupuku 
and another strong pa to the conquerors. These, 
who had chosen the harvest-season for their arrival, 
lived for some time on the fat of the land, slaughter- 
ing pigs, and gathering in the kumeras, Indian 
corn, potatoes, and other abundant crops of the fertile 
Valley. 
The rightful reapers, however, returned suddenly, 
reinforced by allies from the Ngatiruanui and Taranaki 
villages to the number of 600, and blockaded the in- 
vading army in E Toka, or '* the Rock," a pa almost 
impregnable by mere assault. It was about this time 
that Mr. Matthews arrived among them and attempted 
to mediate between the two parties. But little blood 
had been actually shed ; the besieged had exhausted 
their food and their ammunition ; and a parley was 
soon agreed to. The besiegers were to be allowed to 
enter the fort in order to be reconciled with their foes, 
and shake hands with them according to the new cus- 
tom ; which, strangely enough, the Christian natives 
seemed to consider as a sign of the faith and as a reli- 
gious ceremony, rather than as a civilized improvement 
on the process of nose-rubbing. In return, the Taupo 
party were to be allowed to depart for ff^anganut with 
all the honours of war ; and peace was to be between 
the tribes. I have often listened to the animated de- 
