388 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. XIII. 
and that he might be expected, as soon as the summer 
season should again furnish provisions in the culti- 
vated grounds, to revenge the defeat of Tauteka with 
a strong muster of allies from Waikato and Rotorua. 
Macgregor, the owner of the Surprise, had made a 
trip to his old abode in the South of the islands since I 
last saw him. He had brought back with him several 
of his fellow-settlers ; and these had been located by 
E Kuru about five miles up the river, near a grove of 
pine-trees, from which they were cutting the timber 
for a small vessel. E Kuru apologized for having 
thus far disposed of any of the territory which he had 
sold to me ; but asked and received my sanction to 
their squatting, for this purpose, until the settlers 
should require the land. The ship-builders themselves 
went through the same form. Macgregor had, in 
acccordance with his intentions formerly agreed to by 
me, established a trading station at Turoas village of 
Purua. The boat in which E Kuru had ferried us 
over on our arrival was placed at his disposal by the 
shipwrights, to whom it belonged ; and we ascended 
the river in it to within a few miles of Te Kau 
uirapawa, accompanied by E Kuru. 
A mile beyond the new dock-yard, we reached a 
settlement where Rangi Tauwira was dwelling with 
his people. He had already paid me a visit of cere- 
mony, bringing the accustomed offering of a fine pig ; 
;and his example had been followed by Te Ana-ua, 
Turoa, and some other chiefs of consequence. On 
this occasion, the venerable old man, although bent 
double with age, insisted on joining the party, with his 
favourite son, a merry, frank-hearted lad of ten or 
twelve. He coiled himself up in the bow of the 
boat, gave us the names of every settlement and tri- 
butary stream along the banks, and seemed to consider 
