406 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Ghap. XIV. 
years from this date. He used to bring me a cargo for 
the vessel as a homai no homai, or " gift for gift ;"' and 
I used on some future occasion to present him with a 
bale of blankets or a quantity of other goods, equiva- 
lent to the market value of the cargo. In this barter 
of mutual confidence, I was sometimes his debtor for 
a month or two, to the amount of ten or twelve tons 
of potatoes and forty or fifty hogs ; and at other times 
he would be a month or two in my debt to a like 
amount. But we never had a single disagreement 
about the accounts ; and the numerous followers and 
relations who invariably confided their ventures to 
the care of this chief, were always satisfied with their 
speculation. I had thus soon established, through 
the authority and with the co-operation of their own 
head chief, an amicable intercourse with a large num- 
ber of natives. They were dependent on me to a cer- 
tain degree for the supplies of European articles which 
they required, and I on them for a cargo. And this 
commerce being carried on entirely by myself and the 
upright chief in mutual presents, a friendship more 
lasting than that of mere customers was soon engen- 
dered. 
The natives at Turoas village and at Pufi/dwa- 
ranui were by no means to be traded with on the same 
terms. They had already acquired in great measure 
the cunning habits of low traders from Macgregor and 
his crew ; who, although constantly trying to over- 
reach the natives, profited no more than if they had 
treated them with constant openness and generosity. 
We here met several natives from Taupo who re- 
membered Mr. Bidwill's ascent of Tonga Riro ; and 
he was soon known among them by no other name 
than that of the mountain. 
The weather during our stay was very wet, and the 
