Chap. XVII. A CANOE JOURNEY. 455 
or rushes through a mountainous but fertile country, 
of which the luxuriant monotony is relieved by cun- 
ningly-placed native fortifications, or isolated huts 
among rich gardens. Canoes, laden with the various 
kinds of native produce for the sea, met us occasionally 
on our way ; the occupants generally allowing their 
bark to drift listlessly with the current, except where a 
rapid required skilful pilotage. They basked idly in 
the sun, or ate, or smoked, or played with the pet 
parrots which are generally perched on a pliant stick 
overhanging the water, swinging themselves up and 
down, flapping their wings, and screaming in shrill 
discord. The kind greeting was never omitted ; I was 
now generally known among all the denizens of the 
river ; and the namnai, " come hither," or tena koitou, 
" hail to ye all! " was often accompanied by the present 
of a cooked pigeon or parrot, or a basket of kumera, or 
a melon. 
About noon we overtook the fleet of the mihanere na- 
tives, lying at the foot of a moss-covered cliff", which was 
crowned with the stockades of a moderate-sized pa. On 
the top of a wooded mountain about a mile inland of 
this, another stockade surrounded the last refuge of the 
inhabitants in case of assault. I ascended to the vil- 
lage, where a large assemblage were busily engaged in 
doing justice to a feast prepared for them. Te Ana-ua 
(otherwise called E Tu), Mawai, and several other 
chiefs of Putikiwaranui, were among the throng. A 
basket of food was placed before me on my arrival ; and 
I ate some, and took the rest into the canoe with me, 
according to etiquette. We now proceeded in company, 
and the scene became most enlivening. There were 
about twenty canoes, varying in size from the stately 
war-canoe in gala dress of clean feathers and oiled 
carving with its crew of forty warriors, to the low shell 
