Chap. V. AN APPEAL TO NATIVE HOSPITALITY. 141 
" the great chief, and will then carry to Port Nichol- 
" son a story of a great name that has a great heart. 
" The White chiefs shall know the name of Taratoa. 
" I have done." 
The greatest change was produced by this reflection 
on the want of hospitality shown to one whom they 
had begun by pretending to receive with honour. 
Shouts of admiration and loud laughter at the turning 
of the tables burst from the crowd. The women ran 
to the ovens ; and the old chief, perfectly delighted at 
finding that I had really earned my reputation among 
the natives by a knowledge of their customs and feel- 
ings, laughed heartily, and took me cordially by the 
hand. He insisted on my waiting till some potatoes 
were roasted, and then had the canoe launched, and 
put the basket of kai into it. He escorted me down 
to the water's edge, and returned the money to me. 
" I know you want to go on now," said he, " or I 
" would ask you to do in earnest what you proposed 
" in joke. I am much ashamed; but come back soon, 
" and pay me a long visit, that I may know you are 
" not angry. Go to Port Nicholson." I often after- 
wards spent several days with this chief at his various 
residences, and we have been ever since warm friends. 
We reached Otaki at night, after fording the Oha?/, 
at half tide, up to our chins. I remained two or three 
days in the house of Sam Taylor, a European who 
had long resided in these parts ; and commenced an 
acquaintance with the Ngatiraukaica people. 
They had entered into negotiations with Colonel 
Wakefield for the sale of a large tract of land at the 
Manawatu, which was to be appropriated to a part of 
the preliminary settlement. A formal conference had 
been held here on the subject some time before, when 
the chiefs of the Ngatiraiikawa had derided and over- 
