224 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. IX. 
maces of defiance which he meant to make when E 
Ahu should come. And the slaves and attendants 
were all chuckling, and explaining to me every now 
and then that Mokau, as he was often called, was ex- 
ceedingly angry. I took no notice of all this, till K 
Ahu arrived in a canoe which had been sent for him. I 
then told him of the threat which Rangi had made. 
He gave a low laugh, and said to me, "Be a looker- 
" on !" 
The greeting was a mixture of friendliness and dis- 
tant pride, although the two chiefs were very nearly 
related. Clean fern was strewn in two places, on 
opposite sides of the court-yard in the midst of the 
filthy little pa which is close to Toms' house. On one of 
these wariki, or " strewings," Rangihaeata was sitting 
in state with all his attendants. The visitors were 
motioned to the other. 
While the meal of hospitality was cooking in the 
iron pots, Rangihaeata rose to speak. His words were 
a mere repetition of what he had roared in jny ears. 
He began by tracing his own descent and history, and 
saying all the land was his, and that the White men 
were greedy and wanted to take it all. The story 
about the casks of " money gold" followed. He then 
warmed gradually up, and spoke louder and more 
wildly, as he rebuked E Ahu for having sold Mana- 
fjoatu of his own accord, without consulting him, who 
was the real owner, and for having invited White men 
to go and live there. But his speech was moderate 
and his manner tame compared with what his boasting 
had led me to expect ; although they still partook 
largely of that bullying tone and undignified character 
from which his behaviour was never free. 
E Ahu then rose up, and answered him in few, but 
calm and convincing words, " You have said that all 
