d3d ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. XUI. 
like a small star ; and the tail, of uncommon brilliancy, 
subtended an angle of 36° as observed from Welling- 
ton, and of 45° as observed from JVan^anui. 
Towards the middle of the month, Mr. Spain closed 
his Court at Wellington, and proceeded to hold sittings 
on the road to Taranaki. No case had been finally 
reported on by the Commissioner ; but Mr. Spain had 
declared that the claims of the Te Aro, Pipitea, and 
Kumu toto natives, those living in the town, to compen- 
sation, were a fit subject to be arbitrated upon by 
Colonel Wakefield and Mr. Clarke junior. 
About this time, a native deliberately shot another 
in the town of Wellington, for former adultery with 
his wife. After coolly reloading both barrels of his 
gun, he threatened to shoot any one who should attempt 
to follow him, and escaped safely to Ohariu on the 
shores of Cook's Strait. A coroner's inquest wiis held, 
and a verdict of " wilful murder" was returned 
against Kai Karoro, or the " Gull-eater," the native in 
question. But no very strenuous efforts were made by 
the authorities to execute the warrants issued against 
him, or even to discover the place of his retreat. 
In this month, Colonel Wakefield and Mr. Moles- 
worth started to go to New Plymouth on horseback, 
with a groom leading a pack-horse. In passing Mr. 
Spain's Court at Porirua, Colonel Wakefield agreed to 
meet Mr. Spain at TJ^anganui on his return, for the 
purj)Ose of investigating that purchase and arbitrating 
as to compensation ; and he asked me to go thither, 
as soon as I should hear that the investigation was 
likely to take place. I proceeded to Otaki to carry on 
my flax operations, which were beginning to require 
pretty constant attention ; and waited for further 
accounts of the proceedings of the Court of Claims. 
Between some of my trips backwards and forwards, the 
