Chap. XIV. DEATH OF MR. MASON. 343 
comfortable house, was constantly dining out, and 
spending a very agreeable life. During not quite four 
weeks at Pf^anganui, he had been obliged to live in a 
miserable hut, hardly tight from the weather, and its 
sandy floor abounding with fleas ; his food consisting 
of pork and potatoes ; and the society almost none. He 
went away after devoting five days out of the four weeks 
to the examination of witnesses, but without having 
even seen the great majority of the chiefs who had 
signed the deed. 
Nine days after Mr. Spain's departure, E Kuru ar- 
rived with a large fleet of canoes, bearing his father and 
most of the influential chiefs of his own and allied 
tribes, who had waited for his summons to come and 
give their evidence. The indignation of the whole 
party may be better conceived than described when they 
found that the Commissioner was gone. Especially did 
E Kuru storm, when he heard from some of the natives 
and one or two of the White people that Mr. Spain 
had described him as having been anxious to avoid 
giving his evidence, or as having been employed in 
catching pigs for me instead of collecting witnesses. 
Mr. Mason, the missionary, had lost his life some 
weeks before this, in crossing the Turakina river on horse- 
back during a freshet, in company with Mr. Hadfield. 
That .gentleman had made vigorous but unsuccessful 
efforts to save his friend, till he was himself exhausted. 
The Columbine, a schooner of 60 tons, arrived from the 
Bay of Islands soon after Mr. Spain's departure, bearing 
the Rev. Richard Taylor as Mr. Mason's successor. In 
numerous conversations with Mr. Taylor, I learned to 
believe that he was impressed with the urgency of 
teaching the natives of Putikiwaranui to be friendly 
towards the Whites, and to abandon, in part, their exor- 
bitant ideas as to compensation. In the meanwhile, he 
