3f4 ADVENTURE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. XV. 
The narrative could but be painful to me without 
doing any good. Besides, it seemed to me as indelicate 
to listen to his confession or denial of guilt ]>efore the 
inquiry, as it would be to that of any one standing 
committed for trial in an English gaol. So I told 
him I should leave the pa if he talked about JVairau ; 
that I was come only to hear about his right and his 
will to turn White people out of Otaki, as that con- 
cerned me. He immediately promised to abstain from 
the obnoxious subject, but was not long before he got 
round to it again, anxious, I suppose, to exculpate 
himself before me. Upon this I rose, and stepped 
over the stile in the outer fence on my way homewards. 
All shouted to me to come back, and joined with 
Rauperaha in promises that TVairau should not be 
mentioned again. 
He then went on to repeat the prohibition which we 
had heard this morning, saying that all the land was 
his alone. He said Manawatu was fairly sold ; so was 
PFanganui; so was Taranaki; the White people 
might go there. But to Ohau they should not go ; 
and those at Otaki must go away to Kapiti or to Port 
Nicholson. Some of the whalers present laughed at 
this, having too many friends and relations by their 
wives to fear being turned out. Taylor, among the 
number, laughed outright, for he had lived with the 
tribe for many years, and was a general favourite among 
them. RauperaJia turned to him and said, " You must 
** go too, Sammy." i i;!* -^^ ' ;. 
He concluded by calling himself " the king of the 
Maori." He asked " What right had they to want to 
•* tie his hands ? As for WikHoria" he said, " never 
** mind that — woman," was what he said ; but with 
an accent, intonation, and sneer, which gave the 
word its most insulting meaning. I have already 
