Chap. XVIII. RAUPERAHA'S SON. 495 
I formed some intimacy with one of Rauperahas 
sons, christened Tomihona, or " Thomson." He was 
a very intelligent young man, who had become much 
civilized in the course of various voyages in vessels to 
the Bay of Islands and other places. He had only 
returned to Cook's Strait from one of these trips since 
the IVairau massacre, and lived almost apart from 
his father in the large j9a nearer to the house wherein 
I dwelt. He and his wife were both very neat and 
clean in their dress and their house. He pleased me 
especially by being, although unskilful, fearless on 
horseback. Two old horses had formed part of the 
stock of the farm on Mana for many years, and now 
belonged to the proprietor of the island, Mr. Fraser. 
But soon after the JVairau massacre, Rauperaha had 
taken possession of them, and they had been conveyed 
to the mainland in one of the large sailing-boats be- 
longing to his new allies from the Middle Island. 
He now kept them at Otaki, and his son constantly 
rode about on one of them. He used to follow over a 
leaping-bar without any hesitation, though he more 
than once fell ; and he beat a young horse of mine in 
a regularly-appointed race which we held along a mile 
of straight beach, to the great delight of the assem- 
bled population. 
I was going quietly on with my flax-trading, when 
one morning about the end of December, before I was 
up, a native brought a strange report to the house. 
Rauperaha, he said, had come up very early to the 
large pa, and had stated " that I was reported to be 
" here for the purpose of watching him and Rangi- 
** haeata, in order that twenty men on horseback, whom 
" I expected from Port Nicholson, might be sure to 
" catch them." He also said that Rangikaeata had 
threatened to come and burn the house I was sleep- 
