O RIG IK, AS TRACED BY THE LANGUAGE. 195 
had handles fastened on without being tied, supposing it was 
impossible, and thinking the tradition was only an idle tale of 
their fore-fathers, to excite their wonder; and their ideas 
were the same about there being animals which carried men. 
This old chief accompanied some of his people to Waimate, 
and there saw a horse for the first time, with some one riding 
on it, he was greatly delighted, and reminded his followers of 
their traditions, saying, You would not believe me about the 
beasts on the other side of the water, whence our fathers came, 
but you see I was right. In the north, the memory of Captain 
Cook is much revered, but that of Governor King far more 
so; he is spoken of with great affection ; it was by him that 
pigs were first introduced into the northern part of this island. 
They were a very large kind, but did not increase: some got 
into their sacred groves and rooted amongst the dead, for 
which they were shot, the others were used as horses, the 
natives taking them (I suppose) for the wonderful animals 
their fore-fathers spoke of, and so hard did they try to turn 
them into horses, that they soon killed them all. Governor 
King visited the north end of the island, and it was his kind¬ 
ness to two natives, Haru and Tuki, who were carried to 
Norfolk Island to teach the prisoners how to manufacture 
flax from the phormium tenax, which endeared him to the 
natives, and was, under Providence, the cause of the Gospel 
being brought to this island. On such apparently trifling 
circumstances do the greatest events often turn! for Mr. 
Marsden’s first desire to send Missionaries to New Zealand, 
arose from his there meeting with those two natives, and being- 
struck with their superior intelligence. They were after¬ 
wards sent back to their country, enriched with presents, and 
the natives of that part boast that they were the first who 
received Europeans with kindness, and indeed they have 
invariably done so, never having, except in one single case, 
injured any who landed on their shores. It was from those 
further south, at Wangaroa and the Bay of Islands, that they 
were ill treated. "W hen Tuki and Huru returned, the natives 
flocked around them, and were anxious to learn how the 
Europeans had behaved to them, and on hearing of the 
o 2 
