368 
MANTHERA AND KEREOPA. 
of darkness” would soon be made light by the bright beams of 
the Gospel. I was accompanied to Auckland by a native, 
who was deputed by his tribe to attend the Central Committee, 
and apply for a minister to be sent to Taupo. At Auckland 
we received the news of a barbarous murder of a settler’s 
family at Wanganui; this hastened my return. The Governor 
kindly offered me a passage in the Inflexible steamer to Wan¬ 
ganui, in which he also went himself; and grieved was I to 
find, on my arrival, what a change had taken place since my 
departure. A Chief had been nearly killed by the carelessness 
of a young midshipman, whose pistol by some means went off; 
when another heathen and hostile Chief immediately went 
and murdered the family already alluded to, in order to bring 
the Christian natives into collision with the military. The 
Putiki natives, with a very laudable desire of vindicating their 
character, went and arrested the murderers, four of whom 
were executed. This act caused the smothered flames of war 
to break out. A large hostile force, amounting to six hundred 
men, was soon collected, which commenced with burning the 
houses of all the out-settlers, and slaughtering their cattle. 
But after a few months war passed away, peace revisited us. 
I, therefore, lost no time in again paying Taupo a visit. The 
Tokanu natives, according to their promise, had sent two of 
their Chiefs to the Nga ti ruanui natives, and had made peace: 
they were very kindly and hospitably received, and the long 
feud which had existed between their respective tribes, was 
terminated. Here, then, were the first fruits of Manihera’s 
death seen—it had caused peace. 
I took with me to Taupo a young Chief named Piripi, from 
Waokena (he was the successor to Manihera), as the teacher 
of his place, that he might return the visit of the Tokanu 
Chiefs. The Nga ti ruanui, however, would not permit him 
to go, unless he went in my company. We safely reached 
Tokanu, and a feast was made in honor of our arrival. I 
found a very different feeling to that formerly displayed; all 
expressed a desire for instruction. I proposed, therefore, as 
a token of their sincerity, that we should all go and hold 
service by the martyrs’ graves; they agreed to my wish, and 
