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on which side you are; you can no longer be permitted to stand on the outside." I then told him that I intended to take the prisoners down to Wanganui with me; and the promises I had made in regard to them to Hori Kingi and the other friendly chiefs. Pehi replied that "as the prisoners had not been taken in battle they belong to me, your share is the great number killed," and then made an appeal to Hori Kingi to this effect, "If you will assist me in preventing these prisoners being taken to Wanganui, I promise that henceforth there shall be peace be ween us and between our people." Hori Kingi without replying to him whispered to me, "Who believes him;" "he has said nothing;" "what guarantee can we have that Pehi will keep his word?"

I reminded Pehi that instead of assisting the friendly natives in repelling Matene and his fanatics, he had himself kept out of the way while most of his people had joined Matene and had taken part in the engagement at Moutoa; that it was absurd in him or any chief to lay claim to men taken prisoners while fighting against the Queen. Pehi made several more appeals to the friendly chiefs and to myself to be allowed to keep the prisoners, but when I finally told him that it was no use talking more about them that I had come up to take them and take them I would, he got up in a state of considerable excitement and said, "If you take the prisoners I follow you down the river quickly," and so ended the korero. It was no sooner finished than thirteen Kingites came forward and expressed their desire to take the oath of allegiance to the Queen. In Pehi's presence I administered to them the Testament the following oath: "In the presence of the chiefs and their people here asssembled I, A.B., do hereby renounce Kingism, and further swear henceforth to bear true allegiance to our Sovereign Queen Victoria—so help me God."

In this pa there was only one prisoner, rather severely wounded. Dr. Fletcher in examining him expressed his doubts whether he would bear removing. On hearing this the natives burst into a roar of laughter "What! not well enough to be removed? he was jolly and hearty enough when we arrived; we know better, he's only shamming, we'll have him," and off they bu. dled him to the cance. Just as we reached our cances a volley was fired apparently in the rear of where Pehi received us. In an instant the natives, who suspected treachery—that Pehi had probably concealed a body of men to fall upon them if it were prudent—threw themselves into skirmishing order, and availing themselves as if by instinct of every tree and of the slightest unevenness of ground, rapidly advanced to the pa, and demanded the meaning of the volley. It turned out that it was merely a salute fired by Topia (Pehi's son) and other rebels just returned from Waikato, on paying a visit to Pehi.

The first place we stopped at on returning was the Kauaeroa pa, where we took the prisoners without difficulty, and received from the Rev. Mr. Lampila an abundant supply of grapes, which proved most refreshing to the wounded. On arriving at Tawhitinui, being under the impression that the only prisoner to be taken was the chief Te Raimona, I did not at first leave the canoe. After nearly an hour had elapsed and no appearance of the prisoner, I went up to the pa and found a rather angry discussion going on. Te Raimona, who was wounded in the groin, was sitting under a verandah, and his wife was, in not very complimentary language to the loyal chiefs, protesting against his being surrendered, Te Raimona himself declaring that he would not be taken. Hori Kingi, leaning on his spear, seemed to be arguing the point at issue very calmly. Seeing no probable termination to the discussion, I asked Mete Kingi why they did not take the prisoner. He at once replied, "He is a great chief, he is nearly related to all of us, if we lay hands on him he will be degraded and looked upon as a slave for ever. We are, therefore, trying to persuade him to walk down to the canoe without our touching him. Give us time." "Take your own time; I will wait as long as you choose." Another half-hour elapsed without the negotiation having apparently advanced a single step, when Mete Kingi came to me and said, "What is to be done? he won't come." "Send a file of men on each side, and I will then order the constable to take him." Without a moment's hesitation, Mete Kingi said "It shall be done," and was giving the orders to his men, when Te Raimona, probably seeing the movement, got up and said "I will go." He was no sooner in the canoe than Hori Kingi said, "There are a few other prisoners, all old men; have we not done enough for to-day?" an opinion in which I so entirely concurred that I ordered him to push off at once. When we arrived at Ranana, Te Raimona was treated with the greatest possible respect; a tangi was held over him, he was shown into the runanga-house, supplied with the best of everything they had, the other prisoners being placed in a whare by themselves, but nevertheless treated most kind y, and yet strange to say at Tawhitinui, the pa from which Te Raimona was taken, Matene and his followers (including of course these prisoners) had dug two large ovens in which they intended to have cooked (had they proved victors) their opponents, whether killed or taken prisoners.

Tuesday, 24th.—We left Ranana about 9 a.m., and touching at the several pas where natives were desirous of taking the oath of allegiance, reached Wanganui about half-past six p.m., when the wounded were sent to the