7

G—3

peace, but have not committed murders. The Waikato, the men who said " cease fighting," do so. Why do not they fight openly and straightforwardly ? I suggested that we should put up a pa between Hangatiki and To Kuiti, and stand or fall there (you, Mackay, passed the place yesterday). They would not consent to this ; and now they will not remain quiet, but commit murders. I said, 'if you want Waikato back, fight the Pakeha for it;' I would assent to that, but I will not fight for their murders." Hone te One then returned from Manuhiri, and said —" Manuhiri is restraining Maneha, and Kiwi; he says he took Euru round among the people this morning and said ' AVho is this fellow ?' and no person answered. He wished him to have been killed by Te Wharepu, or by Topi, and that is why he said, who is this follow." A message was brought by Te Eeinga, from Manuhiri, that " he was so pouri (dark) he could not eat, and had left the settlement. I had better tell Manga (Bewi) the business I had come on, and leave the settlement." I objected, and replied, my instructions are to see Tawhiao, Manuhiri, and Eewi; then I will deliver tho message with which lam charged. Eewi has taken the responsibility of protecting me, and I will not add to it the heavier one of answering alone the demands of the Government, especially as Ngatimaniapoto have committed no offence against the Europeans, and are living in peace with them. It is the Waikato who caused this trouble. Te Eeinga said " this was true," and returned to Manuhiri's house (he had not left). On her departure Eewi said, "Mackay, your answer is right. Ido not wish you to tell me your business, as Ido not desire the responsibility of answering, especially as they will not accede to my wishes." Next day, in the course of conversation, Eewi said—" I have heard that the Maoris who killed the pakeha (Sullivan) at Pukekura chased another man named Jones, fired at him, and when Jones reached the line of the lands conquered by the Governor, called out,' Stop Jones! There is an end of it, you are at the boundary.'" I answered Eewi—"Yes! that took place, Jones says so.". Eewi then rejoined —" Do you not see that Maori thought that he was acting according to the law. The King said ' Do not lease the lands outside the boundary ' —the consequence is that the Europeans are killed.1' I (Mackay) said —" The Europeans and friendly Natives do not acknowledge your laws any more than you do ours; and do you think the way to settle these questions, and come to an understanding, is by murdering people ? I think the Maoris and the Europeans were advancing towards peace, and these murders have widened the breach." He answered —" That is true, but if you demand the murderers they will not be given up. I have tried to get these matters arranged but can do nothing. You go to Te Uira, and stop there. I will see Manuhiri, and the others, and talk over matters. At night I was placed in a house with sixty Ngatimaniapoto and Ngatituwharetoa, who had orders to shoot any man who attempted to enter the house without permission. Eewi was there the greater part of the night. I had my revolver hanging by my head. The next morning I was proceeding to the house of Alexander Thompson (half-caste), and was carrying the revolver, Eewi came to me and said—" Do not carry that weapon about with you. The Waikato say now ' that you brought it up to murder Tawhiao with,' that is their excuse for attacking you; hand it over to Thompson to take care of." I answered —" What a chance a man would have to escape after murdering Tawhiao among a thousand people : lam not quite brave enough for that. The Europeans do not commit murder in that manner —we leave that for Waikato to do. Had I any such intention I would not have told you I had a revolver on the morning when I was attacked." Eewi replied—" That is what I told the Waikatos, that you had revealed to me that you had a revolver, and had you known Euru was coming that you would have shot him; that had you intended to kill Tawhiao you would have carefully hidden the revolver, and not told me, especially after the attack on yourself. AVaikato have demanded the revolver as utu; they say Maoris are not allowed to carry arms in European districts, and Europeans have no right to carry arms in Maori country." I said—" I merely brought the revolver for defence on the road. A man does not like to be shot like a dog, but as you ask me to leave the revolver with Thompson I will do so, provided it is not given to Waikato." He rejoined—" They will never get it. I will return it to you, but not now." I gave it to Thompson, who put it in his box. The Waikatos heard of this, and demanded it; Eewi then handed it over to Wahanui for safe keeping. (Wahanui took it away, and on the 30th June last returned it to me by Alexander Thompson, Te AViwini, and Tub or o). Subsequent to the above recited conversation, I, on the 7th May, went to Te Uira, Eewi sending twenty-five men on horseback to escort me. As we were leaving, Eewi said, in a sneering manner, in presence of some Waikato Natives, " Go to Wahanui at Te Uira, and see how we low people of Ngatimaniapoto will treat you. We will kill you and Hone Te One also." He then laughed and added, "If you are killed my neck shall be the payment. You are a great Pakeha, and I will be content to give myself up to the Government to be hung if you are injured." I afterwards heard that Eewi had told the Waikatos, "If Mackay had been killed by Euru I would have gone to Alexandra and given myself up to the Governor as utu (payment)." Previous to leaving for Te Uira, I wrote a letter to Manuhiri to the following effect: —" That I had come to Te Kuiti to deliver a message from the Government to Tawhiao, Eewi, and himself. That he need not take any notice of the attack on me by Euru ; it was wrong, and was not, as I believed, sanctioned by Tawhio himself and the other chiefs. That the harm done would only be increased by not seeing me, and hearing what I was charged by the Government to say ; that one degradation was enough, in being attacked, without adding to it further insult. That I objected to going back to the Government in that manner." Eewi has requested me to go to Te Uira to-day. I have consented, but I wish an answer as to the day when we shall meet and discuss matters. Te Eeinga returned with the answer, "That Manuhiri was too 'pouri' (troubled) to talk." I asked, " AVhy is he 'pouri ' (troubled) ?" She said, " Because of the attack on you." I then proceeded to Te Uira, where I was cordially welcomed by the people of Ngatimaniapoto, Ngatituwharetoa, and the AVhanganui Natives under the chief Te Mamuku. Tawhiao arrived at Te Kuiti from Hauturu, secretly, during the afternoon of the 7th, although