ployed our carpenter to make, these being
luxuries quite beyond the comprehension of
the natives. We were thus tolerably well
lodged again; and our time passed on tranquilly,
almost every day developing some fresh
trait of character amongst these children of
nature.
I went to reside for a short time at a village
about half a mile distant, where there was
a pretty good house vacant. It was called
Ma-to-we, and belonged to a chief named
Atoi, a relation of George’s, but a much
younger man. His power was not so great,
and he was every way subject to the authority
of the tribe under whose protection 1 had
placed myself. One morning, at day-break,
we were roused by the hasty approach of
Kino- George and all his warriors, towards
Ma*to-we. All were fully equipped for war,
and each countenance looked fierce and wild.
Our late misfortunes having rendered us more
than usually anxious, this hostile appearance
gave us considerable alarm. We left our
house to enquire-, the reason thereof, and saw
George and his followers enter the village,
pull down several fences, fire a few muskets
in the air, dance a most hideous dance of defiance,
and then depart; but not one word of
explanation could we obtain from him. In
the course of the morning, however, the
women acquainted us with the cause of this
mysterious proceeding, which determined me
to remove my things back again to George’s
village of Ko-ro-ra-di-ka as soon as possible.
The affair was simply this : Atoi had two
wives. During the time of our visit to his
village, he was absent, and had intrusted these
women to the care of his brotherj but he,
instead of being faithful to the trust reposed
in him, had actually seduced one of them.
This circumstance came to the knowledge of
George, and he, feeling for the honour of his
absent friend, immediately proceeded to the
village, and thus gave the parties warning that
he was fully aware of the nature of their proceedings.
He had also dispatched a messenger
to Atoi, to inform him of his disgrace,
and to request his immediate return. In the
course of the day it was expected he would
arrive, and bring with him a strong party of
h 3