Sir
George informed him of the straits to which he and the Bishop had been
put, and of what they had done, and received this approval, 'Well, that
was like true friends, and I'm so glad you did it!'
'You can realise,' Sir George drew the inference, 'how easy it was for me
to get on with so chivalrous a race as the Maoris!' He and they had
arrived at a mutual comprehension of each other. They recognised his
parts, the manner in which he could make himself felt where least
expected, the difficulty of beating him in expedients, his desire to
advance their interests and happiness, his tender care for them as a
father, after he had ridden as the Caesar. Towards the full
understanding, his bout with Rauparaha and Rangihaeta was, perhaps, an
assistance.
'The name Rauparaha,' he narrated, 'means in Maori a cabbage leaf; a wild
cabbage leaf. The tradition was that Rauparaha's father was killed and
eaten by some rival chief. While eating him, the other chief mumbled with
inward satisfaction, "This man eats like a young cabbage." The son, being
told, vowed revenge, and took the name Rauparaha to emphasise the fact.
It was insulting, he felt, to laugh over the eating of his father.'
Sir George's pledge for peace was the opening up of the country by means
of roads, and he drove these hither and thither.
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