n of the Duke brought
a smile on Sir George's lips, but he had doubts whether he should divulge
the cause.

'You know,' the reminiscence ran, 'I used, when in England, to visit the
Duke of Newcastle at Clumber. I was there, a member of a party, on a wet
day when we were cooped up in the house, unable to find occupation.
Towards afternoon, everybody being in despair, I proposed, "Why not have
some cock-fighting?" Not the illegal cock-fighting of course, but the
nursery-room style, where you have your hands tied in front of your
knees, and try to turn an opponent over with your toes. My proposal was
received with delight, and I suppose half a dozen of the leading men of
England were that afternoon kicking their heels in the air.'

Sir George could catch laughter, when a burden really did rest upon his
acts--catch it, to carry the burden away. The quaint instance of how he
got the better of the Maori children of Poa was in point. A member of
that New Zealand tribe had come under the weights of justice at Auckland.
The clansmen mustered to his rescue, and were willed to turn Auckland
upside down, if necessary, in achieving it. The Governor heard betimes of
the advance of their war canoes, and he arranged his welcome.

'I called out our defensive forces, including a corps of pensioners
settled in the locality, and placed them in position round the bight,
where I supposed the Maoris would land. A man-of-war, which was in the
harbour, I sent out to sea, with instructions to return when the invaders
had arrived, and to block their exit. But everything was as if there had
been nothing; not a sign that we expected callers with hostile intent.

'The Maoris rowed to the landing with vigour and confidence, forming
indeed a picturesque sight, though I was little inclined to dwell on that
at the moment. Next, they began to drag their canoes ashore; but here a
signal was given, and our half-circle of troops revealed themselves. The
Ngatipoa evidently did not know what to make of the changed situation, or
what to do. I sat on a hill and watched them, waiting for a move on their
part, which presently came. It was no business of mine to do more than I
had done; let them now propose? They sent up their leader, escorted by a
few men, to ask what I meant to do in the circumstances. That was
considerate.

'I had already agreed with myself that the thing was, by hook or crook,
to get rid of the Ngatipoa in a peaceable fashion. To make pris