clearing, whereon are to be seen
pigs and poultry, a few cattle, and a horse or two. On a well-selected
hill-side close by are his cultivations--some few acres of maize,
potatoes, kumera, melons, taro, fruit-trees, and so on, surrounded by a
strong stake-fence. A few yards below the kainga is the beach, where a
capital boat shows that Tama prefers Pakeha workmanship to the native
article--a canoe that also lies near. Nets and other matters prove that
he reaps a harvest in the water as well as on land.

A very "comfortable" man is our Maori friend, for he has a claim over
many hundred acres of good land around, some of which has already been
sold to the Pakeha. Much of this is heavily timbered with valuable kauri
and puriri. Bushmen cut on his land to a small extent, and pay him a
royalty of a pound per tree. We often say, jokingly, that the old fellow
must have a tolerably well-filled stocking somewhere.

Tama is amazingly industrious. He and his wife together get through an
immense amount of work. The produce of the farm is amply sufficient to
provide them with all necessaries. More than that, the surplus produce
probably pays for all the groceries, tools, and clothes required by the
family. His seventy years weigh lightly on him. He is as strong and
active as most men of forty, and is never idle. He fully understands the
duty that devolves on him of setting an example to his flock, as well
as of preaching to them.

Tama's ordinary costume is much the same as ours, except that he prefers
to go barefooted. On Sundays and occasions of state he dons the black
cloth and white choker of an orthodox clergyman; but even then he avoids
boots. Only on very special occasions, such as when there is a grand
gathering at the township, or on the rare occurrence of an English
clergyman's visit, only then does Tama put on boots; even then he brings
them in his hand to the door of the place of meeting, puts them on
before entering, and takes them off with evident relief directly he
feels free to go.

Tama is about five feet ten inches in height. He is broad and square,
very muscular, and without an inch of fat on him. His body is long and
his legs short; the usual Maori characteristic. His face bears the
elaborate moku that denotes his rank, and is without hair. The hair of
his head is grizzly; but his features, the shape of his head, and the
expression of his eyes, bespeak an intelligence superior to that of many
Europeans who co