Ruatara gained his home at the next attempt.  There he laboured to civilize his countrymen, planted and harvested wheat, and kept in touch with Marsden across the Tasman Sea.  Meanwhile the latter’s official superiors discountenanced his venturesome New Zealand project.  It was not until 1814 that the Governor of New South Wales at last gave way to the chaplain’s persistent enthusiasm, and allowed him to send the brig Active to the Bay of Islands with Messrs. Hall and Kendall, lay missionaries, as the advance party of an experimental mission station.  Ruatara received them with open arms, and they returned to Sydney after a peaceful visit, bringing with them not only their enthusiastic host, but two other chiefs—­Koro Koro and Hongi, the last-named fated to become the scourge and destroyer of his race.

At last Marsden was permitted to sail to New Zealand.  With Kendall, Hall, and King, the three friendly chiefs, and some “assigned” convict servants, he reached New Zealand in December, 1814.  With characteristic courage he landed at Whangaroa, among the tribe who had massacred the crew of the unhappy Boyd.  Going on shore there, he met the notorious George, who stood to greet the strangers, surrounded by a circle of seated tribesmen, whose spears were erect in the ground.  But George, despite a swaggering and offensive manner, seems to have been amicable enough.  He rubbed noses with Hongi and Ruatara, and shook hands with Marsden, who passed on unharmed to the Bay of Islands.  There, by Ruatara’s good offices, he was enabled to preach to the assembled natives on the Sunday after arrival, being Christmas Day, from the text printed at the head of this chapter.  The Maoris heard him quietly.  Koro Koro walked up and down among the rows of listeners keeping order with his chief’s staff.  When the service ended, the congregation danced a war dance as a mark of attention to the strangers.

Marsden settled his missionaries at Rangihu, where for twelve axes he bought two hundred acres of land from a young rangatira named Turi.  The land was conveyed to the Church Missionary Society by a deed of sale.  As Turi could not write, Hongi made the ingenious suggestion that his moko, or face-tattoo, should be copied on the deed.  This was done by a native artist.  The document began as follows: 

“Know all men to whom these presents shall come, That I, Ahoodee O Gunna, King of Rangee Hoo, in the Island of New Zealand, have, in consideration of twelve axes to me in hand now paid by the Rev. Samuel Marsden, of Paramatta, in the territory of New South Wales, given, granted, bargained and sold, and by this present instrument do give, grant, bargain and sell,” etc., etc.

The deed is not only the first New Zealand conveyance, but has an interest beyond that.  It is evidence that, at any rate in 1815, a single Maori, a chief, but of inferior rank, could sell a piece of land without the specific concurrence of his fellow-tribesmen, or of the tribe’s head chief.  Five and forty years later a somewhat similar sale plunged New Zealand into long years of war.