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her Maori relatives. He soon acquired the native tongue, and became quite a “Rangitiera nui” amongst them. Owing to his knowledge of the two tongues, he used to conduct the barter between the Sydney traders and the Natives. From them the hapu used to get supplies of slops, stores, grog, etc., and payment for these used to be generally made in kind. Jimmy used always to have a number of Natives in the bush employed at splitting posts and rails and shingles for this purpose, and others were employed in flax scraping for the same end. Jimmy was very sharp at the trading, generally getting the best of the bargain.

After living in this way for eight years, the chief thought Jimmy was getting too bumptious, and tried to take him down. A serious row ensued, and Jimmy was very nearly shot by the enraged Rangitiera. However, he managed to escape with his life, though he left one of his eyes behind him in the scrimmage, and so gained another cognomen. All his gear, however, was forfeited, and he left the pa without anything but the much damaged clothes he had on his back. It is not recorded what became of her who had left Sir George Grey’s household for his sake; but Jimmy used to hint that the eight years of connubial felicity had somewhat chilled the first glow of their mutual passion, and that there were some things that he left behind him that he regretted even more than his dusky bride. However, as Jimmy used to say, “he was not long on the broad of his back,” for a very short time after he engaged with Captain Ford, of the American whaler Eliza, with whom he remained two years. During this time the vessel was coast whaling, and as they had good luck, she was a full ship at the end of that period, and sailed for New Bedford. Walker, however, had no fancy for leaving New Zealand, so he was paid off at Russell, in the Bay of Islands, and