Next day the bishop went further up the river to Wherinaki, where
Laming, a pakeha Maori, resided. Laming was an Irish-Protestant who
had great influence with his tribe, which was numerous and warlike.
He was admired by the natives for his strength and courage. He was
six feet three inches in height, as nimble and spry as a cat, and as
long-winded as a coyote. His father-in-law was a famous warrior
named Lizard Skin. His religion was that of the Church of England,
and he persuaded his tribe to profess it. He told them that the
Protestant God was stronger than the Catholic God worshipped by his
fellow countryman, Poynton. In after years, when his converts made
cartridges of their Bibles and rejected Christianity, he was forced
to confess that their religion was of this world only. They prayed
that they might be brave in battle, and that their enemies might be
filled with fear.

Laming's Christian zeal did not induce him to forget the duties of
hospitality. He received the bishop as a friend, and the Europeans
round Tatura and other places came regularly to Mass. During the
first six years of the mission, twenty thousand Maoris either had
been baptised or were being prepared for baptism.

Previous to the year 1828 some flax had been brought to Sydney from
New Zealand, and manufactured into every species of cordage except
cables, and it was found to be stronger than Baltic hemp. On account
of the ferocious character of the Maoris, the Sydney Government sent
several vessels to open communication with the tribes before
permitting private individuals to embark in the trade. The ferocity
attributed to the natives was not so much a part of their personal
character as the result of their habits and beliefs. They were