"'Shall we be slaves, or shall we unite and march against the pakeha?'"
A thousand voices shouted till the echoes by the lake shore rang again with cries as of one man—
"Akore, akore, akore!"
"If we are not willing to be slaves, shall the tribes, the Waikato and the Ngatiawa, join together and drive the pakeha into the sea from whence he came?"
Then one more deep-drawn shout of assent resounded through the still night-air.
"You see what the feeling is," said Warwick, turning as he spoke. "Look yonder, and behold the fire on Tongariro!"
Massinger swung round, and, to his great surprise, saw amidst a cloud of steam, high up on the mountain, a red band of fire, which seemed to encircle the upper portion of the cinder-cone which formed so remarkable an addition to the summit. A fresh volume of steam rose pillar-like from the crater, while from time to time angry bursts of flame issued from the top and sides of the cone.
"A very grand sight," he said; "but what is there to create such a disturbance? It is surely not an unusual occurrence in this land of imprisoned fires? Is that the meaning of all this outcry?"
"That, and nothing else," replied the guide; "but it is by no means an ordinary occurrence. It is now many years since such a thing has taken place. But all the excitement arises out of an old superstition."
"And what may that be?"