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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 13, Issue 9 (December 1, 1938)

The Robe of Love

The Robe of Love.

There was a poetic touch about the old war-hawk in his later days. Captain Gilbert Mair, one of the officers who had led the Arawa contingents in chase of him in many expeditions, and who more than once took a hasty shot at him in a bush skirmish, told me this incident of the ‘Eighties, after the General Amnesty. Te Kooti was peacefully
(Photo, Thelma R. Ken. A river scene in the Lewis Pass, South Island, New Zealand.

(Photo, Thelma R. Ken.
A river scene in the Lewis Pass, South Island, New Zealand.

page 20 page 21 touring the country addressing the Ringatu or Wairua-Tapu flocks and practising his often successful faith-healing. Mair was in Matata, on the Bay of Plenty coast, when the chief came riding in, with his bodyguard of about 30 men and a couple of his wives. Te Kooti was the guest of the Maoris in their large village. When he heard that his old antagonist was in the township he assembled his men, marched them over to the Horse Shoe Inn, where the captain was staying, and paraded his now peaceful squad in front of the place. They were armed with shotguns and a rifle or two, mostly borrowed for the occasion from the local people. He put them through a bit of drill, and when the captain appeared they presented arms.

Mair solemnly inspected the guard of honour, and then Te Kooti approached him with a fine korowai flax cloak, and placed it around his one-time enemy's shoulders.

“This garment,” he said, “is my token of regard for you, Tawa, from whom I escaped only by the breadth of the black of my finger nail” (Maori idiom for “by the skin of my teeth”). “Wear this korowai in memory of me, and if it be not large enough to cover you, let me clothe you with my love.”

So saying he gave the orders, “Tei-hana! Pai ia rewhi!” (Attention! By your left!“) and quick-marched his men back to the kainga.

“He clothed me with his aroha!” said my friend. “Pretty good for the old war-horse, that bit of sentiment, wasn't it?”

Later on in the day a messenger from the kainga came to the Horse Shoe Inn with a request from Te Kooti. Would his fighting friend the captain be good enough to send him a bottle of rum? Mair sent it, and thus did the two old warriors exchange their pledges of aroha.