page 60

Chapter VII. Moas and Maori Maidens.

Whatever misgivings we had on the subject of the disposition of the Maoris were speedily dispelled by our reception on landing. The welcome extended to us on all hands was of the most cordial and friendly description, and calculated to completely set at rest any doubt existing in our minds.

The natural curiosity of primitive minds was very strongly exhibited towards us, and crowds of dusky men pressed around us as we were being led by Te Kahu up to the village. The sex whose instincts of curiosity are generally regarded as most strongly developed were conspicuously absent. No women were seen beyond the walls of the village.

Without apprehension of danger, we followed the natives who had brought us hither up the roadway leading to the gate of the village. Te Kahu took the place of honour, and showed his desire that Gordon and I should walk with him. Proudly he stalked up towards the gateway, the other Maoris, with the rest of the party, following close at our heels. The natives who had met us showed the greatest respect to all of us, and yielded to every request made by Te Kahu and his companions as to the order of march. Their conduct and manner were marked page 61by a wonderful degree of decorum. Not once did any of them attempt to precede us in the procession towards the village.

Before we reached the wall a shout from the Maoris who were following attracted our attention. The cause of this was the approach of three large birds similar to those we had seen on the plain. We paused to scrutinise them, and were surprised at their size and appearance.

"Moas?" enquired Gordon, turning to Te Kahu. The latter nodded assent.

As they approached us these elephants of the bird species fairly filled us with astonishment; the more so when we discovered that the double-headed appearance we had seen was due to the presence of a Maori rider on the back of each bird. Perched high upon the gigantic birds as they moved towards us, and looking as if they each formed part of the two-legged steed they bestrode, sat three Maori riders. The moas submitted tamely to be guided by the riders. A peculiarly-constructed saddle formed a secure seat, and a long light pole served as a means of guiding the bird. On the end of this pole was a strong looped line, and when the rider wished to arrest the flight of his steed he slipped this loop over its head, and so curbed its progress.

Each moa was quite thirteen feet in height to the arch of the head, and its back, on which the rider sat, was fully eight feet above the ground. The action of the bird was neither graceful nor swift. It moved with long, firm, striding steps, but did not cover the ground quickly, while the motion must have made the experience of the rider not unlike what would fall to the lot of camel 2 legs to 4 legs – impossible riders. When page 62the birds came near, one of them took fright at the crowd, and made as if to run off, but the rider was evidently prepared for such an emergency, and showed us how skilled he was in the management of his bird. All the efforts of the moa to turn were met and frustrated by the firm pressure of his pole against the bird's head, and when it strove to rush forward an immediate fixing of the looped bridle brought it to a standstill. When the bird was brought well under control, and made to join the others, we saw the riders of those two slip down from their seats, and, by means of their poles and bridles, keep their steeds standing where they had alighted. The restive moa, however, seemed determined not to allow his rider an opportunity to dismount; but here again the skill and knowledge of the Maori came to his aid. Swiftly springing from his seat, he cast himself upon the neck of the bird, and brought his whole weight so much forward that the huge creature was overbalanced, and fell on its breast, upon which the Maori quickly sprang to the ground, and before the bird could make any effort to recover itself was entirely clear of it. The others being then released, all three trotted off in the direction of the enclosure set apart for them.

We learned afterwards that this unmanageable bird had frequently displayed great ill-temper, and had on one occasion attacked a man and nearly trampled him to death, that being the form of offensive and defensive battle the moa was restricted to, by reason of its want of wings and the natural sluggishness of its disposition.

These characteristics no doubt account in some measure for the almost complete extinction of this wonderful bird.

page 63

This episode had delayed our procession towards the village, for we all stood watching the evolutions of the moas and their riders.

After this we entered the village, and were conducted to the house of the chief of the tribe. This building—one of the largest in the neighbourhood—was a square edifice of strong construction, adorned with numbers of fantastic carvings and figures. In the centre of the verandah-like front stood a figure some six or eight feet high, intended to represent the chief of the tribe, but formed with such grotesqueness of execution as to be striking in its hideousness; each side of the low, narrow doorway was also adorned with the representation of a human figure— carvings which must have taken months of patient labour to execute. The chief, Ariki, accompanied by his attendants, four in number, came out of the house on hearing of our approach, and met us under the portico of the dwelling. As he spoke, all the Maoris around sat down in a squatting fashion, evidently their way of showing deference to superiors.

Te Kahu answered the chief, still retaining his sitting posture. We could not, of course, make out what was said, but when our discoverer pointed away towards the river and said something ending with the word "Wairiro," we concluded that this must be the name of the river we had descended.

Ta Kopu, the chief, now greeted us in the same way as Te Kahu had done, except that he only touched our foreheads once. When he came to Macdonald he seemed to hesitate, and then with evident repugnance completed the page 64ceremony. What this feeling portended we were at a loss to determine. Te Kahu then conducted us to a smaller house near to that of the chief, and indicated to us that this was to be our sleeping accommodation. He at the same time managed to make us understand that food would be brought to us in front of the house. From this we imagined, what we afterwards ascertained to be the fact, that the tribe were not accustomed to eat in the building under the roof of which they slept.

Gordon said he must try and discover the whereabouts of the white man who lived in the village, and addressed Te Kahu with that object. The latter understood him, and expressing his intention of bringing the pakeha, left us alone in the house (whare).

"What are the beggars likely to do with us?" broke out Richards as soon as we were left alone; "do you think we are safe with them?"

I felt that we need be under no very great apprehension, and did my best to reassure my companions. There must, however, have been a want of conviction about my manner, for more than one of them shook their heads doubtfully.

The sound of voices in front of the building then attracted our attention, and looking out, we saw that some Maori women were bearing food for us near to the entrance. The natural gallantry of our dispositions prompted Gordon and myself to go out at once, when the young women displayed a charming simplicity and coyness of manner. Lady readers will probably desire that my first recorded impressions of these damsels should be a description of their costumes, but beyond saying that there was nothing page 65immodest in its simplicity, I must defer for the present satisfying the female curiosity.

The others of our party now emerged from the whare, and the Maori maidens, after exhibiting some natural surprise and curiosity at our appearance and demeanour, proceeded to place the food before us. The order of preference somewhat amused us, and it was not until afterwards that we received the explanation I am able to give.

Lode was singled out as the first, then Gordon, following him Richards, then myself, and when it came to Macdonald's turn, the young women fairly broke out into a derisive laugh, and pointed contemptuously at the face of the Scotchman, until he became quite angry at the treatment to which they subjected him.

"Certies! what's adae wi' the lasses?" he first enquired; then, seeing that his surprise only tended to increase their merriment, he broke out—"Hoot! awa wi'ye, ye limmers; quat yer caoklin', an' tell's what ails ye?"

This proceeding towards Macdonald had a double cause. The order of precedence in the service of the food was, we soon learned, due to the different degress of nasal projection we could exhibit. Lode, who was most handsomely endowed in that respect, and had a nose of magnificent Roman proportions, was selected as the most distinguished guest, and preference was shown to each of us in proportion as we presented a prominence in that thing of beauty to the primitive mind of the dusky damsels sent to wait on us.

Macdonald, in addition to having a remarkable deficiency page 66in the nasal organ, had a compensating profusion of beard, which quite distinguished him from the others of our party. As a bearded man is an abomination to the Maori mind, these maidens could not resist the temptation to allow their hospitality to be outweighed by their contemp for the man who united in his person the positive and negative offences of a long beard and short nose. Hence their treatment of Macdonald.

Of course this reception at the hands of the women exasperated him.

"Haud yer tongues, ye glaikit gawkies, an' let a body be," he cried.

Macdonald's annoyance at their conduct only added zest to their laughter, and there is no saying to what extent his passion might have reached had not the reappearance of Te Kahu brought their merriment to a close. Accompanying Te Kahu was a little greyheaded old man, who, as soon as he saw us, rushed forward and threw his arms around my neck, with many expressions of delight.