The Bones of The Ngati-Moa.

“There he is, that's the big man, my ancestor!” cried the Maori. “Do not touch him, his bones are tapu. See how huge his arms and legs were! Did I not tell you truly he was a giant?”

The Judge disregarded the topu. He held up a huge bone; he shook it at Winiata. He said: “So your ancestor was a giant, was he! He was a giant right enough, but his tribe must have been called Ngati-Moa. This is the legbone of a moa! These are all moa bones.”

“E tama!” exclaimed the amazed Maori. “I thought those were the bones of a man! They were in my ancestral land, so when I found them I was sure they must be the bones of that famous warrior of our tribe.”

“And where is that mighty taiaha that your ancestor the moa used in battle?”

“My friend,” replied the disgusted Winiata, “I will explain it all to you. I was sure these were my great forefather's bones, and I thought he would be certain to have an enormous reach of arm, and therefore his fighting taiaha would be ten feet long or perhaps twelve, and his club would be large and heavy in proportion. That was only reasonable, was it not?”

The Judge agreed that it was, but suggested that Winiata would be wise to drop that ground of claim in his Court case.

“Yes,” said the Maori, “I shall say no more about it; I am angry and ashamed. But I must have revenge. I shall come in here with a packhorse next week and take all these bones and sell them to the Government. Humbug that fellow the Moa!”