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Dickey Barrett: with his ancient mariners and much more ancient cannon! At the siege of Moturoa: Being a realistic story of the rough old times in New Zealand, among the turbulent Maoris, and the adventurous whalers, ere settlement took place.

Chapter XVI. Two Single Combats

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Chapter XVI. Two Single Combats.

Waitanui, unexpectedly, did not put in appearance next morning, but on that of the one following, towards midday, he sat down on the shore-bank of Moturoa, just a few chains under Ngamotu. pah, on the hill above, with a force variously computed to consist of between three and four thousand men. Then, in a surprisingly brief space of time, that is, judging the sort of rude tools-wooden scoops and flax baskets ? -which, necessarily, were used, surrounded his force with a formidable entrenehment, as if that he meant a prolonged occupancy. Quietness reigned on the completion of these fortifying works for about a week. Then, one morning there were observed from the big permanent warpah, some unusual stir going on, “some portentous movement-like in the wind.” By and by, there were readily perceived from the same point of observation, three, which were supposed to be chiefs, emanate slowly from the enceinte and make their way upwards in the direction of the pah wherein crowds of observers lined the parapets. These supposed chiefs make, suddenly, a halt, when within bailing distance of the Ngatiawas who were inside the pah, and all of them in faultless concord, as though they had, in fact, for awhile been practising something of the kind, cry out, loudly, “Haere unai! Haere unai !” -I No sooner does this doughty trio of gladiators become aware that their call has been noticed within the precincts of the lofty palisading, than they set up an altogether indescribable roar-an altogether unapproachable vociferation -followed by the most grotesque and hideous-looking, mocking contortions that ever entered into the head of man to execute or that possibly could be conceived. They wriggle and writhe their bodies together out of human semblance. First their trunks, heads and limbs are swayed rigidly, not unlike to huge paste-board puppets drawn by strings. Then they squirm their trunks rapidly, with their limbs closed, suggestive of agitated anacondas. Little of their dark, tattooed faces are seen, saving what is shown by prodigiously expanded eye-lids, nostrils, and mouths. They then walk around each other in a circumsscribed form, brandishing and flourishing defiantly aloft, their weapons in the air. They halt, once more facing their intended exasperated foe, mocking page 97 them for rank cowardice, in the most filthy-sooth, in the most degradative terms. As soon as they have, apparently, exhausted their copious vocabulary of stinging expletives, they sink together upon their knees, displaying in every detail the modus operandi in which they would sever them, the Ngatiawa, limb from limb, joint from joint, cartilage from cartilage, erc that they, the Ngatiawa, had basked for very many more days their cowardly carcases in the sun! They started up, erect upon their feet again and trilled forth contemptnous brava lo, in a sort of canzonet. At length they challenge any to single combat, that is any who may yet haves a heart left them bigger than what's contained within a tui's tiny ribs.

“No: Just as I thought,” speaks derisively, with a loud voice, so as to be distinctly heard, the grossest of the challengers, standing inches over six feet high “They are now,” said he, “so utterly subdued and crest-fallen that, even as little as the abrupt hum of a blow-fly, would make them to pale, shake, and quiver from heel to crown.”

A voice, as the last derisive sentence was uttered, came from an elevation within the enclosure, saying, “Stay, you dreaming, devouring mud-rats. I come ! I come singly! yea, to fight singly, with who-ever you may select to try on force with me. Two out of the three then retire, leaving the most herculean to wait upon the acceptor's approach.”

A stiff young fellow, of the tribe of Taranaki, named Roho, speedily comes up close, face to face with the modern Goliath. Without much loss of time about preliminaries, they close in deadly conflict, and albeit, unequally weighted as they are, the fight continues long with undetermined result. But, alas! alas! O, ill-fated youth! his right foot somehow slips from under him-supposed to have been through some sea pulse on the ground. In a trice, his severed head is held up in haughty, insolent triumph by his stalwart adversary, and tremendously deafening cheers at once burst forth from the exultant Waikato host in the encampment underneath. Ngamotu, however, on the hill above, continues to be almost death-like still. The poignant emotions therein can at best but be imagined—never described.

Casually, had there been, at this time, any intelligent spectators of this mortal combat about, whatever may have been their nicety of refinement, could not, even if they would, have resisted admiring the forms -while undistorted-which acted upon this neutral ground. Saving a narrow girdle of roughly textiled flax fixed tightly around their loins, they were otherwise entirely naked, But, lo! what may be judged somewhat odd to aver, this sparcity of garb immeasurably added to rather than detracted from the eminently imposing appearance of the combatants, with their manifestly well-curved outlines of person. Hah! boast as we may over the immense superiority in habiliments and what not which civilisation imparts, this much, for a dead certainty, it does not do-render more noble-like-more truly imposing, that of the mould of the representatives of humanity! A sound, well-nourished frame-drapery, page 98 with all that may be said in its favour, somehow, obviously distigures! This idea is not a new one, but as old as the hills themselves-remarked upon by earliest writers. It is not in all cases to be put down as sound wisdom, that of perpetuating an unjustifiable and too often mawkish delieacy, especially when such shuts out beneficial radiations. The most of mankind are too prone passively to act as votaries of in herited custom, without asking the pertinent question is this or is that conducive to benefit? is this or is that profitable, or is it detrimental?. in this respect being as children who cover the eyes with be l-covering to preserve the vision from having a glimpse of the vivid flash, we place an ombre of conventionalism before us to prevent our mental sight from seeing the absurdities of fashion ! Notably, after all is said and done, the vesture which lessens the least the natural graceful contour of the frame, is that which undulatingly and loosely sweeps.

Whether it was that immediately after the above-described set-to the Waikato were merely resting on their freshly acquired laurels or, restrained by the oracular findings of their priests, be it as it might, there were no active proceedings taken for four days after their champion's complete and decisive victory. On the fifth day, however, there issued out of their entrenchments, the very same three chal engers as those who, on the former occasion, issued out, to go through once more the like aggravating preamble as of that they had previously done, with this additional reminder of how soon they had made frigid pulp and small bones of their, the Ngatiawas', former formidable warrior, and how they were still quite prepared to serve as many as could be brought against them-it was all one to them how many-in precisely the same manner. Most certainly Kaha [meaning strength] the name of their Fatricole, owing to his vast longitudinal and latitudinal proportions, was, by himself, quite sufficient to intimidate even the stoutest hearts, and taking into consideration the length of time in which these three provocators were unmolestedly permitted to continue their inciting language and [gap — reason: unclear], it looked, indeed, extremely like as if none inside Ngamotu war-pah had had now the courage to take anyone of them up. No; it seemed that even not one of those redoubtables who spoke so mightily grand and arrogant at the feast were plucky enough, for all their swagger at that time, to measure arms now with Kaha ! where now was Waiwara, from Waitara? “with the swift foot and the far-reaching eye!” Where also was Perokepo, of Tataramaka? “who was going to turn, aside the whale! And where, likewise, was Ranea, of Te Hua, “with his protecting arm?” Bah! “Not one of these specious, grandiloquent talkers showed over their works so much, indeed, as even the tips of their fantastically ingrained noses. Their courage, when the hour of trial came, must now have all evaporated-must now have all clean gone! An article with them, by the way, evidently as unreliable as the humours of a shrew! God of War! Craven crew! Were they actually then going to allow the Waikato to return again to their entrenelent and brand them, the Ngatiawa, for ever and a day with the infamy of page 99 being dastardly frightened dogs-spiritless poltroons? Was there not a single spirit among the hundreds of the beleaguered force which the palisadings enclosed who could rise, dauntlessly, against such a durable, mortifying reproach? Wait a little: judge not impatiently: there is one of them which the aggravating words of the Waikato have cut up more than he can very well endure-one who is now saying to himself.

“Ten thousand deaths before such insufferable, such ignominious dis-honour ! before such a signal crush to all hope! Come death! Come glory for either now I throw!”

“I come! I come! to avenge my tribe!” Such declaration was made in a high octave voice, and emanated from a slight but well-knit figure standing upon a platform overlooking the fence nearest the Waikato; and ere numbers up to fifty could be consecutively repeated, around came Whara Pori upon the fighting arena! “You are whom I chose to deal with,” said Whara, the Taranaki, to Kaha, the Waikato. “Go: bid the others retire!”

Lo! now observe the marked disparity between these two aspirants for such honour and fame as may be got from the shedding of generic blood! The one seems as if he were barely ten stone in weight, and the other as if as much as even seventeen stone should not raise on the beam his portly, muscular body! the one showing a compact, lithe. nervous temperament, and the other almost totally under sanguine control. “Pori,” it may be put, “is it commendable though on your part this extremely hazardous step? You, the acknowledged Commander-in-Chief of all the Taranaki tribe, to risk so much—in fine, to risk all! on this single issue?” Well; all that can now be said is that the die is cast. You are now in a position intensely critical, which, out from, unless as vanquisher, you can never, never expect to come! See to it. Pori, that that short tomahawk that you now hold between your bare skin and fillet is ready to your hand. See to it also now, that that short club you now heedlessly-like grasp in your hand, at the supreme moment has no relaxing grasp. The stake, indeed, is heavy!

Pori walks with stately, measured tread up to Kaha, as a slight young spark might walk up to his sire to display himself in some new rig-out. When about ten paces distant he calmly gives his bulky adversary a designedly sarcastic salute. This serves Pori's purpose well, as, forthwith, it enrages the fervent giant, making him raise his massive, tattooed arms as if he meant to sink his puny adversary with one blow of his heavy weapon, like a stake right through the surface of the ground! Pori, as agile as a duck diving for a sprat, swiftly inflects his frame beneath the giant's uplifted swinging arms, and, also, inside the point of the giant's lengthy weapon too-then delivers with freedom his own much-advocated “Knee-cap blow!” Kaha reels and topples a bit, and tries hard to recover himself, but, sharp as a famished tiger upon its prey, Pori springs upon him, and down prone the portly braggart falls! Then, like a lightning-flash, the Taranaki chief wrests his short weapon from his side, and, with wondrous celerity cleaves it inches page 100 deep in the carotids of his cumbersome, hated foe! He, Pori, offers no further violence. Like a brave man he exults none over his fallen foe. Kaha is already as inanimate as the ground which supports his huge frame. Pori quietly leaves unmolested the dead Titan upon the earth on which he fell, and then unconcernedly takes his way in the direction in which be came.

They clamoured loudly to receive Pori inside the pale, with jubilant acclamations. Pori told them he would have none of it. “Was he a child did they think to crow and brag at the starting of a game or at mere babbles ?” All that he wished was for the tribe to profit from what their eyes had seen, to learn that strength was not all which was wanted in battle, but good judgment along with it to know how and when a thing should be done, and how and when it likewise should be let alone.

After this almost unprecedented feat of Pori's, unaccountably, the Waikato sat sullenly in their entrenched position at Moturoa for the greater portion of five weeks, making no demonstration of activity perceptible beyond, now and then, desultory foraging round about in quest of food. To effect such an indispensable duty, a small party of their number had the temerity to swim to Mikotahi and Moturoa islands. They had nothing for their pains, however, as, no sooner did they attempt to place feet on either of these places than they were forcibly pushed-reeling back into the water, by the occupants thereon using long-shafted and sharp-pointed iron-wood prongs, prepared for such a contingency. Jack Wright, the whaler longest on the station, in charge of the antiquated ordnance upon Mikotahi, quite unauthorized, be it stated, discharged the old, rusty carronade at them, by way of a parting salute, sinking, it is said, several swimmers lifeless in the flood. Jack, noting with great gusto and gratification his gunnery success, loaded again with all the despatch possible and repeated its discharge at a few picking up shellfish at low water. However, Jack, despite of his immortal service, was desired to resist his inborn proclivity for unrequisite zeal.

“Lo! What's up now?” was the exclamation of the defenders as soon as the dawn one morning enabled them to peer at the enemies' position. Not a 'soul in all their entrenchments could be seen: no; nor the faintest sound from even a dog's bark All as still as a grave-yard at midnight! Speculation at this ran rife. However, the general idea entertained was that they had been starved out, and that they had given up the game in utter despair, and were now on their way again to their own native haunts. They, the Ngatiawa, should now be at liberty to go to oturoa and see what odds and ends, as trophies, they could pick up. Infatuated fools! They were just on the very eve of rushing in mas to put into execution their much too husty resolves-to repeat what had been done before Pukerangioro, when, who should they accidentally descry rushing to the position where they were, running as for her very life, sadly out of breath, but Te Puki's daughter—Rawhinia-with her long, raven locks dancing about her face with the wind!

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“Rawhinia! Rawhinia! What is it? Speak, daughter of mine,” called out her, naturally, much-agitated father.

Rawhinia staid not until that once she was close under the palisading, where she could be more distinctly heard, and, in broken accents-her most beautiful, white, pearly teeth chattering with unrecovered breath-told them that the Waikato continued still nigh, in ambush, on the back of the hills beyond! “Ere the moon left the sky,” the intrepid girl related, “had been wakeful, and, to court sleep, I thought I should do best by taking a little fresh air and exercise. I commenced to climb, step by step, till, much to my surprise, the top of the rock was reached ere I had given how far I meant to go consideration. Casting my eyes towards the northern beach, towards Waitara, a crowd of dogs plainly I saw were dragged in that direction. I turned around towards the Mountain, and lo! indistinctly saw next, moving bodies beyond the ridges of yonder low-lying hills! E matau ana ranei koe ki te tikanga O tenei? [Do you understand the meaning of this?”] uttered the agitated maiden, and was making to take her departure.

“Come round and get inside the pah,” invited her sire.

“No, no; I may not join you just now. Although I swam to land, Mr. Barrett will, perhaps, take me back again in his light boat.”

Away Rawhinia sped towards the beach again, and left the whole tribe almost paralysed with mystery! with what had just come to their ears.