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Trouble over a Lizard.—Child Murder.

I will here relate an incident which nearly got me into serious trouble, and which illustrates one phase of Maori superstition, ?Happening to, capture a large green lizard in the bush near Hartley's settlement at the Maire, I tied a string to one of its legs and drove it along in front of me, a la Paddy when taking his pig to market. Just as I reached the bank of the river with my prize I came upon two Maori women who were sunning themselves, as is their custom. They were sitting close to the track along which I was driving the lizard, and when I was close upon them they saw the creature, and at once sprang from the ground, and, uttering loud screams of horror, bolted homewards like a shot out of a gun. They both went out of their minds for several days. One of the women was so much affected by the shock that blood exuded from her ears and nose. Their husbands, together with a number of others, waited on my father within a few days of the occurrence and explained how exceedingly serious had been my unwitting offence in the eyes of the tribe. They regarded the lizard as possessed by the spirit of an ancestor, and my capture of the animal was regarded by them as a taua muru (a robbery in revenge). So seriously did they regard any interference with a lizard that the offence was punished by death. However, my father succeeded in getting the chief to use his influence on my behalf, so, finally, the matter was settled amicably without muru (plunder). They all warned me never to interfere with a lizard again.

An instance which I witnessed at this place comes to my mind, which will illustrate the barbaric character of the old Maoris. A chieftainess fell in love with one of her tribe, but he, not being of high birth, was objected to by the girl's relations, After the courtship has been in progress for several months, the old chief determined to break off the engagement by giving her to one of the men engaged on our rope-walk. I was engaged as interpreter; so one morning I, the old chief, and the girl, waited on "Jim," as we called him. I explained to him that the chief wished to know if he (Jim) wanted a wife, and if so would he take the dusky damsel then before him, who, by the way, appeared to treat the matter lightly, and laughed heartily while the bargain was being made. "Jim" said he had no objections, and then I explained to him that before the bargain was completed the old chief wanted "utu," or payment in the form of a blanket. As soon as the blanket was handed over to him, the chief said to the page 34 maiden "You must be good to my pakeha, you must not leave him, and you must do his bidding." This she readily agreed to and thus "Jim" got a wife. Some five months after "Jim's" marriage "I happened to be working near the bush, when Eats his wife, came out of the bush, having given birth to a child, which she carried in her arms. I asked her what she was carrying, and she, with a laugh, replied "I have a child," whereupon she went into the house and washed it.

Three days afterwards Tomarua, the girl's uncle, came to the house in a state of excitement, and found Eata lying on her bed with the child. "Pretty work this," said the old chief wrathfully "I am ashamed to let my pakeha keep a bastard." He then became more excited, and saying "I won't stand this," he leaped forward, and seized the child by its two hands. Eata screamed and wept, to which her uncle replied, "I warn you not to transgress." He then marched out of the house, carrying the child in one hand and flourishing his murderous tomahawk in the other. I quickly brought "Jim," my father, and other hand engaged on the rope-walk, to Tomarua, who swore he would kill the child. We begged and entreated him to spare it, and ray father offered him payment if he would give it up. But Tomarua's blood was up, and walking to a karaka tree threatened to dash on brains. We endeavoured to prevent him from committing horrible a crime, but he became still more excited, threatening us with his tomahawk, walked towards the river, and in spite of all our entreaties and efforts to frustrate his purpose he threw the child into the river, where it was drowned before eyes.

Tomarua's wife had a horror of music. The sound of a his playing or even the whistling of a tune would send her into convulsions. At such time she would present a horrible sight by the fearful contortions of her face, which would become covered with blood, which, on these occations, flowed from her eyes, ears and nose. She allowed the blood to dry, and would never wash it off because she believed it to be caused by spirits.

Among the Maoris, as among all the races of men that have ever inhabited the earth, a woman was the most frequent cause of the trouble that arose among them. I have known an [unclear: immodest] glance to cause a duel and blood-shed. I will here relate [unclear: an]incident, of which I was an eye-witness, which will illustrate the trouble which arose because a woman had deserted her husband for another man. Learning from a Native lad, with whom I was on friendly terms, that there was to be a taua for one of the high chief's wives who was living with another Maori, I resolved to accompany him and witness the proceedings. Arriving at the [unclear: pa] I saw groups of young men fully armed, and indulging in a page 35 I war-dance for the purpose of working themselves up to fighting pitch, At the conclusion of the dance the party marched in the direction of the pa, where the faithless spouse was living. This was distant about four miles, and the route lay through the dense bush. On arriving at an open plain a halt was called and the final preparations were made for the fray. All being in readiness the leader ordered the short distance, and then gave the detachment forward again for an order to charge. Immediately the party rushed forward at full speed uttering yells and screams, in the direction of the pa. When within a few paces of their antagonists the leader roared the command to halt, and [immediately the taua sank to a kneeling position on one knee, while Ahitara, the leader, sprang into the air, brandished his spear, contorted his face, and only the whites of the eyes were visible. In a tone of defiance he shouted the first words of the war-cry, whereupon all his men sprang instantly from the ground, and to the accompaniment of horrible grimaces and protruding tongues, which added to the hideousness of their Appearance, they joined their leader in the wild war-song, while they leaped and stamped so violently that I distinctly felt the ground tremble where I stood.

Then Ahitara leaped forward, like an arrow shot from a bow, and confronting the Native for whom his wife had deserted him, he shouted, "You stole my wife, the point of the spear in your throat shall be the last thing you will ever taste," and then rushed at his enemy, who had assumed a kneeling posture. Ahitara raised his spear to strike, but the kneeling warrior never flinched, not even when the lunge brought the point of his antagonist's spear under his chin. Ahitara sprang backward several paces, and then calling upon his still kneeling enemy to look his last upon earth and sunshine, he again levelled his spear at his throat and rushed forward as though to transfix him on its point. Just as it appeared that the spear would do what had surely been threatened by its owner, the point was lowered with astonishing rapidity and dexterity, and instead of entering the throat the point was buried in the Native's right shoulder, in spite of his attempt to parry the blow with his own spear.-The wound was followed by a minute stream of blood, and as blood had been drawn the strange duel was at an end.

Then a korero began. Ahitara and his wife asked for utu (payment) before he would return, and while the korero was proceeding it leaked out that the woman who was the cause of all the trouble had been hidden in the bush near at hand, immediately Ahitara's men rushed in the direction of the bush, where, after a short search, the woman was discovered to be hiding in a rata tree. On being discovered she screamed and page 36 bowled as a Maori woman can, and she was nearly torn limb from limb by the party, which succeeded in obtaining payment for the crime before it returned home.

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