THE DYING OUT OF THE POLYNESIAN RACES. 



247 



skill displayed by them in military engineer- 

 ing. 



A Maori pah in peaceful times is simply an 

 inclosure surrounded by a shallow ditch, in trout 

 of which is a light palisade interlaced with " sup- 

 ple-jack" vines. When prepared to stand a 

 siege these lines of defense were strengthened, 

 multiplied, and flanked with rifle-pits. Shot and 

 shell passed harmlessly through the tough, elastic 

 palisade without effecting a breach, and when 

 troops were led to the assault they were shot 

 down at close quarters by invisible enemies, shel- 

 tered in the ditch and firing through interstices 

 in the palisade. If the outer line of defense be- 

 came untenable, the defenders were able to take 

 refuge behind a second inclosure, and open a 

 murderous fire upon any assailants who might 

 have penetrated within the first. At so short a 

 range double-barreled smooth-bores, in the hands 

 of cool, determined men, proved to be most effec- 

 tive weapons, and the usual result of assaulting a 

 pah was discomfiture with heavy loss. Sooner 

 or later, from want of water or ammunition, the 

 little fortress would be evacuated by the Maoris 

 and occupied by our troops. When this occurred 

 after the repulse from the gate-pah, it was found 

 that the enemy had succored the British wound- 

 ed and supplied them with water, an incident 

 well attested, but certainly not characteristic of 

 barbarous warfare. 



The Maori is, in truth, as near an approach 

 to the ideal of a " noble savage " as has ever ex- 

 isted in modern times, and is a worthy rival of 

 the imaginary Delawares of romance : 



" . . . . His valor, shown upon our crests, 

 Hath taught us how to cherish such high deeds, 

 Even in the bosom of our adversaries." 



It would be easy to multiply authentic in- 

 stances of daring and self-devotion on the part 

 of the Maoris during the war, and difficult to give 

 any of treachery or cowardice. Upon particular 

 occasions they certaiidy were guilty of slaying 

 non-combatants ; but such acts were in accord- 

 ance with their own laws of warfare, and were 

 not regarded by them as wanton cruelty, any 

 more than the burning of a defenseless village, 

 or the bombardment of a city crowded with 

 women and children, might be so regarded by 

 certain kinds of civilized commanders. Their 

 worst enemies have not accused them of acting 

 like the Turks in Bulgaria, or even the Versaillais 

 in Paris ; and, on the whole, the Maoris can teach 

 no less than they can learn as to chivalrous usages 

 in war. 



The punctiliousness with which they give duo 

 notice of an intended outbreak or attack is almost 

 Quixotic, and tends greatly to the comfort of those 

 settlers who live on the borders of the " Kingite " 

 territory, a large tract extending from the west 

 coast into the centre of the North Island. Here 

 the natives still maintain their independence un- 

 der a king of their own, and exclude the Pakehas 

 rigorously, prohibiting the construction of roads 

 or telegraphs. Human trespassers are warned 

 off with polite firmness, cattle are driven back to 

 their owners once or twice, and finally are con- 

 fiscated. 



When I visited a friend settled upon the Up- 

 per Waikato, a somewhat uneasy feeling was 

 prevalent throughout that border district, owing 

 to the construction of a railroad near the limits 

 of the king's territory. This undertaking was 

 regarded by the Kiugites as a menace to their 

 independence, and not without reason ; for they 

 have observed that as roads, railways, and tele- 

 graphs advance, the Pakehas increase in num- 

 bers, while the Maoris diminish, and the land 

 passes gradually out of the hands of its original 

 possessors. It was apprehended that despair at 

 the prospect of this peaceful conquest of their 

 country might cause an outbreak of the inde- 

 pendent natives, and international relations were 

 in a state of considerable tension in the spring 

 (October) of 1S74. My friend's house is ou the 

 very edge of the confiscation boundary ; and as 

 the farthest outlying station in that direction was 

 completely exposed in case of an attack, I asked 

 him, as we looked across the rushing current of 

 the Waikato into what might at any moment be- 

 come a hostile country, whether he did not feel 

 any uneasiness at the prospect. 



His reply was : " None whatever as to my per- 

 sonal safety, for I shall be sure to receive two or 

 three days' warning from the Maoris, if they mean 

 to attack us. I only wish that I could feel equal- 

 ly easy about the safety of my farm." He knew 

 the natives well, and doubtless his confidence in 

 their chivalry was not misplaced, however strange 

 it may appear to border-men whose experience 

 has been acquired in other lands. While wan- 

 dering through the interior of the North Island, 

 I met not a few colonists who had associated 

 much with the Maoris, who understood their lan- 

 guage, and had many stories to tell of their gen- 

 erosity and their intelligence, above all of their 

 courage. Such stories, when told on the very 

 scene of the events, and among the actors them- 

 selves, mny be relied upon as expressing the gen- 

 uine belief and tradition of the locality, even 



