248 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.— SUPPLEMENT. 



should there be inaccuracy or exaggeration as to 

 details. 



It must be recollected that it is not a Maori, 

 but a Pakeha, who tells the story of Orakau, 

 where three hundred warriors displayed the spirit 

 of Leonidas, but experienced better luck. They 

 were surrounded by an overwhelming force of 

 British troops, and honorable terms of capitula- 

 tion were offered, but the unanimous reply came 

 back, " We will never surrender." A desperate 

 sortie from the pah resulted, to the astonishment 

 of all concerned, in the escape of most of the 

 Maoris, after cutting their way through the hos- 

 tile ranks. One warrior, who carried a child in 

 a basket strapped to his forehead, was shot dead 

 during the fight. A comrade stooped down, cool- 

 ly unfastened the basket amid a show r er of bullets, 

 and carried off the child in safety, not without a 

 cheer from some of the soldiers who witnessed 

 the gallant deed. 



The same courage and skill which were so 

 freely displayed against us during the Maori 

 wars, were also found among those natives who 

 fought on our side, and the officers of the Maori 

 contingent had good reason to be proud of their 

 men. Without them, indeed, peace would have 

 been hard to establish, and a hearty union of all 

 the native tribes might have taxed the resources 

 of the British Empire. Fortunately for us, cer- 

 tain tribes have always been our zealous allies, 

 and the colony still employs the services of a 

 fine body, well armed and disciplined, and known 

 as the Native Constabulary. An officer of this 

 force described to me, with just pride, how his 

 men, at the siege of a formidable pah, went to 

 work -with a couple of spades and a few pointed 

 sticks, fairly sapping their way into the place, 

 without any assistance from engineers or artil- 

 lery. 



When the electric telegraph was in process of 

 construction through the centre of the North Isl- 

 and, near Orakeikorako, the natives, who consid- 

 ered that the authorities had not kept faith with 

 them, iniimated that the telegraph could not be 

 permitted to stand, and proceeded, after due no- 

 tice, to cut down the posts. These were reelect- 

 ed, and again cut down, after which an armed 

 force was sent up to overawe the natives. An 

 eye-witness described to me the interview which 

 took place between the officer in command and 

 the Maori envoy. On a very rainy day a naked 

 warrior marched into the camp, and asked to see 

 the officer commanding the troops. He was re- 

 ceived with as great a display of force as pos- 

 sible, many " Queenite " natives being present ; 



but he was equal to the occasion, and, standing 

 alone among angry foes, he had an apt reply for 

 every one in turn. He told the Queenites that 

 he could estimate the exact value of their at- 

 tachment to the British queen : it was just equal 

 to a salary of six shillings a day, the amount of 

 pay which they were then receiving. To the 

 officer, who asserted that the authorities had al- 

 ways kept faith, he politely replied that such no 

 doubt was the experience of the rangatira (chief 

 or gentleman) who had just spoken, but that his 

 own experience had hitherto been very different. 

 In conclusion, he said : " I and my people desire 

 no quarrel with the government, but a certain 

 payment has been promised to us for the ground 

 on which the telegraph stands, and we insist on 

 that payment being made. If this is not done 

 we will cut down the telegraph-posts, if we are 

 attacked we will fight, and not a post shall be 

 erected while one of us remains alive." They 

 were paid. 



It is true that the colonial government, as a 

 rule, has treated the Maoris with remarkable 

 fairness and consideration, but much of this has 

 been due to their being so well able to take their 

 own part if treated otherwise. The elements 

 still exist in the country for one more Maori war, 

 but there is every reason now to hope that this 

 will be altogether averted by a just and concilia- 

 tory policy on the part of the New Zealand Gov- 

 ernment. 



The " Queenite " natives, so called as being 

 loyal subjects of Queen Victoria, in contradis- 

 tinction to the adherents of the Maori king, are 

 steadily developing into useful citizens ; they cul- 

 tivate the soil, pay taxes, serve in the constabu- 

 lary, and take their share in public affairs as 

 electors and as representatives. 1 Many of those 

 who are so peaceful and law-abiding fought des- 

 perately against our troops while the war lasted. 

 A stout foe can be a firm friend, and a conspicu- 

 ous example is the gallant chief Paurini of To- 

 kanu. No Maori enjoys more thoroughly the 

 confidence and friendship of his white fellow-citi- 

 zens, and no Maori can give a warmer welcome 

 to a white stranger; but the stalwart figure, 

 which his sole garment, a tartan kilt, exhibits to 

 no small advantage, is literally riddled with the 

 bullets of the Takeha. 



As for the "Kingites," it will not be possible 

 for them within their limited territory to main- 

 tain much longer their present policy of isolation^ 

 and the only doubt is whether the collapse of the 



1 There are now two Maoris in the Legislative Coun- 

 cil, and four in the House of Representatives. 



