Ahsurd siispiciom of the Natives. 149 



their faces and hands beautifully tattooed ; the women on 

 the lip only, and the younger generation were not tattooed 

 at all. After the customary salutation of " Tenakoe, Tena- 

 koe " (which in fact means literally nothing more than 

 ^'Here you are," or ''I recognize you"), they were little 

 communicative, and showed little disposition to enter into 

 closer conversation with the foreigners, although some of 

 our companions spoke their language fluently. As our 

 instructions were to ship on board the Novara any hand- 

 somely tattooed natives who should of their own free will 

 wish to enter our marine, we let slip no opportunity, and 

 accordingly endeavoured to induce some of the natives we 

 now saw to ship with us. However, they could not be 

 persuaded to make a cruise with us to see other lands and 

 nations, as they could not comprehend what motive Aust- 

 rian voyagers could have in inviting the natives of such a 

 distant quarter of the globe to join them on such favour- 

 able terms. Their chief hesitation arose in the idea which 

 they, the offspring of cannibals, firmly believed, that we wish- 

 ed to take some of their companions with us instead of fresh 

 provisions, with the ultimate intent, so soon as we ran out 

 of victuals, to put them to death, and banquet on Maori 

 flesh ! Thereupon we showed them some Cafires who had 

 been 15 months on board, and were perfectly well treated. 

 ''Who knows," replied one of the most cautious of the 

 Maori, " very possibly the Caffres have only been spared 



