196 NEW ZEALAND CHAP, vm 



of their own ; they began with lances, which were soon taken 

 from them by an old man, apparently a chief, but they were 

 allowed to continue their battle, which they did like 

 Englishmen with their fists for some time, after which all 

 of them retired behind a little hill, so that our people did 

 not see the event of the combat. 



6th. The Indians, as yesterday, were tame. Their 

 habitations were certainly at a distance, as they had no 

 houses, but slept under the bushes. The bay where we now 

 are may be a place to which parties of them often resort for 

 the sake of shell-fish, which are here very plentiful ; indeed, 

 wherever we went, on hills or in valleys, in woods or plains, 

 we continually met with vast heaps of shells, often many 

 waggon-loads together, some appearing to be very old. 

 Wherever these were it is more than probable that parties of 

 Indians had at some time or other taken up their residence, 

 as our Indians had made such a pile about them. The 

 country in general was very barren, but the tops of the hills 

 were covered with a very large fern, the roots of which they 

 had got together in large quantities, as they said, to carry 

 away with them. We did not see any kind of cultivation. 



8th. We botanised with our usual good success, which 

 could not be doubted in a country so totally new. In the 

 evening we went to our friends the Indians that we might 

 see the method in which they slept : it was, as they had 

 told us, on the bare ground, without more shelter than a 

 few trees over their heads. The women and children were 

 placed innermost, or farthest from the sea ; the men lay in a 

 kind of semicircle round them, and on the trees close by 

 were ranged their arms, in order, so no doubt they were 

 afraid of an attack from some enemy not far off. They do 

 not acknowledge any superior king, as did all those whom 

 we had before seen, so possibly these are a set of outlaws 

 from Teratu's kingdom. Their having no cultivation or 

 houses makes it clear at least either that it is so or that this 

 is not their real habitation ; they say, however, that they 

 have houses and a fort somewhere at a distance, but do not 

 say that even there there is any cultivation. 



