CAMP FIRE YARNS 341 



dead yet in some of the remote mountain recesses, 

 though it has been for the most part abandoned in 

 favour of pigs and potatoes, of which there are great 

 quantities in New Zealand. The ancient usage of coir 

 a glaive, or the ' right of the sword/ prevailed among 

 them in all its purity and brutality. And the strongest 

 plea of possession was when the conqueror had eaten 

 his unfortunate victim. A recent lawsuit in New 

 Zealand has brought out this fact with painful but clear 

 conclusiveness . There are large tracts of land still 

 entirely possessed by the aboriginal Maoris, and in- 

 herited in the usual Maori fashion. Of course the 

 present law has abolished the ' right of cannibalism/ 

 but has naturally no retrospective effect. .Well, lately 

 there has been a dispute about boundaries and the 

 legal possession of property between two Maori 

 magnates. The possession in dispute did really belong 

 to the complainant's father. During a certain event 

 in question he cross-examined the defendant, and one 

 of his questions was, ' And where was my father then? ' 

 The defendant drew himself up and haughtily replied, 

 ' Well, I don't know where the whole of him was, but 

 a good portion of him was inside here I ' proudly per- 

 cussing his stomach with his fingers. As there was 

 sufficient evidence that the defendant had really eaten 

 the complainant's father there was nothing more to 

 be said, and the poor complainant lost his father and 

 also his case, for the man who had eaten his father had 

 every claim to all his heritage. Nay more, according 

 to some cannibal nations, including perhaps the Maoris, 

 a man who is eaten perishes there and then, without 

 any chance whatever of reaching the * happy hunting 



K grounds ' ; and I think that the Maori complainant 

 hould have left his case alone," 



