HOT SPRINGS OF NEW ZEALAND 105 



to their great muscular arms and bodies, form in 

 even ranks, and taunted with cowardice in panto- 

 mime by their women, commence muttering in deep 

 voices and waving their arms and twisting their 

 bodies in fierce unison, as though writhing under 

 the bitter insults : the taunting continues, the mut- 

 tering, growing louder and more ominous, becomes a 

 roar : slowly they work themselves up to a tremen- 

 dous pitch of excitement, bellowing more and more 

 threateningly, swaying and twisting with greater 

 and greater fierceness, till the onlooker becomes 

 positively terrified in spite of himself. Then sud- 

 denly with a last grand shout, they break their 

 ranks and dash headlong to meet the imaginary foe. 

 The women are no less dignified and proud of 

 bearing than the men, and exhibit a grace of move- 

 ment and litheness of body unknown in any but 

 South Sea races. Were it not for the tatooing of the 

 lips and chin after marriage, many of them would 

 be extraordinarily beautiful ; their speech, as is that 

 of the men as well, is delightful to hear, as it totally 

 lacks the harsh guttural tones of the Arab and 

 Hindu, and their language is full of folk-lore, handed 

 down from age to age, every landmark and custom 

 having its own particular myth. Some of their cus- 

 toms are very amusing, and one can scarcely repress 

 a smile to see the women saluting their friends in 



