W. T. L. Travers.—The Life and Times of Te Rauparaha. 31 
“ Heemskirk ” on their guard, and to direct them not to place too much trust 
upon the good intentions of their visitors. The men in the shallop were at 
once attacked by the savages, and, being without arms, three of them were 
killed, the remaining four fortunately escaping by rowing for their lives. 
Tasman intended to have taken revenge for this murderous assault, but was 
compelled to leave without doing so, in consequence of rough weather coming 
on. It is probable that the people, by whom his boat’s crew was attacked, 
belonged either to the Ngaitahu tribe—who, under the leadership of their 
ancestor Tahu, a chief of the Ngatikahungunu, crossed Cook Straits nearly 
three hundred years ago—or to the Rangitane and Ngatiapa, large numbers of 
whom also crossed Cook Straits some time before Tasman’s visit, and took 
part in the destruction of the Ngatimamoe and other tribes which had 
previously occupied the northern parts of the Middle Island ; but I am unable 
to determine this point. It is clear, however, that the number of natives then 
living in Massacre Bay was large, and that they exhibited the same fearless 
and ferocious character which led to such frequent hostile collisions with them, 
during the visits of subsequent voyagers. Our next accounts are derived from 
our own navigator, Cook, who had been directed to follow out the discoveries 
of Tasman regarding New Zealand and Van Dieman’s Land, in order to 
ascertain whether they constituted part of the then little known continent of 
Australia. In October 1769, Cook first made land at a place which he named 
Poverty Bay. He did not then know that he had fallen in with the Staaten 
Land of Tasman, and the country he had found formed the subject of much 
eager discussion amongst the voyagers, the general opinion inclining to the 
belief, that it was part of the continent of Australia. He described the 
country in the neighbourhood of his land fall as being thickly peopled, and 
- was greatly struck with the appearance of a pa, the use of which he was 
unable at the time to conceive. “Upon a small peninsula, at the north-east 
head of the bay, we could plainly see,” he says, “a pretty high and regular 
paling, which enclosed the whole top of the hill, which was the subject of much 
speculation, some supposing it to be a park for deer, others an enclosure for 
oxen and sheep.” Of course, Cook soon afterwards discovered the nature of 
these structures, which will be fully referred to in the sequel, and which had 
nothing to do either with deer, oxen, or sheep. Having landed for the 
7 
purpose of watering the ship, his people were at once attacked with spears and 
“a sort of war hatchet of green slate, capable of splitting the hardest skull 
at a blow.” Notwithstanding all his efforts to conciliate, he found it impos- 
sible to come to any amicable understanding with the natives, even though 
Tupia (hbis interpreter) assured them that no harm was intended; and 
his seamen at last only effected their retreat in safety, after killing one of their 
assailants. The next day he again endeavoured to open friendly intercourse 
