56 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



nection with their former idolatry." (Mr. Elhs' knowledge of Tonga was 

 very slight.) 



According to Williams/'' the bow does not appear to have been used by 

 the Samoans in their numerous battles, only the sling, club, and jagged spear. 



In Fiji " the bow is sometimes used by women in hard sieges. Fiery 

 arrows are occasionally employed to burn a place into submission. The 

 shng is wielded by powerful hands. I saw a musket which had been 

 struck by a sling-stone. The barrel was considerably indented, and bent 

 nearly half an inch in its length. Another weapon much used, is the missile 

 club, which is worn, stuck in the girdle, sometimes in pau'S, like pistols. 

 It resembles the induku of the Kaffirs, a short stick with a large knob atone 

 end, either plain or ornamented. This is hurled with great precision, and 

 used formerly to be the favourite implement of assassination. "f 



Besides the extracts from Cook's Journal, already given by Mr. Colenso, 

 I think it proper to add the following. Referring to the attack by the New 

 Guinea people, in his first voyage. Cook states : — " As they ran towards us 

 the foremost threw something out of his hand, which flew on one side of 

 him, and burnt exactly like gunpowder, but made no report ; the other two 

 instantly threw their lances." A little further on Cook continues : — " All 

 this while they were shouting defiance, and letting off their fires by four or 

 five at a time. What these fires were, or for what purpose intended, we 

 could not imagine ; those who discharged them had in their hands a short 

 piece of stick, possibly a hollow cane, which they swung sideways from 

 them, and we immediately saw fire and smoke, exactly resembling those of 

 a musket, and of no longer duration. The deception was so great that the 

 people on board thought they had firearms." 



In Eastern Polynesia, Cook makes but slight mention of the bow and 

 arrow. On arriving at the Marquesas Islands he observed " a heap of stones 

 in the bow of each canoe, and every man had a sling tied round his hand." 



The conduct and aspect of the people of Savage Island caused Cook to 



give it that name. They threw stones and spears. No mention of the bow 



and arrow. At MaUicoUo (New Hebrides) Cook was fired at by the natives 



with poisoned arrows. At Erromanga he noticed that most of the people 



were armed with bows and arrows. These people also threw darts and 



stones. The people of Tanna were all armed with the bow and arrow, 



darts, spears, shngs, and stones. In the attack, when Cook himself fell, at 



Karakakora Bay, Owyhee, a dagger (paliooa) was the weapon which caused 



death, and stones the principal instruments of attack. No mention is 



made of the bow and arrow by Captain King, Cook's coadjutor. | 



* Missionary Enterprises in the South Sea Islands, p. 531. 



t Fiji and the Fijians, by Williams and Calvert, p. 44. 



\ The dagger {kris) is the national Malay weapon. 



