﻿Baestow. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Maori 
  Canoe. 
  7S 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  step 
  was 
  to 
  consult 
  the 
  Tolmnga 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  day 
  for 
  commencing 
  

   the 
  faUiug 
  ; 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  moon 
  must 
  be 
  considered 
  ; 
  an 
  inauspicious 
  day 
  

   for 
  beginning 
  would 
  surely 
  cause 
  the 
  canoe 
  to 
  capsize 
  — 
  the 
  taua 
  or 
  war- 
  

   party 
  using 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  defeated, 
  or, 
  if 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  waka-taua, 
  no 
  fish 
  would 
  be 
  

   caught 
  therefrom. 
  

  

  When 
  stone-axes 
  and 
  fire 
  were 
  the 
  only 
  means 
  of 
  falling 
  the 
  tree, 
  the 
  

   task 
  of 
  bringing 
  down 
  a 
  totara 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  feet 
  through 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  

   tedious 
  ; 
  the 
  first 
  iron 
  hatchets 
  used 
  were 
  those 
  procured 
  from 
  Captain 
  

   Cook, 
  and 
  those 
  obtained 
  at 
  Manawaora 
  a 
  century 
  ago, 
  when 
  Marion's 
  crew 
  

   were 
  ashore 
  and 
  slaughtered, 
  whilst 
  getting 
  out 
  a 
  spar 
  ; 
  probably 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  

   till 
  thirty 
  years 
  later 
  that 
  iron- 
  axes 
  became 
  sufficiently 
  abundant 
  to 
  super- 
  

   sede 
  those 
  of 
  stone 
  entirely. 
  Some 
  care 
  was 
  needed 
  that 
  the 
  tree 
  in 
  falling 
  

   should 
  not 
  be 
  broken 
  nor 
  shaken 
  ; 
  an 
  accident 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  

   uncommon, 
  and 
  many 
  fine 
  spars 
  are 
  now 
  lost 
  in 
  this 
  way. 
  The 
  destruction 
  

   of 
  a 
  specially 
  large 
  tree, 
  after 
  the 
  labour 
  of 
  falling 
  had 
  been 
  incurred, 
  must 
  

   indeed 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  calamity. 
  

  

  Though 
  when 
  an 
  outlying 
  tree 
  of 
  sufficient 
  scantling 
  could 
  be 
  found, 
  it 
  

   was 
  preferred 
  to 
  one 
  forest-grown, 
  as 
  our 
  shipwrights 
  considered 
  hedge- 
  

   grown 
  better 
  than 
  plantation 
  oak 
  ; 
  yet, 
  in 
  most 
  instances, 
  the 
  totara 
  or 
  

   Jcanri 
  tree 
  stood 
  in 
  a 
  forest 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  sea-shore, 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  from 
  

   anahingas 
  or 
  cultivations 
  that 
  relays 
  of 
  women 
  were 
  needed 
  to 
  carry 
  up 
  

   provisions 
  for 
  the 
  workpeople 
  ; 
  a 
  road 
  for 
  hauling 
  out 
  by 
  would 
  also 
  require 
  

   preparing 
  ; 
  secrecy, 
  too, 
  was 
  often 
  needed, 
  for 
  a 
  hostile 
  tribe 
  would 
  be 
  only 
  

   too 
  glad 
  either 
  to 
  attack 
  the 
  j^a 
  weakened 
  by 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  its 
  

   men, 
  or 
  to 
  surround 
  and 
  cut 
  off 
  the 
  party 
  while 
  engaged 
  at 
  work. 
  

  

  At 
  last, 
  however, 
  incessant 
  labour 
  has 
  fallen 
  the 
  tree, 
  cross-cut 
  the 
  log, 
  

   and 
  dubbed 
  down 
  the 
  outside 
  to 
  somewhat 
  near 
  its 
  destined 
  shape, 
  and 
  fire 
  

   and 
  adze 
  have 
  partially 
  hollowed 
  out 
  the 
  riu, 
  or 
  hold, 
  dry 
  rewarewa 
  wood 
  

   being 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  charring 
  ; 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  excavating 
  done 
  at 
  this 
  stage 
  

   depending 
  upon 
  the 
  distance 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  canoe 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  hauled 
  and 
  the 
  

   danger 
  of 
  its 
  splitting 
  on 
  its 
  journey. 
  In 
  peaceable 
  times 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  

   feast, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  friendly 
  neighbouring 
  2^as 
  contribute 
  hands 
  to 
  haul 
  out, 
  

   by 
  dint 
  of 
  akas, 
  or 
  vines, 
  over 
  rollers 
  or 
  skids, 
  the 
  still 
  weighty 
  mass. 
  The 
  

   workmen 
  pull 
  together 
  over 
  the 
  steeps 
  to 
  the 
  songs 
  of 
  the 
  women. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  always 
  fated 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  water. 
  At 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  Wairere 
  Hill, 
  

   in 
  Whangaroa 
  Harbour, 
  there 
  lay, 
  some 
  years 
  ago, 
  the 
  two 
  sides 
  of 
  a 
  mighty 
  

   canoe 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  fashioned 
  on 
  the 
  elevated 
  plateau 
  above 
  the 
  bay. 
  

   Whilst 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  some 
  thirty 
  slaves 
  were 
  engaged 
  in 
  lowering 
  it 
  down 
  the 
  

   steep 
  hill-side, 
  a 
  vine 
  broke, 
  the 
  canoe 
  rushed 
  headlong 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  and 
  

   split 
  from 
  end 
  to 
  end 
  ; 
  a 
  cry 
  of 
  despair 
  from 
  the 
  awe-stricken 
  slaves 
  brought 
  

   their 
  rangatiras 
  to 
  the 
  spot, 
  and 
  instant 
  death 
  was 
  the 
  punishment 
  meted 
  

   out 
  to 
  the 
  imlucky 
  slaves 
  for 
  their 
  neglect 
  or 
  misfortune, 
  

  

  