﻿CoLE^so. 
  ~T(/)wrance 
  of 
  Ancient 
  New 
  Zealanderof 
  Use 
  nf 
  Projectiles. 
  107 
  

  

  monly 
  used 
  as 
  weapons 
  of 
  attack 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  Sea 
  Islands, 
  which 
  Cook 
  and 
  

   his 
  companions 
  had 
  but 
  lately 
  left. 
  While 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow, 
  

   for 
  sport, 
  was 
  also 
  known 
  to 
  some.of 
  those 
  islanders. 
  

  

  Captain 
  Walhs, 
  who 
  discovered 
  Tahiti 
  in 
  1767 
  (two 
  years 
  before 
  Cook 
  

   first 
  visited 
  it 
  and 
  New 
  Zealand), 
  was 
  fiercely 
  attacked 
  by 
  the 
  Tahitians, 
  who 
  

   surrounded 
  his 
  ship 
  with 
  " 
  a 
  fleet 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  300 
  canoes, 
  carrying 
  2,000 
  

   men." 
  On 
  that 
  occasion 
  (when 
  WalHs 
  was 
  in 
  danger, 
  and 
  only 
  saved 
  by 
  

   his 
  big 
  guns), 
  the 
  islanders 
  commonly 
  used 
  powerful 
  slings, 
  with 
  which 
  

   they 
  did 
  some 
  execution 
  even 
  in 
  a 
  ship 
  of 
  war. 
  Captain 
  Wallis 
  says 
  :— 
  

   " 
  The 
  canoes 
  pulled 
  towards 
  the 
  ship's 
  stern, 
  and 
  began 
  again 
  to 
  throw 
  stones 
  

   with 
  great 
  force 
  and 
  dexterity, 
  by 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  slings, 
  from 
  a 
  considerable 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  ; 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  stones 
  weighed 
  about 
  21bs., 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  

   wounded 
  the 
  people 
  on 
  board, 
  who 
  would 
  have 
  suffered 
  much 
  more 
  if 
  an 
  

   awning 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  spread 
  over 
  the 
  whole 
  deck 
  to 
  keep 
  out 
  the 
  sun, 
  and 
  

   the 
  hammocks 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  nettings." 
  Their 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  however, 
  

   they 
  did 
  not 
  use 
  on 
  that 
  occasion 
  during 
  the 
  fight. 
  Further 
  on 
  Captain 
  

   Walhs 
  adds 
  :— 
  " 
  Their 
  principal 
  weapons 
  are 
  stones, 
  thrown 
  either 
  with 
  the 
  

   hand 
  or 
  shng, 
  and 
  bludgeons 
  ; 
  for 
  though 
  they 
  have 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  the 
  

   arrows 
  are 
  only 
  fit 
  to 
  knock 
  down 
  a 
  bird, 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  pointed, 
  but 
  

   headed 
  only 
  with 
  a 
  round 
  stone. 
  "''= 
  

  

  Sydney 
  Parkinson, 
  who 
  was 
  with 
  Cook 
  on 
  his 
  first 
  voyage, 
  gives 
  a 
  

   drawing 
  of 
  the 
  Tahitian 
  sling 
  (PL 
  13, 
  fig. 
  1), 
  and 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  it. 
  He 
  

   says 
  :— 
  " 
  Their 
  sling 
  is 
  about 
  four 
  feet 
  long, 
  made 
  of 
  plaited 
  twine, 
  formed 
  

   from 
  the 
  fibres 
  of 
  the 
  bark 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  ; 
  the 
  part 
  which 
  holds 
  the 
  stone 
  is 
  

   woven 
  very 
  close, 
  and 
  looks 
  hke 
  cloth, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  string 
  gradually 
  

   tapers 
  to 
  a 
  point. 
  "f 
  

  

  Captain 
  Cook, 
  in 
  1769, 
  thus 
  speaks 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow 
  by 
  

   those 
  Tahitians 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  Their 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  mentioned 
  before, 
  

   nor 
  were 
  they 
  often 
  brought 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  fort. 
  This 
  day, 
  however, 
  Tupurahi 
  

   Tamaiti 
  brought 
  down 
  his, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  a 
  challenge 
  he 
  had 
  received 
  

   from 
  Mr. 
  Gore. 
  The 
  chief 
  supposed 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  try 
  who 
  could 
  send 
  the 
  

   arrow 
  farthest 
  ; 
  Mr, 
  Gore, 
  who 
  best 
  could 
  hit 
  a 
  mark, 
  and 
  as 
  Mr. 
  Gore 
  did 
  

   not 
  value 
  himself 
  upon 
  shooting 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  distance, 
  nor 
  the 
  chief 
  upon 
  

   hitting 
  a 
  mark, 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  trial 
  of 
  skill 
  between 
  them. 
  Tupurahi, 
  

   however, 
  to 
  show 
  us 
  what 
  he 
  could 
  do, 
  drew 
  his 
  bow 
  and 
  sent 
  an 
  arrow, 
  

   none 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  feathered, 
  274 
  yards, 
  which 
  is 
  something 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  

   seventh 
  and 
  something 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  sixth 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  mile. 
  Their 
  manner 
  of 
  

   shooting 
  is 
  somewhat 
  singular; 
  they 
  kneel 
  down, 
  and 
  the 
  moment 
  the 
  

   arrow 
  is 
  discharged 
  drop 
  the 
  bow."| 
  

  

  * 
  Waliis's 
  Voyage 
  ; 
  Cook's 
  Voyages, 
  Vol, 
  I., 
  pp. 
  444-448. 
  

   t 
  Journal, 
  p. 
  75. 
  + 
  Cook's 
  Voyages, 
  Vol. 
  II., 
  p. 
  147. 
  

  

  