﻿3. 
  10 
  Transactions, 
  — 
  Miscellaneous, 
  

  

  but 
  I 
  will 
  here 
  close 
  with 
  my 
  own, 
  and 
  that 
  for 
  two 
  reasons 
  : 
  1. 
  That 
  I 
  had 
  

   early 
  travelled 
  more 
  than 
  any 
  one 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand 
  (the 
  North 
  Island), 
  

   leaving 
  few 
  spots 
  unvisited, 
  and 
  had 
  used 
  my 
  eyes 
  and 
  ears 
  in 
  so 
  travelling; 
  

   and 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  also 
  witnessed 
  their 
  manner 
  of 
  fighting 
  and 
  of 
  attack 
  ; 
  2. 
  

   That 
  it 
  was 
  our 
  custom 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  date 
  (1834-1840), 
  seeing 
  we 
  were 
  but 
  

   few 
  then 
  in 
  number 
  in 
  the 
  land, 
  and 
  could 
  not 
  possibly 
  go 
  everywhere 
  — 
  to 
  

   collect 
  young 
  Maoris 
  from 
  all 
  parts, 
  and 
  to 
  teach 
  them 
  at 
  our 
  principal 
  

   mission 
  stations 
  in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Islands, 
  and 
  then, 
  when 
  taught, 
  return 
  them 
  

   to 
  their 
  homes 
  and 
  tribes 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  Maori 
  servants 
  and 
  labourers, 
  

   amounting 
  to 
  some 
  scores, 
  or 
  hundreds, 
  were 
  from 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  

   taken 
  young 
  in 
  war 
  (of 
  whom 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  we 
  got 
  liberated 
  and 
  returned 
  

   to 
  their 
  homes), 
  and 
  from 
  them 
  I 
  had 
  often 
  their 
  vivid 
  and 
  interesting 
  

   recitals 
  of 
  those 
  battles 
  and 
  sieges, 
  with 
  every 
  miuutiffi 
  ; 
  and 
  my 
  own 
  testi- 
  

   mony 
  is 
  this 
  (the 
  same 
  indeed 
  a« 
  that 
  of 
  Cook 
  and 
  others) 
  that 
  the 
  New 
  

   Zealander 
  never 
  knew 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow, 
  nor 
  of 
  the 
  sling 
  j^jroj^er, 
  as 
  

   used, 
  for 
  instance, 
  by 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  Tahiti. 
  

  

  As 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  little 
  instrument 
  called 
  a 
  kotaha 
  (sometimes 
  a 
  kojjere, 
  

   though, 
  more 
  properly 
  speaking, 
  the 
  knpere 
  was 
  that 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  kotaha 
  

   was 
  thrown.") 
  I 
  have 
  ever 
  had 
  very 
  grave 
  doubts 
  of 
  its 
  being 
  a 
  true 
  New 
  

   Zealand 
  implement 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  endeavour 
  to 
  learn 
  something 
  about 
  it 
  (when 
  

   first 
  prosecuting 
  my 
  enquiries 
  40-45 
  years 
  ago) 
  always 
  ended 
  in 
  disappoint- 
  

   ment. 
  On 
  this 
  head 
  I 
  could 
  say 
  a 
  good 
  deal, 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  I 
  forbear. 
  

  

  Here, 
  however, 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  things 
  that 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  lost 
  sight 
  of 
  in 
  this 
  

   investigation: 
  1. 
  That 
  in 
  all 
  those 
  old 
  Maori 
  tales 
  of 
  fightings 
  and 
  battles 
  

   and 
  sieges, 
  and 
  especially 
  the 
  killing 
  of 
  monsters 
  (taniwhas, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  

   I 
  have 
  lately 
  translated),, 
  while 
  every 
  possible 
  weapon 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  

   Maori, 
  both 
  of 
  offence 
  and 
  defence, 
  including 
  even 
  walking-sticks, 
  is 
  always 
  

   carefully 
  noticed, 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  in 
  question 
  (^missiles) 
  save 
  plain 
  common 
  

   hand-spears, 
  are 
  ever 
  mentioned 
  ;* 
  and 
  yet, 
  for 
  those 
  very 
  purposes, 
  no 
  

   other 
  weapon 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  useful. 
  2. 
  That 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  old 
  New 
  

   Zealanders 
  were 
  early 
  taught 
  how 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow 
  (and, 
  no 
  

   doubt, 
  the 
  sling 
  also, 
  by 
  Tupaea 
  and 
  Taiota), 
  as 
  Parkinson 
  says, 
  so 
  were 
  

   they 
  in 
  after 
  years 
  taught 
  how 
  to 
  make 
  and 
  use 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow, 
  by 
  

   myself 
  and 
  other 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  missionaries, 
  as 
  implements 
  of 
  sport 
  for 
  the 
  

   boys, 
  both 
  of 
  the 
  mission 
  families 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  Maori 
  families 
  living 
  with 
  us, 
  

   I 
  have 
  made 
  several 
  for 
  them, 
  but 
  the 
  young 
  Maoris 
  of 
  that 
  day 
  7}ever 
  took 
  

   to 
  it, 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  its 
  not 
  being 
  a 
  national 
  weapon, 
  and 
  not 
  falling 
  in 
  

   .with 
  the 
  genius 
  of 
  the 
  Maori. 
  3. 
  That 
  from 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  this 
  century, 
  

   or 
  even 
  earlier, 
  the 
  New 
  Zealanders 
  went 
  often 
  abroad 
  in 
  ships 
  as 
  visitors, 
  

  

  * 
  And 
  even 
  these 
  darts, 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  observed, 
  are 
  not 
  sjookou 
  of 
  as 
  thrown 
  at 
  the 
  

   taniwhas. 
  

  

  