﻿OoLENSO. 
  — 
  Ignorance 
  of 
  Ancient 
  New 
  Zealander 
  of 
  Use 
  of 
  'Projectiles. 
  US 
  

  

  commonly 
  slingers 
  and 
  areliers, 
  but 
  those 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  advanced 
  age 
  make 
  use 
  

   of 
  clubs 
  or 
  darts. 
  The 
  bows 
  are 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  club-wood 
  (casuarlna), 
  

   very 
  strong 
  and 
  elastic. 
  They 
  iDolish 
  them 
  very 
  highly, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  rub 
  

   them 
  with 
  oil 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  in 
  repair. 
  Their 
  

   arrows 
  are 
  of 
  reed, 
  near 
  four 
  feet 
  long. 
  The 
  same 
  black 
  wood 
  which 
  the. 
  

   Mallicollese 
  employ 
  for 
  the 
  point 
  is 
  likewise 
  made 
  use 
  of 
  at 
  Tanna 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  

   whole 
  point 
  which 
  is 
  frequently 
  above 
  a 
  foot 
  long, 
  is 
  jagged 
  or 
  bearded 
  on 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  sides. 
  They 
  have 
  likewise 
  arrows 
  with 
  three 
  points, 
  but 
  these 
  

   are 
  chiefly 
  intended 
  to 
  kill 
  birds 
  and 
  fish. 
  Their 
  slings 
  are 
  made 
  of 
  cocoa- 
  

   nut 
  fibres, 
  and 
  worn 
  round 
  the 
  arm 
  or 
  waist 
  ; 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  broad 
  part 
  for 
  

   the 
  reception 
  of 
  the 
  stone, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  people 
  carry 
  with 
  them 
  several 
  in 
  a 
  

   leaf. 
  The 
  darts 
  or 
  spears 
  are 
  the 
  third 
  sort 
  of 
  missile 
  weapons 
  at 
  Tanna. 
  

   They 
  are 
  commonly 
  made 
  of 
  a 
  thin, 
  knotty, 
  and 
  ill-shaped 
  stick, 
  not 
  exceed= 
  

   ing 
  half-an-inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  but 
  nine 
  or 
  ten 
  feet 
  long. 
  At 
  the 
  thickest 
  end 
  

   they 
  are 
  shaped 
  into 
  a 
  triangular 
  point, 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  inches 
  long, 
  and 
  on 
  

   each 
  corner 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  row 
  of 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  beards 
  or 
  hooks. 
  These 
  darts 
  they 
  

   throw 
  with 
  great 
  accuracy, 
  at 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  by 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  

   plaited 
  cord, 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  inches 
  long, 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  knob 
  at 
  one 
  end, 
  and 
  an 
  

   eye 
  at 
  the 
  other. 
  They 
  hold 
  the 
  dart 
  between 
  the 
  thumb 
  and 
  forefinger, 
  

   having 
  previously 
  placed 
  the 
  latter 
  in 
  the 
  eye 
  of 
  the 
  rope, 
  the 
  remaining 
  

   part 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  slung 
  round 
  the 
  dart, 
  above 
  the 
  hand, 
  and 
  forms 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  

   noose 
  round 
  it, 
  serving 
  to 
  guide 
  and 
  confine 
  the 
  dart 
  in 
  its 
  proper 
  direction, 
  

   when 
  it 
  is 
  once 
  projected. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  darts 
  thrown, 
  at 
  the 
  

   distance 
  of 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  yards, 
  into 
  a 
  stake 
  four 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  with 
  

   such 
  violence 
  that 
  the 
  jagged 
  point 
  was 
  forced 
  quite 
  through 
  it. 
  The 
  same 
  

   thing 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  their 
  arrows 
  ; 
  at 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  yards 
  distance 
  they 
  shoot 
  

   them 
  very 
  accurately 
  and 
  with 
  great 
  force 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  cautious 
  of 
  

   breaking 
  their 
  bows, 
  they 
  seldom 
  draw 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  full 
  stretch, 
  and 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  at 
  twenty-five 
  or 
  thk'ty 
  yards, 
  their 
  arrows 
  have 
  little 
  effect, 
  and 
  are 
  

   not 
  to 
  be 
  dreaded." 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  arms 
  of 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  New 
  Caledonia 
  were 
  clubs, 
  spears, 
  and 
  slings. 
  

   * 
  * 
  * 
  Their 
  s^Dears 
  are 
  fifteen 
  or 
  twenty 
  feet 
  long, 
  and 
  black. 
  They 
  

   throw 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  such 
  short 
  cords, 
  knobbed 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  and 
  

   looped 
  at 
  the 
  other, 
  as 
  are 
  usual 
  at 
  Tanna, 
  and 
  which 
  seamen 
  call 
  beckets. 
  

   Those 
  of 
  New 
  Caledonia 
  were 
  of 
  superior 
  workmanship, 
  and 
  contained 
  a 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  red 
  wool, 
  which 
  we 
  should 
  have 
  taken 
  for 
  the 
  covering 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  

   sort 
  of 
  animal, 
  if 
  we 
  had 
  not 
  formerly 
  seen 
  the 
  Vampyre 
  or 
  great 
  Indian 
  bat, 
  

   from 
  whence 
  it 
  was 
  taken. 
  Their 
  last 
  weapons 
  were 
  slings, 
  for 
  bows 
  and 
  

   arrows 
  were 
  wholly 
  unknown 
  to 
  them. 
  These 
  slings 
  consisted 
  of 
  a 
  slender 
  

   round 
  cord 
  no 
  thicker 
  than 
  a 
  pack-thread, 
  which 
  had 
  a 
  tassel 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  and 
  a 
  

   loop 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  end 
  and 
  ia 
  the 
  middle. 
  The 
  stones 
  which 
  they 
  used 
  were 
  

  

  