IN NEW ZEALAND. 
123 
whence a sweeping fire may be kept up, to the 
great annoyance and destruction of the besiegers. 
The outer fence is much more fragile in its mate- 
rials, but firmly tied ; and is intended to keep the 
enemy in play, and from making a hasty breach 
in the inner wall ; besides which, it materially 
breaks the force of the fire, and shields the be- 
sieged whilst taking aim from within. Should 
the outer bulwarks be taken, which could only be 
accomplished by means of hatchets, there would 
still remain the inner and more secure ones to be 
mastered ; which, as it could not be accomplished 
without much labour, would expose the besiegers 
to the fury of the party within. I have known 
them keep up a siege for five or six months, 
and return without having accomplished any 
thing, and with the loss of many of their own 
people ; either for want of supplies, or from the 
bravery of the Pa. The interior of these fortifi- 
cations may be denominated a city : the houses 
in them are generally arranged in squares, in 
which reside the chiefs, their slaves, their wives, 
and their families. The only egress, in time of war, 
is through small loop-holes, which a full-grown 
man has great difficulty in creeping through, and 
which are confined to the outer fence ; the inner 
one having sliding doors, formed out of a solid 
piece of wood, secured with bolts and bars, and 
opened one at a time, and only in cases of neces- 
sity. It is evident, that should the enemy attempt 
to creep through the loop-holes of the outer fence, 
G 2 
