A MAORI MUMMY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 167, 26 May 1864, Page 4

A MAORI MUMMY.

Tv one of the less known gullies i f the fields, a r --'v months tiiree adventareus Vi(;torian miners, luiving found a " likely spot" pitehod their tent ami set bravely to work. They w- re tnodenituly successful, and for it week or two worked on, if no "j content, at least hopeful. The moon was in her hut quarter when first they commenced operations, and the niirhts consequently dark. As time wore on, however, the waning moon shone bright upon tlicm' as they sat outside their tents of an evening to smoke their after-supper pipe, for the weather was ceni.-d, and permitted this indulgence out of doors. At tlio extremity of the gully was a. singular shaped rock, irregularly pyramidal, that rose abruptly from the surface, at a height of upwards of thirty feet. Xot being geological students, that had not given special attention to this feature of the locality, beyond remarking that it was not likely to contain any gold. On one of these evenings, as they were seated as just described, enjoying the silence, the pipe, and the i-?. pose after fatigue, one of the party suddenly started. Cook on the top of the rock," he said to his companions. The moon had just risen, and her rays fell directly upon the summit of the vast pile in front of them. They directed their gaze in the direction pointed out by the speaker, and saw very distinctly a human face, white anil ghastly, made visible bv the light of the full moon falling upon it. "Is not that a facer'" said the one immediately addressed. " There's no doubt about its being a face ; it's very odd we've never seen it before." " No, its not o.hi, you see there's been no moon till now. mid 'luring the day we've been too busy to see it, besides it might not t[avc been there all the-time, replied the one particularly addressed. " T don't believe in ghosts." said a third " but that face answers to the tleserintion of them remarkably. "Pon't you think we'd better turn in ?" And they turned in, but next morning thev confessed to each other that thov had not slept well. Tltey looked hiil'd the following duy for the far- 1 , but it w n< i t b.- seen. They saw it ac;ain, however, the fWVwh'.g mid for several after, and they heard—or faneid they heard— a plaintive moan coming as il irom the top of the roelc. They eoubl talk about nothing oUe, :ind tli.'y lost their appetite and did no work with a will; .-*i thev left The jrully f*°r other diirginsrs. On tlvir wav thev met two men, father anrl son, pros. peetincTi find they told them of the jjully they had left, and the reason they had quitted it. TW men were not superstitious, and they made their wav to 1 the £u]]y at. once. At they saw the white face on top of the roek, and next moniinjr they determined to aseend and discover th«* mystery if possible eonsMrruVtle risk they did so. They found the mummy of a female ehild ; carefully placed upon a bier of stones, the head resting upon a curiouf-iy woven piece of matting, and between the knee*, th* skeleton of a bird (the foi-foij. Some of the hair ot the child vet remained, and it was carefully plaited, lieneath the hand veas placed a piece of coral, evidently hrotiaht from a lontr distance, as this loralitv was many mile? from the sea-shore. . On one side of the mummy, where it. had been exposed to tho wen. ther, tb*' integuments 11a11 been quite removed ti-orr, the skull, and the bones perfectly bleached. It was this pari of the mummy that the throe miners had seen. The father and son took away the object of their fear, and it was subsequently exhibited in ])nncdin ami other places. It has been in Melbourne latelv, hut comparatively few persons have seen it. It- has, however, recently been submitted to the inspection of several scientific gentlemen in this eitv, and tliev liave pronounced it specially interesting, both anatomically and as illustrating an ancient Maori custom ; for it would appear to have been in the position ill which it was found many years, some of the natives having stated, on seeing it, that the practiec of plaeini? the toi-toi bird between the knees of the dead is a very old one, and one that has been long in disuse. The particular circumstances of its discovery impart to it an additional interest. Tho proprietor means to take it to England.