A DEAL IN BOTTLES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3882, 7 August 1928, Page 81

A DEAL IN BOTTLES.

By

lan Mackay.

(Copyright.—For the Otago Witness.)

“ Your friend, you say, is an American—a Yankee. As your friend he is welcome, but not otherwise. For the elders of my tribe can neither forgive nor forget.” Tamati, they have proved themselves good friends to my race and yours. What is it that you can have against them ? ”

“ I shall tell you, and you may judge for yourself. With my people an old memory of a wrong that has been done dies hard. You pakehas are too forgiving. . . . I will cake a little mote of your waipiro, Makaire, for it is good, and unlike the fiery spirit that that Yankee vessel with the big sails and the big rangatira—who you would call skipper—who swore so much at so little, used to bring along to us. It was in the old trading days. He was a scoundrel, pakeha, and mv tribe is poor to-day ove r it all.”

I laid down my rifle and waited patiently while the old man drained the last dregs of my precious flask. “ Sixty years ago it was, and we were then a wealthy tribe? The harbour you see before you was our own fishing ground, and our lands extended far to the north and west of this place. We were not warlike, as Christianity had come to us, and we were friendly to the most of your race. “ Every year in the warm season it was our custom to await the coming of this big man from overseas, for he brought many things useful to us. His holds would be full of goods for trade, in return for which we loaded his vessel with kumeras, with dressed pig, and with timber. And dear to our hearts was the waipiro with which he was always well stocked.

“ When trade was completed it was the custom for us to have a great feast., where there would be much rejoicing, much dancing, by both men and women, and lastly, much waipiro. You will understand, Makaire, that for some days after such a gathering little work would be done, and we were glad indeed that we had no neighbours desirous of reviving ancient feuds.” I signified my complete understanding “ Now, one day the ship sailed into our harbour loaded to the hatches with nothing else but bottles, kegs, and even barrels of the fiery water. There was the usual bartering. Would our rangatira trade for the whole cargo? Yes, he would? and he would command all his men to collect the huge payment required as quickly as possible. Our chief was a wise man, pakeha, and perhaps he thought he might not be in a condition to exercise his authority later on.

“ And so the tribe laboured night and day to secure the reloading of the ship, in full payment for the waipiro. And, as usual, a big feast was held, and much enjoyment was there.

“ Now, it chanced that a previous trader had paid our chief in sovereigns, of which there was a large bag. It was kept in a special storehouse, and was constantly guarded by picked men. While the celebration was at its height,' and the rangatira was loudly recounting the brave deeds of the past to a runnine fire of applause from the sailors the American skipper discovered the secret of the storehouse.

“As I have stated, our chief was a cunning man, but the wisdom of the big visitor was greater. “ ‘ Oh, Puketapu,’ said he when the right opportunity came, ‘ I have sold you all the beer, the whisky, and the rum, but the bottles you see before you are still my property. You may have the kegs and barrels. As for the bottles — well, in return for the bag of gold that you so dearly cherish, I will generously present you, mv good Maori friends, with these also. What you must do is thisyou must plant them carefully in the ground, one foot deep, bottom up, and leave them undisturbed until the cold weather comes. It is then that your people will dance the haka of joyful victory. For, I swear to you in the npme of my great ancestor, whose name was Washington, that you will then discover that the bottles have turned again, and that they will be filled with the same good waipiro you have just enjoyed.’

“With the help of four slaves, our chief aros

" ‘ Ae, Wirihana,’ said he, ' I stand before a man of high honour. The bargain is a good one, and will be struck forthwith.’

“ And so the two rangatiras rubbed noses, and the last of the waipiro was consumed, and the white men embraced all our prettier maidens, who rejoiced greatly at the honour thus shown them. “All the slaves and older" '■ women worked long in the kumera fields burying the bottles as that scoundrel had told us, and he took the sovereigns and his departure.”

With a joyful anticipation that I was at pains to hide, I awaited the end of the story. “ Ae, pakeha, we had been foolish. Why need I go to great lengths to tell of our misery and our shame? Be it enough to say that the next season when that low Yankee was due on our coast, our cliffs were lined with grim and silent men, all in war attire, and with the desire for utu (vengeance) deep within them. Each man held a musket in one hand, and a bottle in the other. The musket was loaded .... the bottle was not. But, Makaire, that American bad forgotten his way back to our harbour.

“ Perhaps he is unlike your friend, who, you state, is fair in his dealings and has a life of great promise before him. I trust that you are right, for his countryman of long ago could onlv have reached a bad end.' It was the only time I ever heard our tohunga lav a curse in the pakeha tongue, which he could speak. He found our own language insufficient for the purpose.”