AN OVERLAND TRIP.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1923, Page 11

AN OVERLAND TRIP.

FROM NEW PLYMOUTH TO WELLINGTON. ('Continued from last issue.) Judging from the critical work of laying out town and country lands that long, patient waiting for selection and settlement would ensue, and fearing that our supplies per schooner Jewess had been lost in the straits, we decamped from New Plymouth, engaging a surveyor's man who had travelled with his party, and entered upon a tramp to Wellington, a distance of about 300 miles, taking with us also a native guide. We wound round the shores of Cape Egmont, over rivulets running from the mountain through the level country at its base to the sea at every mile or two of our course. At intervals the beach consisted of large trachytic boulders, and the tediousness of hopping from boulder to boulder was laboriously slow at the first, but after gaining confidence, dangers of up and down, to and fro, hop, step and jumping, were performed with great dexterity, at the risk of broken limbs every moment. Having rounded Cape Egmont about ten miles, we arrived at a sandy beach, and came across the figure-head of the barque Harriet, planted above high-water mark in a corner of some rocks, and tabooed, together with other vestiges of tile wreck. The barque was conveying (about April, 183!)) a whaler’s crew from Sydney to Port Nicholson, and became a total wreck at the spot visited by us. Captain Guard, Mrs. Guard, and two children, with the others on board, were hospitably assisted and entertained by the natives, till a quarrel arose in the usual reckless manner of the early whalers, when twelve of the party and twenty-five of the chief men among the natives were killed, and the captain, his wife and children, with ten sailors, made prisoners.

THE HARRIET TRAGEDY. Guard was described as a man of violent temper in his dealings with the natives between the years of 1823 and 1834, and deemed the 'best mode of civilisation to consist in powder and ball, enforcement, and also the kilkenny cat process. After a time the chief permitted Captain Guard (accompanied by three chiefs) to leave in one of the ship's boats in order to obtain powder, guns, etc., for the purpose of ransoming the others of the party, viz.. Mrs. Guard, two children, and nine seamen. Guard, apprehending no fear for their- safety, upon his arrival in Sydney, succeeded in persuading the Governor to send H.M.S. Alligator, under the command of Captain Lambert, with a detachment of the 50th Regiment, to procure his wife, children, and men in the hands of the natives. Upon arrival of the man-of-war at Taranaki/several villages were attacked and destroyed, and many of the natives killed; all the then prisoners were released, and Captain and Mrs. Guard itook up their abode at Cloudy Bay. After the first conflict three sail, ors were killed and eaten. All European heads chopped off were preserved for sale to traders, also tattooed heads of chiefs. Mrs. Guard and the other prisoners were offered portions of the cooked flesh.

A MEAL OF SOAP. Finding some boxes of soap amongst the ship’s stores the natives, unaware of its use, baked the soap, and devoured it all round with great gusto. In a short time the active nature of the food tumultuously operated, with a violence that completely prostrated the astonished cannibals, much to the satisfaction of the beholders. One child had been adopted by the chief, who had all throughout interfered with his protection to the Europeans. When the Alligator’s people were upon the beach, the chief advanced (with the child clinging to his neck) and was at once shot, his head cut off, and rolled upon the beach, to the horror or Mrs. Guard, who recognised it as that of their protector. Although these scenes ha? occurred only so short a time previous to our visit, the natives had no hesitation in discussing them with a variety of fierce and sensual action. The saline flesh of the pakeha was disparagingly compared with that of the Maori; sympathy or pity for agony and suffering seemed to be an unknown feeling with them, or totally extinguished when thy theme was of warfare. and exciting only laughter and amusement.

A FRIGHTENED GUIDE. Arriving in sight of the high promontory at Otumatua, about 60 miles from our starting place, our native guide parted with ,us to return, for nothing would induce him to continue the journey, being apprehensive of his life if he ventured among the Maoris about the pah. With our extra pikau weights we met some wild-looking fellows who relieved us of them, and ushered us up the steep and at times almost perpendicular ascent into the pah. The excitement of the inmates appeared in every form of rudeness, and a stranger might well be excused for believing that our portable possessions would shortly be appropriated to their externals and internals. However, a few pipes and tobacco distributed amongst the most importunate who had dragged us into a house produced us a steaming meal of potatoes and fish, and mutual satisfaction ensued. During our repast Mordaunt had donned his eye-glass and spread his poc-ket-handkerchief upon his lap, over the basket, substitute for a plate, with poc-ket-knife and fork in hand; and, upon looking up, with a mouthful of fish, he spluttered into a roar of laughter at beholding a mimicking youth before him who had extemporised eye-glass, knife and fork, with bits of wood, platted flax for pocket-handkerchief, and, apeing the erect upper person of the visitor.

THE WAI MATE PAH. Tn the morning we could not but admire the impregnable appearance of this natural fortress, and the level country of Waimate beneath us. Seaward, we were told how the former possessors were pursued to the edge of the perpendicular cliffs, over they they precipitated themselves upon the rocks below to escape the club and tomahawk. Wide

sweeps of the coast brought us to other pahs, situated on high promontories. Each daj r 'we were accompanied \with carriers of our pikaus to within sight of the end of the day’s journey, who then returned, from the circumstance of the settlement being at feud with the other, although Te Rauparaha had taken all the pahs on his course down the Straits.

Nevertheless, various places had been retaken by prisoners and others who had escaped inland or to the coasts of the Middle Island. k Halting one nigijt on the banks of a small river, and after the enjoyment of a night’s rest under our blanket tent, we took.our towels and soap, hs usual, to bathe; ‘during which five or six natives came down over the hummocks of fern (having seen the smoke from our fire). An’old tattooed fellow squatted’down near a -piece of soap, lifted it to his head, and then replaced it. Upon Nugent’s act of wrapping it in hjs towel, the grim visitor snatched it out of his hand, ejaculating that his head was tabooed, and having touched that important part of his person, the soap and towel became ta-booed to himself, but used by any other person, his head would waste away in exact proportion to the soap. Smiling at the old gentle? man’s ingenious excuse, for the appropriation, he was allowed to retain it as a gift. As a mark of civility during breakfast, we presented them also with some tobacco and two pipes, to complete their possession of the means of such high luxury (for “toruri,” or native grown tobacco, wa< generally used, acid and pungent, without having undergone the process of curing).-

*UTU” DEMANDED.' After packing up and taking our leave they came running after us, one of-them showing his burnt mat. He had been sitting upon a live ember, and insisted that as our fire had eaten his apparel “utu” must follow such offence in the shape of a blanket. Finding his arguments failed to convert us to such a “retinga,” he seized upon Nugent’s pikau, but instead of the sudden attack bringing the owner to the ground, a well-planted blow sent the Maori limb of the law ploughing head first along the sand. Raising our walking clubs, we stood upon the defensive, whilst our war-seized friends leaped to and fro, flourishing their spears, and uttering menaces in deep porcine gruntings. The rage of our “floored” savage was at the highest ’pressure upon recovering his legs again, and he whizzed his spear past Nugent’s face without an instant’s preparation, which doubtless saved him. Mordaunt’s double-barrel, loaded with duck-shot, was as speedily pointed to the assailants, and the effect was electrical. for they scampered in “open order” over the sand hills and disappeared, although we took surveys after them from the tops of the loose mounds that skirted the beach. Our trophy was a spear, which far exceeded in value our presents.