A WAR EXPEDITION AND A CANNIBAL FEAST.
Last year a chief, and cousin of King George, named Pomare, was defeated
and killed by the people of the Thames, and George was now resolved to
revenge his death. This determination having become known, we had a
constant succession of visitors, and a considerable number of blows,
scratches, and rubbing noses were the consequence. Our beach presented a
most interesting and busy scene. A dozen superb war canoes were lying
ready to convey the forces; and, considering their limited means, the
solidity of their structure and the carved work on them are surprising.
None but men of rank are allowed to work upon them, and they labour like
slaves. Some canoes were to be lengthened; others patched; others were
condemned to be broken up, and the fragments taken to complete the new
ones. Every morning we were awakened by the sound of the hammer and saw,
and they were much gratified by our walking down to their dockyard to
observe the progress they made, and by giving our opinions of their work.
They thankfully received any hint we gave them as to better methods of
completing or proceeding with their operations. Here were carvers,
painters, caulkers, and sailmakers, all working in their different
departments with great good humour and industry. Some of their vessels
were eighty feet long, and were entirely covered with beautiful
carving. Their form was light and delicate, and if their intentions were
hostile towards us, they would be very formidable alongside any merchant
man. If our Government should determine to colonise any part of New
Zealand, they would find the natives hardy and willing assistants, and
very different from the natives of New South Wales.
[Illustration: Maori War Expedition (With Mission boat accompanying
it.)]
As their canoes were ready for launching, they ran them off the beach,
jumped into them, and scudded across the bay with an almost incredible
swiftness. When it is considered that in each canoe were seated eighty
stout young men, each with a large paddle in his hand propelling the
vessel forward, the velocity with which she flew may be imagined! It was
in the midst of scenes like these that we were passing our time, and I
had just become delighted with the appearance of innocence and industry
so continually displayed by these people, when I was called upon to
witness a sight which exhibited their character in its worst light, and
confirmed all my horrible suspicions regarding their alleged cannibalism.
The New Zealanders have been long charged with cannibalism; but as no
person of importance or celebrity had actually been a witness to the
disgusting act, in pity to our nature such relations have been
universally rejected, and much has been written to prove the
non-existence of so hideous a propensity. It was my lot to behold it in
all its horrors!
One morning, about eleven o'clock, after I had just returned from a long
walk, Captain Duke informed me he had heard, from very good authority
(though the natives wished it to be kept a profound secret), that in the
adjoining village a female slave, named Matowe, had been put to death,
and that the people were at that very time preparing her flesh for
cooking. At the same time he reminded me of a circumstance which had
taken place the evening before. Atoi had been paying us a visit, and,
when going away, he recognised a girl whom he said was a slave that had
run away from him; he immediately seized hold of her, and gave her in
charge to some of his people. The girl had been employed in carrying wood
for us; Atoi's laying claim to her had caused us no alarm for her life,
and we had thought no more on the subject; but now, to my surprise and
horror, I heard this poor girl was the victim they were preparing for the
oven! Captain Duke and myself were resolved to witness this dreadful
scene. We therefore kept our information as secret as possible, well
knowing that if we had manifested our wishes they would have denied the
whole affair. We set out, taking a circuitous route towards the village,
and, being well acquainted with the road, we came upon them suddenly, and
found them in the midst of their abominable ceremonies.
On a spot of rising ground, just outside the village, we saw a man
preparing a native oven, which is done in the following simple manner:--A
hole is made in the ground, and hot stones are put within it, and then
all is covered up close. As we approached, we saw evident signs of the
murder which had been perpetrated; bloody mats were strewed around, and a
boy was standing by them actually laughing: he put his finger to his
head, and then pointed towards a bush. I approached the bush, and there
discovered a human head. My feelings of horror may be imagined as I
recognised the features of the unfortunate girl I had seen forced from
our village the preceding evening!
We ran towards the fire, and there stood a man occupied in a way few
would wish to see. He was preparing the four-quarters of a human body for
a feast; the large bones, having been taken out, were thrown aside, and
the flesh being compressed, he was in the act of forcing it into the
oven. While we stood transfixed by this terrible sight, a large dog,
which lay before the fire, rose up, seized the bloody head, and walked
off with it into the bushes, no doubt to hide it there for another meal!
The man completed his task with the most perfect composure, telling us,
at the same time, that the repast would not be ready for some hours!
Here stood Captain Duke and myself, both witnesses of a scene which many
travellers have related, and their relations have invariably been treated
with contempt; indeed, the veracity of those who had the temerity to
relate such incredible events has been everywhere questioned. In this
instance it was no warrior's flesh to be eaten; there was no enemy's
blood to drink, in order to infuriate them. They had no revenge to
gratify; no plea could they make of their passions having been roused by
battle, nor the excuse that they eat their enemies to perfect their
triumph. This was an action of unjustifiable cannibalism. Atoi, the
chief, who had given orders for this cruel feast, had only the night
before sold us four pigs for a few pounds of powder; so he had not even
the excuse of want of food. After Captain Duke and myself had consulted
with each other, we walked into the village, determining to charge Atoi
with his brutality.
Atoi received us in his usual manner; and his handsome, open countenance
could not be imagined to belong to so savage a monster as he had proved
himself to be. I shuddered at beholding the unusual quantity of potatoes
his slaves were preparing to eat with this infernal banquet. We talked
coolly with him on the subject, for, as we could not prevent what had
taken place, we were resolved to learn, if possible, the whole
particulars. Atoi at first tried to make us believe he knew nothing about
it, and that it was only a meal for his slaves; but we had ascertained it
was for himself and his favourite companions. After various endeavours to
conceal the fact, Atoi frankly owned that he was only waiting till the
cooking was completed to partake of it. He added that, knowing the horror
we Europeans held these feasts in, the natives were always most anxious
to conceal them from us, and he was very angry that it had come to our
knowledge; but, as he had acknowledged the fact, he had no objection to
talk about it. He told us that human flesh required a greater number of
hours to cook than any other; that if not done enough it was very tough,
but when sufficiently cooked it was as tender as paper. He held in his
hand a piece of paper, which he tore in illustration of his remark. He
said the flesh then preparing would not be ready till next morning; but
one of his sisters whispered in my ear that her brother was deceiving us,
as they intended feasting at sunset.
We inquired why and how he had murdered the poor girl. He replied that
running away from him to her own relations was her only crime. He then
took us outside his village, and showed us the post to which she had been
tied, and laughed to think how he had cheated her: "For," said he, "I
told her I only intended to give her a flogging; but I fired, and shot
her through the heart!" My blood ran cold at this relation, and I looked
with feelings of horror at the savage while he related it. Shall I be
credited when I again affirm that he was not only a handsome young man,
but mild and genteel in his demeanour? He was a man we had admitted to
our table, and was a general favourite with us all; and the poor victim
to his bloody cruelty was a pretty girl of about sixteen years of age!
While listening to this frightful detail, we felt sick almost to
fainting. We left Atoi, and again strolled towards the spot where this
disgusting mess was cooking. Not a native was now near it: a hot, fetid
steam kept occasionally bursting from the smothered mass; and the same
dog we had seen with the head now crept from beneath the bushes, and
sneaked towards the village. To add to the gloominess of the whole, a
large hawk rose heavily from the very spot where the poor victim had been
cut in pieces. My friend and I sat gazing on this melancholy place; it
was a lowering, gusty day, and the moaning of the wind through the
bushes, as it swept round the hill on which we were, seemed in unison
with our feelings.
After some time spent in contemplating the miserable scene before us,
during which we gave full vent to the most passionate exclamations of
disgust, we determined to spoil this intended feast. This resolution
formed, we rose to execute it. I ran off to our beach, leaving Duke on
guard, and, collecting all the white men I could, I informed them of what
had happened, and asked them if they would assist in destroying the oven
and burying the remains of the girl. They consented, and each having
provided himself with a shovel or a pickaxe, we repaired in a body to
the spot. Atoi and his friends had by some means been informed of our
intention, and they came out to prevent it. He used various threats to
deter us, and seemed highly indignant; but as none of his followers
appeared willing to come to blows, and seemed ashamed that such a
transaction should have been discovered by us, we were permitted by them
to do as we chose. We accordingly dug a tolerably deep grave; then we
resolutely attacked the oven. On removing the earth and leaves, the
shocking spectacle was presented to our view--the four quarters of a
human body half roasted. During our work clouds of steam enveloped us,
and the disgust created by our task was almost overpowering. We collected
all the parts we could recognise; the heart was placed separately, we
supposed, as a savoury morsel for the chief himself. We placed the whole
in the grave, which we filled up as well as we could, and then broke and
scattered the oven.
By this time the natives from both villages had assembled, and a scene
similar to this was never before witnessed in New Zealand. Six unarmed
men, quite unprotected (for there was not a single vessel in the harbour,
nor had there been for a month), had attacked and destroyed all the
preparations of the natives for what they consider a national feast; and
this was done in the presence of a great body of armed chiefs, who had
assembled to partake of it. After having finished this exploit, and our
passion and disgust had somewhat subsided, I could not help feeling that
we had acted very imprudently in thus tempting the fury of these savages,
and interfering in an affair that certainly was no concern of ours; but
as no harm accrued to any of our party, it plainly shows the influence
"the white men" have already obtained over them; had the offence we
committed been done by any hostile tribe, hundreds of lives would have
been sacrificed.
The next day our old friend King George paid us a long visit, and we
talked over the affair very calmly. He highly disapproved of our conduct.
"In the first place," said he, "you did a foolish thing, which might have
cost you your lives; and yet did not accomplish your purpose after all,
as you merely succeeded in burying the flesh near the spot on which you
found it. After you went away it was again taken up, and every bit was
eaten"--a fact I afterwards ascertained by examining the grave and
finding it empty. King George further said: "It was an old custom, which
their fathers practised before them; and you had no right to interfere
with their ceremonies. I myself," added he, "have left off eating human
flesh, out of compliment to you white men; but you have no reason to
expect the same compliance from all the other chiefs. What punishment
have you in England for thieves and runaways?" We answered, "After trial,
flogging or hanging." "Then," he replied, "the only difference in our
laws is, you flog and hang, but we shoot and eat."
After thus reproving us, he became very communicative on the subject of
cannibalism. He said, he recollected the time prior to pigs and potatoes
being introduced into the island (an epoch of great importance to the New
Zealanders), and stated that he was born and reared in an inland
district, and the only food they then had consisted of fern roots and
kumara; fish they never saw, and the only flesh he then partook of was
human. But I will no longer dwell on this humiliating subject. Most
white men who have visited the island have been sceptical on this point;
I myself was before I had "ocular proof." Consequently I availed myself
of the first opportunity to convince myself of the fact. I have reflected
upon the subject, and am thoroughly satisfied that nothing will cure the
natives of this dreadful propensity but the introduction of many
varieties of animals, both wild and tame, and all would be sure to thrive
in so mild and fine a climate.