Ena, or the ancient Maori

Preface

. The folloAving pages Avere Avritten among the hills, ravines, and forest Avilds of a portion of the writer's adopted country. Years have passed since he first saw from the deck of the barque " Ann Wilson " the lovely scenery of Port Nicholson, during Avhich he has observed the native NeAv Zealanders under their own genial skies, and in daily intercourse Avith some few of the Maori race. The writer therefore hopes that this not altogether fictitious story will be acceptable to many who desire to know something of those distant islanders, many of whose lives present a con tinuous tragedy from the cradle to the grave. He also desires to acknowledge his obligations to the pathetic story of a NeAV Zealand Ipltigenia, as VI

PREFACE.

. narrated in the poem of " Ranolf and Amohia " by Mr. Alfred Domett — a work which is an enduring monument to the Maori of a bygone time. To the truthfulness and classic beauty of that noble gift to New Zealand the writer of the following pages begs to bear his humble testimony. Native Reserve Te Aro pah, AA'elliugton, New Zealand. Dec. 1872. CONTENTS. CHArTtR PACE I. Introductory I II. The Shipwreck ... ... ... ... 7 III. Ena ... ... ... ... ... ... ,, IV. Warriors in Conclave 21 V. Morning 27 VI. Mary 33 VI I. Evil Omens 38 VIII. The Tohunga ... ... ... ... 44 IX. Designs Unveiled ... ... ... ... 49 X. Death of Te Kanohi 55 XI. The Feast 62 XII. Bravery 68 XIII. Atapo's Expedition 76 XIV. Atapo's Defeat 83 XV. Treachery 90 XVI. The Forest 97 XVII. The Search 112 XVIII. The Return CONTENTS.

VIII CHATTER FAG* XIX. Arrival of Allies 126 XX. The Tana on the War-path 132 XXI. The Witches' Prophecy 139 XXII. The Night Sortie ... 144 XXIII. Ena and her Companions ... ... ... 154 XXIV. Hahaki in Danger 162 XXV. The Retreat 170 XXVI. Escape of the Islanders 178 XXVII. The Storm 185 XXVIII. Acquaintanceships renewed 189 XXIX. The Battle , 200 XXX. Return to Kapiti ... 209 XXXI. Abandonment of Wairauki 216 XXXII. Misfortunes of the Mauopoko 225 XXXIII. Mahora and Pani 231 XXXIV. Journey to Taupo 244 XXXV. Flight from Taupo 254 XXXVI. Attempt on Kapiti 263 XXXVII. Mary, Mahora, and Ena

Chapter I. Introductory

"A tale of the times of old." — Ossian. The axe of the bushman has SAvept the hills bare, the forest has disappeared, and Avhere once the Maori roamed under the tenebrous branches of his ancestral trees the Pakeha now guides the plough : the aboriginal is giving place to the stranger ; the colon izing and aggressively civilizing energies of the latter have quite supplanted the retrogressive customs of the former. Such may be the reflection of some who, like myself, may find themselves led by business or pleasure to explore the fine tracts of country that occasionally border the west coast of the North Island. E A few dilapidated enclosures croAvning the summit of a hill, a few midden-heaps on the sea-shore, are among the scant memorials by Avhich we discover that, somewhere near, the Maori once had a "local habitation and a name " : those small enclosures mark the place Avhere the native laid his dead in times Avhen the presence of the stranger brought comparative security to his humble home, or later in accordance with a more civilized form of burial, imitated from his new preceptors ; the high westerly winds and the cattle of the colonist have broken down the rude woodwork of the tombs, and in a few years hence no relics will remain to preserve the sacredness of the place : the humble earth-cairns will be smoothed for ever.

So it is Avith the Avar-pahs of the Maori ; what the hand of Time would have spared for years, the ruthlessness of enemies of their own race has de stroyed : in our museums alone may noAv be seen a feAv memorials of an unusually interesting people. Ere oblivion slowly consigns to the past the poetic phases of the ancient Maori in his sorrow and in his joy, and ere the dim reminiscences of them are quite effaced by his unromantic descendant of to-day, I have attempted to depict, Avith such' skill as I am master of, the defeat and exile of a portion of a once powerful tribe by the aggression of a more warlike people than themselves. INTRODUCTORY. 3 At a point on the Avestern shores of the Bay of Porirua the yelloAV sands . have been carried by the winds over many remains of the Maori ; the traveller at the head of the bay passes Ration-point, occupied by the British army during a late Avar ; he next passes a place called Motukaraka (or, the isolated Karaka-grove), though the trees are no longer to be seen, and here, on a slight eminence overlooking the bay, the trench of a small military fort is still discernible ; passing on under the shadoAV of a range of hills on the right hand, the classic ground of the ancient Maori is before the traveller.

Paramatta Point (the yelloAV point of the hydro grapher), which is at the inner entrance to the bay from Cook's Strait, is next passed ; and here stands the ruin of a' stone building used as a military barrack in the war before mentioned. The tourist observes with increasing attention, not quite free from painful associations, that here was once an extensive graveyard : the memorabilia of mortality are strewn in profusion on the barren stretches of the sand drifts ; the surgeon's saw has been busy on many of the croAvnless skulls, and the ends or sides of the rough Avooden coffins that protrude from the ground bear melancholy Avitness that the faithless sand-dunes haA-e betrayed their trust. If the song of a passing native is heard, as he paddles his canoe whilst pro ceeding to or returning from his fishing grounds, the dirge-like Avail has a strange and mournful effect on the mind, especially if one chances at the time to be among the unsepulchred bones that are left to whiten in the blast.

Leaving Paramatta behind, the tourist by a Avell- Avorn pathway passes upwards on the ridge of a series of richly-turfed hills, having on his left Cook's Strait, and on his right Taupo Swamp, the scene of stirring incidents during the rule of one of the country's ablest English governors. After passing this place the country spreads out before the traveller in the form of an amphitheatre of vast dimensions ; a tract of land of great value to the colonist for pastoral and agricultural purposes : mile after mile is passed under the over-arching branches of the forest trees, or along open glades of unrivalled beauty, Avhere small streams of pure Avater cross every low lying path. The trees in most places are young, evidently showing that formerly this entire locality Avas cultivated by its native owners ; and the crops noAv groAvn here are celebrated for their yield and quality.

Ascending a gradually sloping champaign, the pedestrian finds himself after an hour's Avalk at the base of an abruptly terminal ridge, known as INTRODUCTORY. 5 Wairauki ; crossing a deep gully of easy passage, the ridge is ascended and the crest is gained, Avhereon a feAv years since stood the ruin of an extensive Avar-pah ; the principal timbers had been burnt doAvn or removed, only the posts of black tree-fern re mained Avhich had formed part of the principal Avharis in the enclosure : the double lines of palisades Avith their ditches were not discernible, yet sufficient existed to prove to the inquirer that the position was one well chosen for a look-out, being of great strength and extremely difficult either to invest or surprise. The cattle of the settler are now folded on the site of the ancient war-pah, and only a few hazy traditions linger among the farmers as to whom those lands originally belonged ; a stone flax-beater or a flint adze-head is perchance picked up by the solitary shepherd ; but the uses of the decaying posts that beacon the hills are almost unknown, and the terraced hill fronts are unnoticed, the practical pursuits of the colonist leaving him neither time nor inclination to indulge in romance.

Several dismantled canoes were lying on the beaches below the foot of the steep, rocky precipices ; and, scattered under some remarkably fine gnaio trees (the only remains of the primeval forest), Avere a few elaborately-carved stern-posts of the most ancient form of the Avar-canoe. The sea and the distant shores of the Middle Island were the same at the time of my visit as they were more than sixty years ago, Avhen the actors in my story, in their final struggles for freedom, here lived and loved, suffered and passed away. CHAPTER' II. THE SHIPWRECK. " The sea darldy tumbled beneath the blast The roaring waves climbed against the rocks. The lightning came often and showed the blasted fem." — Ossian. The third morning of a storm long memorable had dawned with unaltered signs of its continuing for at least another day : the wind still blew a heavy gale, making a very plaything of the sea, ploughing the Avater into furroAvs of tremendous depth, and -man tling the summits of the dark green ridges with a crisp white foam : the thundering billows lashed each other with a magnificent action, which once seen is never forgotten.

On the summit of steep piled crags and froAvning precipices stood, many years ago, a Maori war-pah ; its ate overlooked the sea, and toAvard the land its defences presented a series of earthworks and palisades constructed with skill, and evincing military tactics of a high order : on either hand, deep ravines cut off from the adjacent ridge all communication Avith the pah ; thus isolated, the inmates felt no common degree of security and safety from surprise, or attack, by their hostile neighbours. Primitive forest clothed the landscape toward every point, and on the morning on which our tale opens many of the trees crashed and broke beneath the might of the gale : no signs of forest life Avere visible; occasional glimpses of an island lying to the north-west of the pah could be seen as the sunbeams struggled through fissures in the dark broAvn clouds : beloAv, upon the white beach, the war-canoes of the pah Avere dragged above high- Avater line, so as to secure them from the fury of the waves.

As the morning Avore on, eager and observant glances Avere cast on the aAvful scene from the low built Avhari doors of the pah. From a commanding position above the sea, a Avide sweep of the horizon came under the ken of the sentinel who, posted on a stage which Avas above the palisades, there kept his constant watch : the varying phases of the seascape engrossed his attention : — well he knew that seaward no danger threatened from mortal foe; but super stitions vague and terrifying Avere ever presenting complex disasters to his fancy : at times he thouglt THE SHIPAVRECK. 9 he saw a war-canoe far out at sea, riding on the billoAvs ; but it Avould disappear. Closely and patiently he Avatched; again he thought that he saAV it more clearly than before, but, owing to the tumultuous state of the elements, long intervals of time elapsed ere he could identify the strange appearance with the form of any vessel with which he was acquainted.

After a considerable length of time, the object hove in sight ; immediately the sentinel gave Avarning to the inhabitants of the pah that a strange vessel was approaching. Terrified at the intelligence, dusky warriors, spear in hand and clad in mats, swarmed to the palisades that overhung the sea ; Avomen, whose glossy black hair fell in folds on their shoulders, ran up to the front to look out for the much dreaded invaders, followed by strings of clamorous children : the unexpected alarm caused the warriors to omit all order, so carefully attended to on other and similar occasions. As the sun approached the meridian the gale in creased in strength, thunder pealed along the sky and re-echoed among the gulleys around; the lightning flashed with awe-inspiring rapidity, momentarily de priving the warriors of the power of sight, and in creasing their terror of the supernatural : the pah palisades Avere lined with human faces all intent on the spectacle that was spread below.

A long, narrow reef of black rock ran out seaward for a mile and a half at right angles with the pah's sea-front, and at a like distance from the reef could be seen what once was a large and stately full-rigged ship, helplessly driven before the unpitying gale : she was dismasted and under no control ; thus she drifted and plunged in a direct line for the outer edge of the reef; en veloped in spray, or, buried for an instant in the trough of the sea, the hull would occasionally be lost to vieAv : over the black reef the surging waves crashed terribly, white foam in an unbroken wall thundered along its whole length ; the fated ship was seen for a few moments carried Avith electric speed on the crest of a wave tOAvard the stubborn rock ; a dense bank of cloud and scud drove over the space betAveen the pah and the reef, the spectators losing sight of the vessel ; in a few moments the obstruction passed, but no ship was to be seen — an involuntary shriek of mingled joy and terror rang out from the people ; none moved from the point of observation, while in painful suspense every breast throbbed, every eye Avas strained towards the reef, all fearing that the great canoe would emerge from the water between the reef and the shore, and again imperil their fancied security; but no ship appeared.

The gale had noAv abated a little, the wind bleAV with pauses between its flight : THE SHIPAVRECK. 11 these increased in duration as the gale moderated ; still the eager on-lookers from the hill-fort kept their position. An object was noAv distinctly seen on the water, borne toAvards the beach by the partly favourable wind ; Avaiting till the exact nature of the visitant was clearly discernible from the pah, a party hastily descended the cliff to the sea-shore : arrived there, Avith astonishment they saw the bodies of two human beings, a man and a woman, lashed to a beam of timber, which floated toAvards the place whereon they stood ; to wade out a short distance, seize the boom and guide it to shore, to undo the lashing which confined the bodies to the buoyant timber, and to carry them up to the pah, was the humane task of the Maori Avarriors : to the native Avomen Avas confided the task of resuscitation, and for this purpose the bodies were taken into a hut, where, laying them on mats before the fire, the Avomen chafed the cold limbs of the unfortunates ; Avood smoke was also tried with the intention of inflating the lungs, or of titillating the nose in order to cause the apparently drowned to sneeze : with the woman their efforts were successful, she sloAvly regained consciousness ; but her com panion's spirit had fled for ever.

Eighteen summers had passed over the once joyous maiden, Mary Morven, Avho noAv, sheltered in a native war-pah in NeAV Zealand and surrounded by gentle native girls and aged women, came to a sad compre hension of her present state and her late disasters. Kindly hands offered her food, the best their simple stores contained ; and she, to please her benefactors, tasted the various viands with a cheerfulness that at once Avon her the sympathy of her neAvly-found friends. One by one the elder women left the hut ; these Avere folloA\-ed by the young, until three girls only remained Avith Mary, who Avas allowed to rest in undisturbed silence : as she reclined on the matting that covered the floor of the hut, her recent escape and consequent exhaustion Aveighed doAvn her spirits, and she sank into a deep and quiet sleep.

One of the three girls that remained in the Avhare was a half-caste named Hinema, daughter to a Avhaler by a native woman : this girl Avas of the same age Avith Mary, and as she possessed some knowledge of English, she Avas on that account selected for the office of attending on Mary, and to interpret betAveen her and the natives. By this time the gale had died aAvay, and a drizzling rain began to fall; Avhile from the opposite point of the compass a light Avind sprang up, Avhich, blowing off the land, carried out to sea Avhatever portions of the wreck might have been floating tOAvard the shore.

Chapter III. Ena

"She came in all her beauty, Like the moon from the cloud of the east, Loveliness was round her as light, Her steps were the music of songs. " — Fingal. The dusk of evening Avas spreading over the forest ; the sea-birds Avere Avheeling above the rocks in graceful gyrations ; the sentinel on his stage looked over the calmly heaving sea ; the natives in the pah were grouped in conversation preparatory to meeting in the runatiga, ere they separated for the night, Avhen Mary awoke refreshed and composed from her slumber. Hinema, Avho had Avatched Avhile her charge slept, immediately quitted her place, and proceeded toward the principal Avhare the hill-fort contained. The building Avas the residence of Te Rangitukaroa, chief of the hapa, or tribe; and here the old man, after a long and chequered career, lived with his two children, Rankawa, a tall, brave youth, and Ena, a girl of rare beauty.

The Avhare was of elegant appearance, and finished with careful attention to the elaborate detail of its several parts. Outside, the walls were four feet in height from the ground ; on the inside they were a little more than six feet : a door and two small AvindoAvs fitted Avith sliding shutters Avere in the front Avail : a Ioav verandah, supported on posts grotesquely carved, ran along the front elevation, which measured fifteen feet in length. Both gable ends Avere ornamented A\7ith finials richly carved in arabesque figures ; the Avhole carefully painted in red, Avhite, and black lines. The roof was thatched with the bark of the totara tree, and confined to the ridge and eaves by supplejack interlaced with the skill so characteristic of the native art-workman. At the verandah of the AA-hare Hinema met Ena, who had been expecting and hurried out to meet her.

The appearance of the latter betokened her station. Her person was tall, graceful, and fully developed ; her dress, a snoAv-white flax mantle bor dered Avith black, and fastened on her breast with a curiously carved bone pin : the border was further adorned Avith diamond-shaped figures, in white and red colours, in correct and appropriate divisions. Her ENA. 15 feet were bare, long and tapering toes uniting classic interest Avith faultless proportion and sym metry. Her features were cast in the severest style of high Maori beauty : melancholy was the leading expression of her face, but it Avas quite unlike the European trait understood by the same name. Hers was the index to an implicit trusting of the ethereal part of human love to the care and keeping of a dearly prized object. Unalterable devotion reposed in the eyes of the queenly maiden, and over her finely cut lip curled the fragrant incense of her heroic soul.

In the tresses of her raven hair she Avore a feather of the huia; and from her neck, suspended by a narrow band, a large and exquisitely carved greenstone heitiki rested on her bosom. Hinema told her mistress that the strange maiden was awake. As they Avalked to the Avhare, the contrast between the girls Avas very great, but exceedingly interesting. Not so tall as her mistress, Hinema was a winsome beauty : her port was marred by an undulatory motion as she walked ; the expression of her countenance was simplicity, with a slight tinge of piquancy that relieved and gave point to the ready smile that lurked in playful moods in the cushioned plicature of her lips ; her eyes were soft brown, glowing Avith a lucid beaming that soothed whilst it ensnared. She was much attached to Ena, and was always at her side ; and towards Ena's brother she cherished a sister's feelings.

Year after year these assumed a more tender aspect, and they had now ripened into love. Yet she was careful to conceal the exact state of her mind from her mistress, and also from RankaAva, the object of these affections. From him she had ahvays received a brotherly regard, but nothing more. ToAvard the young men of the tribe she assumed a cold demeanour — haughty, but not imperious : many Avould gladly have taken her to wife, but to their importunities on the subject she turned a deaf ear. Ena and her attendant noAv entered the Avhare, and Ena, embracing the rescued girl, saluted her after the manner of the Maori ; then, seating herself on the matting beside Mary, she requested her to relate the circumstances that led to her unfortunate arrival upon these shores. " Five months ago," said Mary, " I left my Ameri can home, and accompanied my father in his own ship, leaving my mother and tAvo sisters in my native city.

The pain of parting Avas soon allayed by the in teresting incidents of the voyage, and the neAV scenes Ave witnessed : the books my father took Avith him amused and instructed me, whilst the hope of soon returning to my friends and home banished all fear ENA, 17 from my mind, and I gave myself up to the full enjoyment of each passing hour. Four months glided by in undisturbed serenity, and Avhen we sighted the northern point of these islands, coasting southwards, we engaged in the business of our voyage, namely, trading. My father's reverses of fortune compelled him to become a trader, yet they did not prevent him from exercise of a strict care in securing order and cheerfulness among the men under his command. In a few weeks of uninterrupted success we determined to proceed to Sydney : whilst on the passage, high and adverse winds beat us back, the winds grew stronger and more boisterous until they bleAv a gale, which continued for three days : to lighten the ship, much of her valuable cargo was tossed overboard, the masts were next cut away; the boats were rendered useless, as they were stove in by the Avaves as they swept over the decks.

The crew were quite exhausted with the hardships which they underwent ; all hopes of life abandoned us on the third morning, as the ship sprung a leak : the men stood by the pumps, until, worn out with unceas ing toil, the poor fellows fell on the deck, only to be washed overboard by the terrible sea that was then running ; to add to our distress the rudder broke, and so became useless. As the day advanced, we C perceived that we were nearing land : mercy Avas asked from Heaven ; the interposition of Divine Providence was tearfully sought by the surviving seamen ; the sight of land was hailed Avith a joy, alas ! only momentary in duration, for a dark line of rugged rocks was seen amid the wild breakers that lay right in our helpless pathway : on these black stone heaps we must soon enter a yawning grave ; the mountain billows that broke the ship's rudder SAvept my father overboard.

One, whose memory I must ever cherish, then lashed himself and me to a spar in the hope that when the vessel drove upon the rocks we might chance to be driven ashore : such we trusted might be our good fortune, as the ship was carried in a straight line tOAvard the loAvest portion of the reef. I can never forget, nor can it ever be obliterated from my mind, the extreme tenderness that beamed from the eyes of the man who stood by my side, dressed in scarlet flannel blouse and blue trousers, one arm sup porting me in my ill-concealed terror, Avhilst Avith the other he brushed aAvay a tear that stole doAA-n his cheek ; nor can I ever forget the unwonted courage that braced up my heart, Avhen the last moments came, in which the ship smashed on the rock, and when, with a SAvift bound, he shot off the partin° timbers on the back of a foaming billow, and we were ENA. 19 carried clear of the stony ridge : then I heard his voice rise above the thunder of the elements, as the brave man shouted the Avell-known watchword, ' All's Avell ! ' I remember no more."

"Tell me," said Ena, " who he was that was lashed with you on the boom." Mary answered, " He was mate of the ship, and my affianced husband. When we returned home, we were to have been married, but that day I shall never see." At the recital of the fate of her first and her only love, Mary's sorroAvs flowed afresh. She pressed her face on the bosom of Ena, whose soft dark eyes filled Avith tears that fell on the fair ringlets of the poor pale face. Mary wept bitterly, while the girls bent their heads on their breasts, and, with hands clasped on their knees, chaunted in a low and melodious voice a wail for the early dead. Although Mary did not understand the burden of the lament, yet she felt its soothing effect. When the wail was ended, she asked for an interpretation of the melody, which Hinema gave her as follows : — All thy sorrows, gentle maiden, All thy griefs so dark and drear, Claim our pity ; thou art laden With Death's cold and gloomy fear.

Tears are falling, Sprites are calling, Calling us to smooth the bier. Ever round thee, gentle stranger, May a charmed circle cling ; Ne'er may pain or envious danger Fix on thee their venomed sting. Tears are falling, Sprites are calling, Calling us Death's wail to sing. When the Avords had been communicated to Mary, and Avhilst her tears were still floAving, a knocking was heard at the window. One of the slaves arose, and opened the shutter, asking Avho knocked; she received ansAver that Ena's brother Avished to be alloAved to enter the Avhare. But Ena would not grant him per mission to do so, deferring until the morrow an interview with her brother. To this arrangement he expressed acquiescence ; the slaves then AvithdreAv from the whare, leaving Mary, Ena, and Hinema together for the night.

Chapter IV. Warriors In Conclave

'As rushes forth the blast on the bosom of whitening waves, So careless shall my course be through ocean, To the dwelling of foes. I have seen the dead." — Cathlin of Clutha. In the centre of the mountain-fort stood a large runanga, or meeting-house : in it was assembled, on the same night as that on which the events detailed in the foregoing chapter took place, the greater part of the /tapu or tribe inhabiting the fortress. Door and windoAvs Avere closed ; the remains of a large fire glowed on the earthen floor, and around it the attentive Avarriors squatted, sat, or reclined : the heat was intense, and the red glare of the embers lit up the features of the assembly with a bold and uniform tone of Avarm colour. The walls Avere Ioav, and divided into com partments : the minor spaces were filled with the yelloAV reed of the toi-toi grass laid in perpendicular rows ; the major divisions Avere composed of boldly carved pilasters, adorned Avith gigantically contorted representations of the human figure ; the features of the face were the particular care of the native wood carver, and in every instance the representations of the mouth Avere hideous and barbarous in the ex treme, the teeth being shown in shark-like dimension and proportion.

These figures dimly shadowed a vague relationship to the carvings of the rude nations of antiquity, and bore many distinguishing traits with the Avork of the modern Hindoo artist. Hideous ness Avas the leading characteristic of the collection. Circular pieces of the pawa shell were inlaid in the carvings to represent eyes, and these reflected the fire light with sparkling brilliancy, adding ghastliness to the grotesque. Each of the carvings represented a departed chieftain, and Avas knoAvn to the hapu by separate and distinguishing names. Here, as the people met from time to time to deliberate on matters affect ing their common Avelfare, the dead heroes of the tribe Avere supposed to be present, and to lend the lustre of their ancient glory to their hereditary repre sentatives. In the midst of his assembled tribemen sat the chieftain's son Raukawa : the young man had been in WARRIORS IN CONCLAVE. 23 the mountains on a visit to Hahaki the tohunga, or priest, for the last few days, and returned that evening ; first seeking his sister Ena, and next apprising the war riors of the pah with news of alarming import.

All eyes were turned on the young Avarrior as he rose to his feet and stood in the open space allotted to the use of those who were to address the meeting : the firelight showed his fine form and muscular proportions to great advantage ; he was six feet in height, taller than the generality of his tribe ; he held in his hand a spear, ornamented Avith a carved top, from Avhich hung a tassel of red and black feathers and white hair : round his loins he wore a flax mat, Avhich reached half-way down his thighs ; his legs and feet were bare, and his face was tattoed with the appropriate markings of his tribe and his rank : in his hair, which was profuse and black, he wore a comb curiously carved, an heirloom in his family. The expression of his countenance varied with the emotions of the moment, but in general his features were calm and benignant.