Volume 2

The natural history of man : being an account of the manners and customs of the uncivilized races of men / by J.G. Wood.

Date:
1868-1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The natural history of man : being an account of the manners and customs of the uncivilized races of men / by J.G. Wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    172/880 (page 160)
    before we were aware, they liad_ taken complete possession ; and forthwith made us their prisoners. Tremendous were the bawlings and screechings of the barbarians, while they stamped, and brandished their weapons, consisting principally of clubs and spears. One chief with his cookies (his slaves) had surrounded the captain, holding their spears at his breast and his sides, on the larboard quarter of the vessel. Mr. Tyerman, under guard of another band, stood on the starboard; and Mr. Bennet on the same side, but aft, towards the stern. Mr. Threlkeld and his little boy, not seven years old, were near j\Ir. Bennet, not under direct manual grasp of the savages. The chief who, with his gang, had been trafficking with Mr. Bennet, now brought his huge tattooed visage near to Mr. B.'s, screaming, in tones the most odious and horrifying, ' Tongata, New Zealandi, tongata kakino ?—Tongata, New Zealandi, tongata kakino ?' This he repeated as rapidly as lips, tongiie, and throat could utter the words, which mean, ' Man of New Zealand, is he bad man ?—Man of New Zealand, a bad man ?' Happily Mr. Bennet understood the question (the New Zealand dialect much resembling the Tahitian): wherevipon, though convinced that inevitable death was at hand, he answered, with as mucli composure as could be assumed, ' Kaore kakino tongata New Zealandi, tongata kapai' (' Not bad ; the New Zealander is a good man'); and so often as the other, with indescribable ferocity of aspect and sharpness of accent, asked the same question (which, might be a hundred times), the same answer was returned. ' But,' inquired Mr. Bennet, ' why is all this uproar ? Why cannot we still rub noses, and buy and sell, and barter, as before?' At this moment a stout slave, belonging to the chief, stepped behind Mr. Bennet, and pinioned both his arms close to his sides. No effort was made to resist or elude the gigantic grasp, Mr. B. knowing that such would only accelerate the threatened destruction. Still, therefore, he maintained his calmness, and asked the chief the price of a neck-ornament which the latter wore. Immediately another slave raised a large tree-felling axe (which, with others, had been brought to be sharpened by the ship's company) over the head of the prisoner. This ruffian looked with demon-like eagerness and impatience towards his master for the signal to strike. And here it may be observed that our good countrymen can have no idea of the almost preternatural fury which savages can throw into their distorted countenances, and infuse into their deafening and appalling voices, when they are possessed by the legion-fiend of rage, cupidity, and revenge. Mr. Bennet persevered in keeping up conversation with the chief, saying, ' We want to buy bruaa, kumera, ika, &c. (hogs, potatoes, fish), of you.' Just then he perceived a youth stepping on deck with a large fish in his hand. ' What shall I give you for that fish?'—' Why, so many fish-hooks.'—'Well, then, put your hand into my pocket and take them.' The fellow did so. ' Now put the fish down there, on the binnacle, and bring some more, if you have any,' said Mr. Bennet. At once the fish that he had just bought was brought round from behind and presented to him again for sale. He took no notice of the knavery, but demanded, ' What shall I give you for that fish?'—'So many hooks.'—'Take them. Have you no other fish to sell?' A third time the same fish was offered, and the same price in hooks required and given, or rather taken, by the vendor, out of his jacket pockets, which happened to be well stored with this currency for traffic. A fourth time Mr. Bennet asked, ' Have you never another fish ?' At this the rogues could contain their scorn no longer, but burst into laughter, and cried, ' We are cheating the foreigner!' ('Tangata ke!') supposing that their customer was not aware how often they had caught him with the same bait. By this ingenious plan of pretending to be the dupe of the Maories, Mr. Bennet contrived to gain time, of which he knew that every minute was of the greatest import- ance, and at last he was rewarded for his courageous diplomacy by the arrival of a boat, in which was a friendly chief, who at once cleared the ship. The reader will observe that at this time the New Zealanders had not abandoned the use of the spear as a weapon of war, though only twenty years afterwards scarcely a spear could be found that was not intended as an emblem of hospitality instead of strife. At fig. 3 is shown a very curious club, called Patu by the natives, and popularly but wrongly, called by sailors a battle-axe. It is about five feet in length, and has at one end