Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1890-05-01

n man, a tall man--twice as high as /
am. These were the moas you have
been talking about tonight. 1t made
me laugh when heard it said that the
pdkeidS. the Europeans, the wise r,en
who write books, say there have been
no moas alive for 800 years. The wise
pakehds think they know everything be.
cause they have books and can read and
write. But there are some things they
know no more about than babes. They
can not tell what this land was like when
was young man any more than they
can tell what the other side of the moon
is like. | have seen moas alive. hun
dreds of them. tens of hundreds of them.
/ have hunted them. have killed them.
/ have eaten them"
The old chief here paused to take
breath and refresh himself with few
whiffs from his pc. During the inter
val there WAS rustling Of fax mats and
then murmur of hurried conversation,
questions. answers. ordinations, and
here and there among the crowd q
mdidta or improviscd song. droncd not
unmelodiously in n low key. At length
the voices among knot Of eager disput-
ants at the far end Of the tehare rose
above the general habbie. Havana
Paipai shot keen glance in that direc-
ton.
What is the matter down tbere2" he
asked in voice that silcnced every body
in moment. What are you boys
squahblng about?'
we are not squabbliug. father, re.
piled grand young stripping jumping
TO his feet. wi Kept said you had not
told us how you managed to catch the
m0as. and said he had better ask you
himself if he was not satisfied. Wi KEPT
never believes anybody. He judges
others by himself"
This sally was received with loud
laughter, for the doubtcr evidently was
not popular; but Havana Paipai raised
his tdtdhd high in the air aud every ono
flushed his neighbor TO listen.
I'VE had no guns, no rifles, no horses.
no swift dogs" the old chief said. re-
peating the very words of the tohunga.
Not even Kurt, the mongrcl. Yet we
knew how to catch and kill the meas.
We did not go out after the moas every
day, as you boys go out after pigs Gad
cells. We made preparations for The
hunt many days or months beforehand.
We decided which swamps VIC would
drive the birds out of aud which valley
we would chase them down, aud often
we arranged it so that they should be
forced to take to the seashore aud run
Aloug the sand for whole days jour
ncy. Then we made camps all along the
line of the hunt, five or six miles apart,
and hidden in the scrub above the val
ley. There We posted relays of young
men, the strongest and swiftcst runners
in triCe. We drove the moas out of the
sw"lnps with shouts and trumpcts, and
the smoke of fires. when the wind suited,
and, as soon as they took the direction
VIC wanted. the first party of runners
followed them, shouting and blowing
horns. We had great wooden trumpets
then. that could be heard mile, and
the moaS used TO run in terror from
them. When once they began rushing
in herd down the valley it was easy
enough to keep them going. The second
party Of runners would be waiting in
their camp watching, and, as soon as the
birds ran past, they would come out of
the scrub aud drive them on toward the
next camp. the first party, who were
tired out. taking possession of their hid
ing place, where food, and water, and a
good bed of fern were ready for them.
SO the birds were driven from camp TO
camp until they had run all day without
stopping. and their feet were sore with
running over stones and prickly plants
and their feathers were torn Ey the
bushes and brnmblcs. At last they could
run NO longer.
Then WAS the dar yerous time, for
they would turn on their pursucrs and
light desperately with their great feet.
Fh"v Il thr"" i0"s. harl like IL horses
hoof and nearly as big, but very sharp.
A moa's foot ripped like n bonr's tusks.
| have seen a strong man killed by a
moa, with both his arms broken and h is
head torn open. Then they ran at you
with their nccks stretched out and peck
ed at your eyes and face with hcak as
sharp and strong as Ratchet. When n
Cock Of mOas turned on us we used to
take shelter in the scrub or climb up
trees, and just keep them in sight until
the parties coming on behind us arrived.
Then. when there were enough of US to
surround the flock, we closed in on
them and killed them with our spears.
Sometimes. at the end of n long chase,
they would lie down and die from cx-
haustion and hunger; but often they
would fight 10 the last and wound every