The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-05-10

I'm those days. when was a youth.
we Maoris had no weapons or tools but
what we made ourselves OF wood or
stone. We lived In our fortified places
on the hilltops. and never came down TO
the plains except for war or for the
chase. All this open country that you
sec now was covered with forests or
with tussock grass, ferns aud shrubs
twice as high AS this pharc The fre
had never passed over n aud the growth
was so thick that no man could make
his way through IL. Each tribe bad
their own tracks. known only 10 them
selves. and when we went on "A war ex-
petition we used TO cut new tracks, SO
that our enemies could not tell which
way we were coming from III by chance
they had discovered our old ones. The
rivers were much higher than they are
now, and all the lower lands for hun
dreds OF miles on both sides were often
covered with water. Where the rivers
spread out on the plains there were
shallow lakes or swamps and In these
swamps there grew trees like fern trees
you can see the stumps OF them now
and a great many other trees and
plants which have gone aud left moth.
ing behind them but peat. Those for
ests and swamps were full OF birds aud
animals that arc quite unknown now.
The hdurche. great beast like a seal.
only with four feet aud a tail. was quite
common then. Ii lived on cells and fish
and only came ont at night. and Ii could
run on land or swim In water. as IL
pleased Then there were multitudes of
birds without any wing. like Rfpis, but
much bigger much bigger. with long
necks aud thick legs. Some were as
high AS a boy, and some were as high as
a man, and some were twice as high as
a man, a tall man--twice as high as |
am. These were the moas you have
been talking about tonight. IL made
me laugh when heard IL said that the
pdkehos. the Europeans. the wise men
who write books, say there have been
no moas alive for 800 years. The wise
pdkehds 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 a few
whiffs from his pi pc. During the inter.
val there was n rustling OF fiax'mats and
then a murmur OF hurried conversation.
questions. answers. ordinations, and
here and there among the crowd .
Wdidfa or improvised song. droned not
unmeodiously In low key. AT length
the voices among knot OF eager disput
ants at the far end OF the tohdre rose
above the general habbie. Havana
Paipai shot Keen glance In that direc-
ton.
What Is the matter down theref" he
asked In n voice that silenced everybody
In moment What are you boys
sauabbling aboutf'
I'VE are not squnbbling, father, re.
piled grand young STRIPPING. jumping
10 his feet "Wi KEPT said you had not
told us how you managed to catch the
moas. and said he had better ask YOU
himself II he was not satisfied WI Kept
never believes anybody. lie judges
others by himself"
This sally was received with loud
laughter, for the doubter evidently was
not popular; but Havana Paipai raised
his taidhd high In the air aud every one
hushed his neighbor 10 listen.
I'VE had no guns. no rides, no horses
no swift dogs" the old chief said. re.
peating the very words OF the t0hunga.
Not even hHrt. the mongrel Yet we
knew how 10 catch and kill the moas.
We did not 60 out after the moas every
day. as you boys go out after pigs and
cells We made preparations for the
hunt many days or months beforehand.
We decided which swamps we would
drive the birds out of aud which valley
we would chase them down. aud often
we arranged II so that they should be
forced TO take TO the seashore aud run
along tho sand for whole days Jour
ney. 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 aud swiftest runners
la irlce. We drove the moas out OF the
swamps with shouts and trumpets. and
the smoke OF fires, when the wind suited.
and. as soon rs they took the direction
we wanted. the first party OF runners
followed them. shouting aud blowing
horns. We had great wooden trumpets
then. that could be heard a mile. and
the moas used 10 run In terror from
them. When once they began rushing
In herd down the valley Il was easy
enough TO keep them going. The second
party OF runners would be waiting In
4A..I. 4 "a.