men, women, and children, sometimes | each of them a grant of land, with imfor a length of a quarter of a mile, plements and seed, had been made to might be witnessed. The few Morioris | begin an agricultural life on the island that still survive may almost be counted where they must continue to live, the on the fingers of the hands. The news was received with what looked Maori population is also fast decreasing like the silence of respect. One old through disease and drink. Still they own a number of farms, and derive fair profits from the export of wool, and from the curing of young sea-fowl mutton birds and albatrosses - whose inexhaustible nesting-places on the surrounding rocks they yearly visit for the purpose. The interest of the island annals culminates in the exciting episode of the escape of the rebel Te Kooti and his fellow-exiles. Sitting within sight of the scene of the occurrence, I recalled the narrative, told me by an actor in the drama, with the keenest interest, and I believe the story will bear repeating to my readers. chief alone spoke, and in the stately manner, and with the inscrutable countenance, for which the Maoris are distinguished, he replied: "The words of our master are excellent." Not a word or a gesture of dissatisfaction was expressed or evident, and indeed so little was any such feeling among them suspected, that the garrison was withdrawn almost immediately to New Zealand, only a man or two being retained to look after the undismantled redoubt, with, it is difficult to believe, sixty stand of arms and fourteen thousand rounds of ammunition practically unguarded within it. As the troops sailed away out of the bay it was a peaceful At the close of the first Maori war a picture on which their eyes restednumber of the leaders in the rebellion, the deserted redoubt facing them on among whom Te Kooti was the most the top of the cliff over against the important and dangerous, were ban-anchorage, the Union Jack fluttering at ished to the Chatham Islands under its pole, and the apathetic Hauhaus guard of a small English garrison. Te squatting round it on the ground, watchKooti, besides being a chief of high ing with unsuspected interest this, to rank, was also the recognized head and revered high priest of the Hauhau religion, a fanatical bastardy of Christianity, which had taken and still retains a strong hold on the Maori mind. After a short period of stricter surveillance, these prisoners were, on account of and returned here on board the Rifletheir docile bearing, gradually treated man, on her voyage subsequent to the with less and less rigor. Their con- removal of the garrison. As we dropped tinued exemplary conduct brought them anchor a boat, manned by Hauhaus, wider privileges, till they enjoyed the was as usual brought alongside, in liberty of the whole main island during which was a youth with whom I had the day, having only to present them- long been very friendly. Although he selves within the redoubt at nightfall well knew that Waitangi was not the - their imprisonment being indeed port for my station, he, with an inlittle more than a formality. After a sistance I could not understand, begged few years of this apparently quietly permission to land my belongings, accepted exile, the government deter- which I refused to give, for the vessel, mined, against better advice, to grant as I pointed out to him, was going them their full liberty, but without the round to my own port next day in the right to return to New Zealand. Ac- ordinary course. Better take what cordingly they were assembled together, you can, sir, there are many dangers in and on the decision of the government being communicated to them that they were once more free men, and that to them, momentous departure, while on the beach the usual crowd of Europeans and natives had congregated to speed the parting vessel. “I had been on a visit to New Zealand," to continue in the graphic words of Mr. Chudleigh, the bay, he repeated. I again declined, but changing my mind, I sent him for my handbag in which was a considerable sum of money. say the word, sir, and have the rest with you,' he urged once more, as he handed it over the side. If I could then only have caught his meaning! But I was quite unsuspicious, and my well-wisher, evidently privy to the conspiracy that had been formed, dared not be more explicit. 6 'Just not been so serious would have been intensely ludicrous. We were trampled on, kicked, and rolled over and over till our bodies were black and bruised and covered with dirt. Finding in this scrimmage a bare leg across my mouth, I lost my temper and fastened my teeth well in it. Our contest, however, was too unequal to last long and we were "Next day, while occupied in the both finally overpowered and with our court-house with Captain M– check- hands tied to our feet we were laid on ing the government accounts, one of the beach. My little ebullition of temthe long-shore loafers staggering in per all but cost me my life, for the from the public-house called out to us, fellow whose leg I had, bitten was not 'You'd better see what's going on at unnaturally very furious, and having the redoubt, if you're wise men.' possessed himself of a rope, he enKnowing the fellow we ordered him out noosed my neck and with his foot at once. Very well,' he hiccuped as against my back did his best to strangle he took himself off, don't you blame me; but I fortunately managed to reme for not telling you.' Something in lease one hand and thrust it between the man's face struck me, and I sent the rope and my head. My assailant the interpreter to see if anything was then with his foot on my face attempted taking place. He presently hastened to dislodge my arm, but I had got my back to say that the Hauhaus were in fingers so well between my teeth that possession of the redoubt. We both his efforts resulted only in the tearing hurried out just in time to see the En- of their sinews. Finding it impossible glish flag coming down and Te Kooti's to strangle me he next seized the being run up the flag-pole under a salute coulter of one of the ploughs lying on of musketry. Captain M― rushed to the beach and intended for the use of the redoubt in the hope of staying the the Hauhaus, and lunged at my head. revolt, but as he approached, he was Luckily the Maoris have a habit of repulsed by a volley out of which he brandishing a weapon before striking, escaped with only a scratch. I ran to and I was able to dodge several of his the shore to find the master of the Rifle- blows. While he was swinging it in man and order him to slip his cable and the air for what I felt must be for me keep off and on the coast, for if the the last time, I saw his hand seized and vessel were safe the Hauhaus could a revolver presented at his face by one effect very little. The boatmen, who of his own people, who, having seen were Hauhaus, without actually refus- the attack from the redoubt hastened to ing, began excusing themselves from my rescue; for it appeared that strict taking him on board. As a matter of orders had been given by Te Kooti that fact everything had been well planned none of the officials or European resiand the Rifleman was already in posses-dents should be injured in person. My sion of the rebels. As I was disputing cords were cut and I was carried bleedwith them a harmless volley was fired from the redoubt, evidently the signal for action. In a moment more the master of the Rifleman and I were on our backs fighting and struggling. Fortunately the Hauhaus were so excited that they scarcely knew what they were really doing. While they thought they were assisting each other, they were in reality struggling more with each other than with us, and the scuffle if it had ing to the courthouse. A few minutes later a company of the rebels, as well drilled as our own troops, was marched up by Baker, a handsome half-caste, one of Te Kooti's lieutenants, and I was conducted to jail, where I found many of my fellow-islanders already lodged. This man Baker was the most intelligent and the cruellest of all Te Kooti's officers. He had received an excellent education in one of the mis sion schools, he could speak and write sacrificed to the spirits of the ocean. The lot fell on a near relative of Te Kooti, and, as it was not a time to respect persons, the order was given to throw him overboard, and he was accordingly cast into the sea and perished. There is little doubt that the favorable wind which soon after sprang up was credited to the offering they had made. The news of the arrival of the rebels on the coast of the North Island of New Zealand soon reached the government, but the parties of troops sent out against them were unfortunately too small, and a few successful resistances of recapture by Te Kooti, who had, it is said, really intended to retire quietly to the west coast, encouraged him to break into open hostilities, in which he was quickly joined by large numbers of his former companions-in-arms. This was the commencement of the second Maori rebellion which cost the colony £4,000,000 sterling to reduce. Te Kooti and his half-caste lieutenant, Baker, terrorized a great part of the North Island, moving from place to place, committing frightful enormities wherever they appeared, and were pursued by the queen's troops at a great disadvantage through the forest-clad and river-intersected country. The history of the conflict is well known; but I may follow Baker's fortunes to their close. Having raised a picked company of Englishhating Maoris, he attired himself and them in the queen's uniform, a cunning disguise, in which he succeeded in approaching undiscovered close up to and in decimating more than one party of government troops. The following is one of his many daring atrocities. Having learned that a party of Maori women, friendly to us, were to rendezvous with food for one of our native companies at a whare in the forest, he repaired thither with a couple of companions to receive them, dressed as an English officer. And when these poor women, without a suspicion of the deception, carried their burdens into the whare, he closed the door upon them. One woman at a time was passed out to his companions and swiftly murdered with the children that some of them English with remarkable accuracy, and carried. When the ghastly deed was unsuspected evidence was a portion of completed, the dead bodies of the a skull of a bird brought thence amid a women, each with her child and the collection of beach débris to me in New food she had brought laid on her breast, Zealand a few days previous to my sailwere piled by the side of the door, ing by a visitor from Wharekauri-inon which he inscribed, 'Food for the deed, the obtaining of this bone was brave Arawas on their return.' A few the means of hurrying me off. I was days later Captain M- himself was fortunate in engaging its collector, Mr. hailed by Baker under the name of one W. Hawkins (who was returning on of the English officers known to be out board the Kahu), as guide and companafter the rebels. M-, somewhat sus- ion during my visit. A good observer, picious of the spokesman's identity, yet and an excellent horseman and camseeing that both officer and men were paigner, familiar with every foot of the in the queen's uniform, and that he had islands, he proved a most valuable asbeen hailed by name in perfect English, sistant. decided to advance to an interview. My first excursion was made to the Before setting out, however, he gave sand-hills in Petre Bay. It was a beauorders that his movements should be tiful morning after a night of rain when closely watched, and if they saw him Mr. Hawkins and I set out on horseput his hand on his revolver, or drop back. Our road for some miles passed suddenly to the ground, they were to along an avenue in the woods which fire straight on the party regardless of lay some distance inland from the shore, himself. On approaching within a bordered with elegant-leaved matipos short distance of each other Captain (Myrsine chathamica), dark - foliaged M— recognized in a moment the eyes karaka trees (Corynocarpus lævigata), he had so sharply scrutinized in the loaded with handsome clusters of large Wharekauri wool-shed. He gave the olive-like berries, and korimikos with agreed-on signal, and at the same in- their purple, bottle-brush flowers, a stant a volley from his men cut down bushy species of veronica — a group of the most of the rebels. Baker himself plants which here attain to great size and was severely wounded, and though he are peculiarly characteristic of the New lingered for some days, he succumbed Zealand region- the stately represenbefore he could be adjudged the right- tatives of the lowly blue speedwell of eous reward of his crimes. Te Kooti, our own hedgerows; while the thouhaving succeeded in evading in the sand-shaded crannies of the limestone forest shades and among friendly tribes crags that cropped out among the trees every attempt to capture him, was were busked with masses of the fresheventually pardoned by the crown at est fern fronds. We rode rapidly in the close of the war. He still lives harmony with the crisp, clear morning, execrated throughout the land, and still and my eager hopes were heightened a prophet and chief, he is to-day, even by the exhilaration caused by our surin his old age, one on whom the gov-roundings; for the undulations of the ernment requires to keep a watchful road or the numerous breaches in the eye." sand-hills between us and the shore constantly gave and took from us charming pictures framed in foliage of the expansive bay on our left, whose waters, The main object of my visit to the Chatham Islands was to search their geologically recent sand-hills in quest of remains of ancient bird forms of overarched by the cloudless azure, were which unsuspected evidence had come of a deep blue very characteristic of the to my knowledge, and to explore the old Chatham Island seas, and had just moMoriori kitchen-middens in the hope tion enough from the softest of zephyrs of ascertaining whether the extinct to play with the sunbeams, and ruffle moa, or any of the other characteristic into sparkling foam as they rolled gently birds of the mainland, had ever lived up in semicircles on the yellow beach, in this neighboring archipelago. This or rose and fell against the deep rust the Forty colored walls of the high bluff that, | a laboratory. Among them were the some four miles from the anchorage, missing portions necessary to identify breaks the long curve of the Waitangi the bird with certainty, and these placed beach. Beyond this striking buttress beyond all doubt the correctness of my the shore continues in an unbroken assumption that the bird which in resweep for eight miles, over which we mote times had lived here was a rail of had many a splendid gallop. From the large size, all but identical with a spewater's edge the shore rises rather rap-cies of wood-hen named Aphanapteryx, idly into sand-hills sixty to seventy feet hitherto known only from the farin height, shelving down gently land- distant Mascarene Islands, by portions wards. They are much breached by of its beak and limbs. the wind, and here and there are topped It may be remembered that on the with a stunted scrub which is rapidly 13th of August, 1868, the shores of disappearing. Along these eight miles Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia were visof shore and cliff lay the hunting-ited by a disastrous earthquake, by grounds I had come specially to search which scores of cities were overthrown in the hope of obtaining confirmation of and thousands of lives destroyed. So my belief, based on the fragmentary violent was the quivering of the earth cranium picked up by my guide, that that great crags were toppled from the here at one time, though now extinct, pinnacles of the Andes, and the ocean there lived a species of bird, which, if heaved into waves of such height that this outlying island should prove to their undulations swept across have been its home, would be of much whole of the Pacific Ocean. importance in helping to solve the many eight hours after leaving the American difficult problems in the geographical coast these huge rollers reached the distribution of life which this singular longitude of the Chatham Islands, and region presents to the student. Having broke with disastrous force on the shores dismounted and tied our horses to a of Petre Bay. These waves, of which branch beneath the shade of a tree, we there were at least three of greater descended to the shore and began our magnitude than the others, swept in on eager hunt along the slope between the the Waitangi beach, washing many water's edge and the top of the sand- yards of the sand cliffs away, breaking hills, over which were strewn sea-bird through the compact belt of karaka and bones, the skeletons of, at a very mod-ake-ake trees that clothed them, and had erate computation, hundreds of thou- for generations protected them against sands of albatross, penguin, petrel, the inroads of the sea and the force of cormorant, and all kinds of water-fowl, none of them distinguishable from species now living. We wandered up and down for a long time without finding any of the bones of which I was in quest. At length, however, I was arrested, on the higher part of the slope towards the base of the sand-hills, by observing at my foot, surrounded by some of the principal bones of the skeleton, the protruding point of a skull, unmistakably of the same species of bird to which the fragment I had examined in New Zealand belonged. The bones were lying in situ, embedded in a hard, pink sand out of which it required some care to extract them without fracture. When disinterred they proved to be almost as perfect as if macerated in the wind. The latter of these agencies has during the last twenty-five years continued ceaselessly to widen the breaches then made in the hills, and has already broken down and carried away into the country beyond stratum after stratum, in some places down to the limestone rocks underlying the sand. The hills in a few places, however, still present an unbroken face, where the succession of the strata can be seen as they existed before the tidal waves disturbed the scene. The belt of wood on the crest of the sand-hills, formerly unbroken along the whole length of the shore, stands on a band of dark vegetable soil, whose depth indicates that a long period of time has been necessary for its accumulation. Beneath this bed lies a sec |