THE MAORIA SLAVE GIRL.

Auckland Chronicle and New Zealand Colonist, Volume 2, Issue 36, 11 April 1844, Page 4

THE MAORIA SLAVE GIRL.

(Written for the Auckland Standard.) [About twelve .months ago, a slave girl was shot at Matta Matta, by her Chief, ; for attending prayers n the native chapel, the ball passed through her body; she was feo carelessly buried, that having been only in a state of insensibility from her wounds she recovered iu the night, crawled to the Missionary pah, where the people received her kindly attended to her wounds, and she soon recovered* They nnanihiously agreed among themselves, tha t as the" chief had buried his slave for dead he had HO 'further claim on the disposal of her person. She lives now with the Christian natives.]

I saw the slave girl bending low in prayer to Him

on high, The poor girl humbly breathed her hopes in many a troubled sigh; , Yet slavery had rudely chained her.fondest hopes

in life, Her dearest ties, the foeman’s axe had severed in tfye strife Her parent’s ghastly wounds she’d seen,and heard

their dying groans, And, Ohi her blood it curdled thick at such heartrending tones. Her father’s head she’d often seen the sport cf savage foes, She'd seen it rolling on the ground with buffets and

with blows ; Her heart it hounded to her throat, she shriek’d her madden’d grief, But in her scalding tears alone, she fonnd a sad relief; For yetis of savage laughter, in the Maori’s direst

hate, Had shrunk her feelings into gloom, her heart was desol; te.

But she had heard the White man’s prayer, and dwelt upon his book, And sometimes it had chased the gloom, and bright ened up. her look: v . . . But yet htp- masters ruthless heart had breathed a murderous vow,— That if she knelt in holy prayer, he’d deal the fatal blow .• She trembled at the threat, but feared God’s anger worse, t . • . . i She "nerved her heart in earnest prayer, and dared the dreadful curse. He met her 1 in the/noon-day light, and evil crossed his brow, . ' For he sfc’Sjvled upon the shrinking girl., whose look was meek and low ; She breathed one prayer to heaven, to reach its blissful shore, Tbe murderous bullet pierced ber form, she fell in streams Of gore : Her hand it grasp’d the verdant herb, her look was cast on high, Her senses fled their resting place, in one sad gurga liug sigh. The hand that did the bloody deed, dug out a shallow cell, Bone wept a tear upon her grave, nor tolled the solemn bell ; The soil wasioosely thrown above to hide the deed from day, And the savage, shuddered at the sight, and turn’d his head away : i . He bent his course towards a stream, whose waters bubbled by, To wash, away the stains of blood that chill’d his savage eye. . , , /* The ball bad pierced her breast, but passed the vital part, Her senses they returned, aud the blood beat in her heart ; She struggled in the feeling, till she crawled out from the grave, And in the gloom and dead of night she sought some hand to save 3 She strove against her, weakness, and before the dawn of light* She poor girl rested with her friends, who mustered in,, their might. A|band of Christian chieftains bad claimed the girl ithgir own, They said she had been buried, and her master’s right was gone; Each with his musket closed around, aud hid the slave from sight, Determined in their kind resolves they would not waive their right; The heathen chiefs applauded, in shouts that rent the sky, .The Christiana bent in silent prayer to who dwells on high. Crayon.