An Old Story.

Manawatu Herald, 6 May 1893, Page 3

An Old Story.

.-_■•■ . r (Continued.) * "When the ships left the Cape they fetched the Kerguelen islands and then called at Tasmania. Here it was the intention of Captain Cook to turn out some of the pigs he had brought, the ancestors of those pigs who have been poking their noses so much into New Zealand history that they have become of exceeding length and are celebrated as being regular "~ Captain Coolers;" so much for pedigree. But on presenting them to the Chiefs, they seized them so eagerly that he believed they would be " converted " too quickly and so he ' resumed ' them and let them ashore on the quiet. The ships then, in February 1777, arrived in Queen Charlotte's Bound, where, so the chronicler says '• not a man on board who did not now think himself at home, so much like Great Britain is the island of New Zealand." To show how genuine the book is, from which we quote, we may remark that the old type s is used which resembles an f in all except that the cross stroke does not appear in the s, but only one half of it. It makes funny reading as one is trying to pronounce the words commencing with s as though they commenced with an f, which causes some Judicious mistakes. The writing is not so careful as it has to be nowadays, and some quaint expressions are used, in one place, an opossum being described as " about twice the big- " 'nelsof a cat." ' With all explorers it has been an to get Natives of a new country to travel' with them so that they might, oh their return, narrate the marvels of the white man. Captain

Cook was anxious to Qhtom some Maorie3 and seeing two promising youths on board a canoe he asked the father if he would not part with the boys. The youths looked with eagerness at their father* as if they wished to follow the man so rich, and the lather seemed as willing to part with the lads and replied in the affirmative, and the bargain was struck. Thus, for two hatchets and a few nails Captain Cook purchased two fine boys, the eldest named Tibura (Taweiharooa) about 16 years old, and the youngest called Gowah (Koksa) about ten. During the time of laying up at the Sound the men were employed brewing what they termed spruce beer. It apparently Was Made from the white pine trees as the tree from which they gathered the leaves and berries is described as being as large as the largest English Firs, but with tops more like Yews. It is said to be an excellent preservation from scurvy, and as the liquor was found so salutary, as it seemed to strike at the very root of the scurvy, the crews of both ships were supplied with it during their continuance in New Zealand and for several weeks after they were afc sea, in fact as long as it lasted. . -■ The discoverers had not much to say about the animal or vegetable life of the colony though it is asserted that among the reptiles there was a kind of lizard eight feet in length, and as big round as a man's body ; they burrow ill the ground, and sometimes' seized and devoured men. Probably this is the much talked of Taniwha. It is written that there Were no traces of any four-footed animal, rats and a kind of fox-dogs excepted, on which the priests and chiefs sometimes, but seldom, feasted. The log declares that when at sea a New Zealand dog was dressed for the great cabin, when the New Zealand boys were, with great^difficulty , with-held from eating it raw. (To be continued.)