THE MAGIC PORTRAIT.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 December 1921, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE MAGIC PORTRAIT.

THE MAORIS PUZZLED. ’ A STORY OF THE EARLY DAYS. (By R. H. Rockel, New Plymouth.) Long years ago about the time of Captain Cook’s first visit to New Zealand, there dwelt in the kainga of Papawai, near the Bay of Islands, a stalwart handsome youth named Mawhai. While on a visit to a neighboring kainga he had met the belle of the district, a charming maiden named Rora. and had promptly fallen in love with her. His advances were at first kindly received, but as the courtship proceeded the young lady exercised the privilege of her sex by showing favor to other suitors. Having reduced her lover to the depths of distress on some occasions, and having raised him to the pinnacles of hope on others, and having led him a dance generally, she finally yielded to hi? solicitations and became his bride. The newly-married couple took up their residence in the kainga of PapaThe first few years of their married life passed like a prolonged honeymoon During Mawhai's absence at times with a taua. Rora looked after the home, and received her husband on his return with that cordiality which make* absence loae all its bitterness. In spite of this state of happiness, there were times when Mawhai roused the jealousy of hi* wife by innocently paying attention to the other belles of the kainga. At such times the relations between the two became somewhat strained for a few days. The climax wa« reached when Rora discovered in her husband’s possession an ear pendant of shark’s tooth, which she imagined she had seen in the ears of a certain young lady. In vain did the unfortunate husband explain that he had found it. The anwer to every attempted explanation was a torrent of abuse. Time however, which heals all things, finally soothed the lady’s wounded feelings. and once more domestic bliss was established. So three years passed by. varied by storm and sunshine, when suddenly the whole kainga was stirred to its depths news of the arrival of two ships. rew Maoris had seen a ship, and the news spread like wildfire. Every man, woman and child hastened to the nearest . point of vantage to see the strange I sight. The warriors seized their weapons , and manned their canoes to repel the in- ! vader«. Putting out from shore, they eame as near to the ships as they dared, and then awaited developments. Soon the Strange white men were seen gesticu I latiag from the ships, and holding out Jiiecea of gaily colored cloth. Nearer i

and nearer ventured the canoes, until they were close under the slowly moving ships. A few pieces of cloth, some iron rails, a knife or two dropped into the canoes begot confidence, and the immediate result was a crowding round the ships of all the canoes. But the strangers still moved on slowly until they reached a wooded island about a mile from the beach. The anchors were then dropped, and boa‘s .owered and rowed to the island. Such an arrival was early in May, 1772 of the celebrated Marion du Fresiie j with his two ships the Mescarin and the i Castries. After a long and adventurous I voyage in the South Seas the French J navigator had reached New Zealand. He sailed up the west coast of the North Island, seeing on the passage Mount Egmont. and naming it “Mount Mascarin.” Reaching the north of the island, he went on to the Three Kings, where he attempted to get fresh supplies of wood and water for his exhausted crews. The weather was too rough to permit of a landing there. Sailing south, he entered Spirits Bay, where he was again unsuccessful in his attempt to land. He, therefore continued his voyage, and finally, on May 3rd, he entered the Bay of Islands. Immediate preparations were made to land on the island the large number of sick men and to establish a hospital there. For this purpose the island was eminently suitable, as both good wood and water were abundant-, the bay teemed with excellent fish, while its isolated position secured safety from any possible attacks by the natives.

Marion also resolved to take the opportunity to overhaul and refit the ships. The constant battling with the storms of the Southern Ocean and severely tried the spars and rigging, and the captain hopeu to be able to secure suitable timber for his purpose from the dense forests which met his gaze in every direction.-- 4

Accordingly, as soon as the hospital was ready and the sick landed with attendants and armed guards, he opened negotiations with the Maoris in order to obtain the timber he needed. With this end in view he encouraged the leading men to visit the ships, and gave them presents of axes, knives, cloth, beads, and the usual objects of barter with natives. To impress his visitors with his friendly intentions he allowed parties of sailors’to visit the kaingas and fraternise with the inhabitants. He also showed them over the ships, and excited their wonder and awe by firing both znusketa and cannon. Among these frequent visitors to the ships was our friend Mawhai. He took several presents, and filled Rora with wonder by his accounts of the strange things he had seen and of the thunder and lightning which the white man could produce. While on board one day his interest was raised to the highest pitch by a miniature portrait of a lady, which was shown him by one of the officers. The representation of the face was so exact that he at once suspected some occult power, and pressed the officer to give it to him. However, this could not be done. But Mawhai never forgot the wonderful picture of the woman carried by t-he white man. A few davs after the establishment of the hospital, Marion was able to come to an understanding with Te Koure, the leading chief. Permission was given to explore the woods for suitable trees, and to cut these down and take them on board. Several days were spent in a search by the French commander, and a party of men. often accompanied by a number of natives and even by Te Koure himself. The greatest friendship was manifested by the latter towards his visitors and very material assist-

I ance was given. At length several suitable trees were 1 chosen a few hundred yards from the beach. Working parties were landed, j and a ramp established. The work of ; felling and trimming the tree. 4, and of ' constructing to the beach a track along i which the timber might be dragged, were ! put in hand simultaneously. The work I went on smoothly for a week or So. The ■ Maoris, including Mawhai. paid many i visits to the camp, and on several occa- | sions were detected in attempting to -teal various articles. The alertness of he guard, however prevented them. Marion himself visited the working par- • t ies nearly every day. and often amused I himself by shooting birds in the neighborhood. A fortnight after the landing of the | working parties those left on board ob- ■ served great excitement among the ' Maoris on shore and in the canoes. Then . came the terrible new*: “Te Koure has I killed Marion!” Immediately two boat- [ loads of armed men were despatched to 1 the camp of the wood-cutters to ascertain the truth. On the way natives i were seen with clothing, tools and other I spoils, and fears for the worst were ! confirmed. The camp was found to have been looted, and one or two baskets containing cooked portions of human flesh were found. No trace of the commander I was seen, but his silver-mounted fowli ing-piece was observed in the hands of a native. . To tell the story of the reprisals exacted by the French, the Maori attack on the hospital and the departure of the strangers is outside our purpose. Amongst the warriors who had taken part in the attack on the wood-cutters’ camp was our friend Mawhai. Good-nat-

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ured as» he was usually, he was unable to withstand the two-fold temptation of an invitation to join the attacking party and of rhe hope of securing some of the plunder. Moreover. Rora’s insistence on his sharing in the white man’s treasures

was a powerful incentive. Early in the attack he had speared one of he two officers in command, and had immediately stripped him of his coat, which he immediately put on himself. On his return home he was the envied of all who beheld him.

A few days after the massacre, and after the French had departed, he revisited the site of the plundered camp in the hope of picking up some article of value. After a long search he discovered what seemed to him a picture such as the white officer had shown him on the ship.

Here was a treasure indeed! It was a small round silver bob about three inches in diameter. He eageily raised the lid. anxious to see the white woman’s face. He dropped the thing with a gasp of astonishment when he saw no white-skin-ned lady’s face but the tattoed and grizzled face of a Maori warrior! After a few minutes his curiosity overcame his fears, and he ventured to pick up the strange thing. Sure enough, he saw once more the warrior’s face. Tt must indeed be the picture of a warrior made by some white man. He. therefore, carefully placed ft in one of the pockets of the coat.

On his arrival at his home he assured his wife that he hau found nothing. But for days afterwards he carried about his treasure, taking frequent peeps at it. Rora’s sharp eyes detected his unusual movements, but her questions received no satisfactory answer. She then determined to make investigations for herself. Accordingly, one night, s-he did what her white sisters are said sometimes to do—she overhauled the coat while Mawhai was fast asleep. Secreting the mysterious object till daylight, she eagerly awaited an opportunity to examine it. Therefore, as soon as she found herself alone she opened the lid and there she saw the charming face of a young woman. She ha'd heard of the picture of the white woman, and now her husband was treasuring in secret a picture of a pretty young Maori woman.

All her old jealousy blazed out once more. On Mawhai’s return she taxed him with his infidelity, which, naturally., he denied, telling her that what she imagined to be the picture of a woman was a white man’s picture of a tattooed warrior. An examination of the portrait afforded no satisfaction.

Some of the older women of the kainga were then appealed to. The portrait wa* produced. “You arc a fool, Rora. Tnis is-not a picture of a young woman. Tt is that of an old one,” said the first old crone ip whom it was shown. Each one to whom it was handed gave a different account of it.' Then Mawhai appealed to some of his male' friends, whose inspection naturally corroborated his statement that it was the picture of a warrior. Clearly the thing was bewitched. and there was nothing for it but to appeal to the tohunga. The investigation by this expert convinced him that such was indeed the case, and he proceeded by his art to exorcise the spirit. Unfortunately, that afternoon the thing was seen by a slave, Netana, lying near the door of Mawhai’s whare. He picked it up and examined it. Delighted by the novelty he concealed it on his person. During the course of the toliunga’s exorcism the thing was missed, and a curse pronounced upon whomsoever had taken or concealed it. Immediately ihe culprit restored it to the whare, but. in order to escape detection he concealed it inside the toe-toe .reed lining of the whare. In spite of all incantations and curses the thing was not recovered.

A few days later Netana. while engaged in catching eels in a stream near by. was killed by a passing party, and the thing was lost forever. Long years passed away, and the kainga was ultimately abandoned. The whare* crumbled way, and nothing but a few fragments of poles was seen. Fern an<( weeds took possession of the site. Some Pakeha boys from a farm not far away, playing about on the abandoned site, and removing some of the old rubbish discovered a small round silver-mounted mirror.

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