A HOAX.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1234, 2 September 1884, Page 3

A HOAX.

A correspondent writing to a Sydney paper from New Zealand, gives an amusing account of a clever hoax recently perpetrated by some scheming Maoris. He says While I was at Rotorua, the workmen employed at Sulphur Point discovered the remains ot a number of Maoris in one of the caves of that place. The bodies were in a good state of preservation, and were inspected by large numbers of residents and visitors. This attracted the attention of the Maoris at Whakarewerewe, who, anxious to earn an honest penny, speedily discovered another cave, this time in their own neighborhood, well stocked as represented witli Maori mummies in splendid “ preservation.” Each visitor had to fork out a shilling before being shown the newlyfound relics, which were solemnly declared to have been deposited in the sulphur caves in a live state hundreds of years previously; The writer then describes how he with oiL met two Maoris named Paddy aiK J Sv\u«t Willi, un who for the sum of 3s eac.j escorted them to the cave, and goes on to say : We wore considerably impressed by the strange spectacle, and my friend asked Paddy how long the mummies were supposed to have been in the cave ? “ 1,000 years, I should think,” was the reply, “But it is only 100 years since Captain Cook landed here,” persisted my friend. “ Well, what about Captain Cook?” enquired Paddy. “ Only this,” said my inquisitive friend, “I want to know where those mummies get their English blankets from,” It was a fac*. The whole of the mummies were closely wrapped up in blankets. The equanimity of Paddy was not in the least disturbed. “ Pakeba wants to know too much,” he s-dd, “ Mummies got blankets from old Mayor Cook, captain’s father.” “Well,” said my friend, “will you tell me whether these mummies are in the habit of smoking]” “ Why?” asked Paddy. “Because the smell of tobacco was uncommonly strong as we entered the cave.” “No,” replied Paddy, “ it was the sulphur, not tobacco.” This seemed a fair explanation, for there was a number of sulphur holes in the floor, which made it dangerous to walk about without the aid of a guide. “ Weil,” said my friend, “ if you have no objection I will have a smoke, as I detest the fumes of sulphur.” As the ladies of the parties made no demur, my friend at once lit bis pipe. This done, he dropped the lighted match, as if by accident, into the ear of one of the largest mummies. The effect was electrical. With a yell loud enough to have awakened the Seven Sleepers, the supposed mummy jumped up, made a bolt for the entrance, where, dropping his blankets and swearing horribly in Maori-Englisb, he disappeared. In the alarm occasioned by this unexpected incident, Paddy dropped his torch and slipped into one of the bubbling springs, of which there were two or three in the cave, about eight feet deep, and perpendicular sides. The ladies sereamed and the men roared as the whole of the supposed mummies jumped to their feet and followed the example of him with the scorched car. All this time Paddy was yelling with pain, and it we had not pulled him out of the spring he would have be.en boiled to death. As it was, we deemed him sufficiently punished for his knavery ; and leaving him to cool on the floor, we groped our way to the entrance, reaching the village without the assistance of a guide, aud fully impressed that the Maori is no aovioe at Barnumism.