Maori and Settler: A Story of The New Zealand War Read online

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  MAORI andSETTLER

  A STORY OF THE NEW ZEALAND WAR

  BY G. A. HENTY

  Maori and Settler

  G.A. HENTY'S BOOKS

  Illustrated by Eminent Artists

  _Uniform with this Edition_

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  LONDON: BLACKIE AND SON, LTD., 50 OLD BAILY, E.C.

  "DROP THAT OR I FIRE!"

  _Page 227_]

  Maori and Settler

  A STORY OF

  THE NEW ZEALAND WAR

  BY

  G.A. HENTY

  Author of "Redskin and Cowboy" "In Freedom's Cause" "Bonnie Prince Charlie" &c.

  _ILLUSTRATED_

  BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY _Printed in Great Britain_

  PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION

  In the following story I have made no attempt to give anything like ageneral history of the long struggle between the brave tribes of NewZealand and the forces of England and the colony. That struggle lastedover a period of some years, and to do justice to its numerous incidentsin the course of a single volume would have left no space whateveravailable for the telling of a story. It was divided into two distinctepochs. In the first the natives of the north of the islands fought fortheir independence and their right to have a king, and be governed bytheir own laws. Nothing could exceed the courage with which theystruggled for these ends, and it needed a very strong force of Britishtroops to storm their pahs or fortified camps, and overcome theirresistance. The second epoch embraces the struggle brought about by theconversion of a portion of the tribes to the fanatical belief called thePai Marire (literally "good and peaceful"), whose votaries weregenerally known as the Hau-Haus. During the earlier war the nativesbehaved with great moderation, and there were but few cases of themurder of outlying settlers. The slaying of all whites was, however, theleading feature of the Hau-Hau religion, and many cold-bloodedmassacres occurred during the struggle. The British troops had been forthe most part withdrawn before the commencement of the Hau-Hau troubles,and the war was carried on by bodies of constabulary raised by thecolonists, and with the aid of tribes that remained friendly to us. Themassacre of Poverty Bay, which forms the leading feature of my story,and the events that followed it, are all strictly in accordance withfacts.

  G.A. HENTY