atives of other tribes, men and women,
who had come to Ohinemutu. We chanced to witness the preparing of a
portion of the feast on the second day after our arrival. A native
seized a large pig by the hind leg, in the midst of the animals feeding
about among the fern-roots, and pulled him backwards toward the lake.
The animal took matters very coolly, much to our surprise, and made no
noise about it. Maori and pig thus backed into the water until the man
was waist-deep, when he suddenly seized the other hind leg of the animal
and threw him upon his back, at the same time putting his foot upon him,
thus holding the pig under water for the space of a couple of minutes,
until life in the animal became extinct. With the aid of one or two
companions, the native then proceeded to chop the pig into small pieces
with an axe and a hatchet. A large camp-kettle stood hard by, in which
some herbs and a few potatoes with spring water had been placed. Into
this kettle the crude, unwashed portions of the carcass were thrust
until it was full to its brim, and then a sheet-iron cover was pressed
on the top and held down by a couple of large stones. A small fire of
chips built upon the hot stones on which the kettle stood in the open
air, soon set the pot to boiling, and in half an hour's time the mess
was quite sufficiently cooked for Maori taste. It was then devoured
eagerly by the hungry mourners who sat round the pot without any attempt
at ceremony, and, so far as we could discover, without the use of knives
or plates; hands and fingers seemed to be all-sufficient. The natives
sometimes partake of bread, when they can get it; but potatoes
constitute their chief diet. The little cooking in which they indulge is
usually performed by the boiling springs, in which they suspend their
potatoes in small wicker nets; and for baking purposes they use the
red-hot stones that are to be found in plenty in this vicinity. These
broad flat stones are the identical ones on which the natives in the
past used to roast their prisoners of war before eating them. It is
impossible to bear one's hand on them for an instant; the wonder is that
stones subjected to such constant heat do not become calcined and break
in pieces.

There are no means for building fires inside the native cabins, which
have little or no furniture; in place of using chairs, the natives squat
upon their hams, like nearly all savage races, and most of the Eastern
tribes. Their beds are