urneaux. While this latter vessel was waiting in
Queen Charlotte Sound, a bay opening out of Cook Strait, Captain
Furneaux sent a boat with nine men who were to go on shore and gather
green stuff for food. A crowd of Maoris surrounded them, and one offered
to sell a stone hatchet to a sailor, who took it; but to tease the
native, in silly sailor fashion, this sailor would neither give anything
for it nor hand it back. The Maori in a rage seized some bread and fish
which the sailors were spreading for their lunch. The sailors closed to
prevent their touching the victuals; a confused struggle took place,
during which the English fired and killed two natives, but before they
could load again they were all knocked on the head with the green stone
axes of the Maoris. An officer sent ashore later on with a strong force
found several baskets of human limbs, and in one of them a head which he
recognised as that of a sailor belonging to the party. The officer
attacked some hundreds of the Maoris as they were seated at their
cannibal feast, and drove them away from the half-gnawed bones.

[Illustration: MILFORD SOUND, SOUTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND.]

Cook again touched at New Zealand in the course of his third voyage, and
this time succeeded in maintaining friendly relations with the Maoris
during a short visit. But when the story of Cook's voyage was published
in later years the people of Europe conceived a deep horror of these
fierce man-eating savages.

#7. The Whalers.#--For ten or twelve years New Zealand was not visited by
white men, but the foundation of a town at Sydney, in 1788, brought
ships out much more often into these waters, and before long it was
found that the seas round New Zealand were well stocked with whales.
Vessels came out to carry on the profitable business of catching them
and taking their oil to Europe. For fresh water and for fuel for their
stoves they called at the shores of New Zealand, chiefly at Queen
Charlotte Sound, at Dusky Bay on the west coast of South Island, but
especially at the Bay of Islands near the extreme north of North Island.
There they not only got fresh water but bought fish and pork and
potatoes from the friendly tribes of natives, paying for them with
knives and blankets; and although quarrels sometimes occurred and deaths
took place on both sides, the whalers continued more and more to
frequent these places. Sometimes the sailors, attracted by the good
looks of the Maori girls,