nse, while his large black eyes looked into our own with a
half-pleading, half-grateful expression. The father told us that the
favorite amusement of the boy was tossing small articles high into the
air and seeing them fall to the earth. Having this in mind, we
commissioned Harry Kerr to purchase a strong ball for the unfortunate
child, and to bring it to him on the return trip. The health of the boy
has always been perfect, and his strength is equal to that of a youth of
twice his age. He has brothers, one older and one younger than himself,
both of whom seem to be of even more than ordinary intelligence, and all
are over-fond of the unfortunate one.

After leaving the forest and crossing a volcanic mountain, the road
winds across the broad reach of table-land which borders Lake Rotorua,
whose waters lay shimmering under the warm and brilliant tints of the
afternoon sun. We drove for three or four miles along the side of this
beautiful and romantic sheet of water, concerning whose one island the
Maoris have many curious legends, prominent among which is one nearly
identical with that of Leander and the Hellespont,--possibly antedating
that classic story, and thus proving that "there is nothing new under
the sun." This lake is justly celebrated for its scenic beauty and
remarkable surroundings, being about ten miles long by eight or nine in
width.

As we approached the quaint little settlement of Ohinemutu, over which
floated a heavy sulphurous cloud of steam, a motley cortege was met,
consisting of men, women, and children decked in all the gay colors
which delight the Maori heart. Their heads were dressed in gorgeous
feathers, yellow wattle-blossoms, and other fantastic ornaments, their
faces rendered hideous by tattooing. Each of the women had an infant
upon her back, held in position by a tawdry shawl arranged in the form
of a sack and tied across the breast. These natives called to mind the
feather-crowned Crow Indians of the Yellowstone Valley, both races
living in a wonderland of geysers, boiling springs, and sulphurous
vapor. This display proved to be a funeral procession in honor of a dead
chief named Rotohika. Curiosity led us to follow the procession to the
grave near at hand, where the ceremony was brief but peculiar. Two of
the dead chief's wives knelt by the coarse wooden box which supplied
the place of a coffin, and made sacrifice of their long dark locks of
hair, cutting them from their heads and placin