Page:Reminiscences of Earliest Canterbury 1915.pdf/39

 had been taken. My brother and I often hoodwinked them for mischief. This we did when during pigeon shooting we came on their snares. Approaching them very carefully we removed a pigeon or two, and picking up every feather carefully set the snares again. On passing the pa we gave them an equivalent number or more from our bag, but were always most careful to give them birds we had shot. Had we given them one of their own, bearing no shot wounds, they would have found out what we had done. As it was they never knew, and it was a delight to us as boys to know that we could successfully pit our wits against those of the Maori.

The Maoris were not fleet-footed, at least those I came in contact with on the Peninsula were not. I never came across one, man or boy, whom I could not overtake in a race. In a long walk I would outstrip them by miles. Time being no object, they travelled very slowly.

Eventually, when they came to possess horses, they altered their customs, and travelled greater distances, and for much longer periods than formerly. Instead of setting out at about three in the afternoon,