I noticed that among the women
employed in cooking, there was a man-slave: it must be a
humiliating thing for a man in this warlike country to be employed
in doing that which is considered as the lowest woman's work.
Slaves are not allowed to go to war; but this perhaps can hardly be
considered as a hardship. I heard of one poor wretch who, during
hostilities, ran away to the opposite party; being met by two men,
he was immediately seized; but as they could not agree to whom he
should belong, each stood over him with a stone hatchet, and seemed
determined that the other at least should not take him away alive.
The poor man, almost dead with fright, was only saved by the
address of a chief's wife. We afterwards enjoyed a pleasant walk
back to the boat, but did not reach the ship till late in the
evening.
DECEMBER 30, 1835.
In the afternoon we stood out of the Bay of Islands, on our course
to Sydney. I believe we were all glad to leave New Zealand. It is
not a pleasant place. Amongst the natives there is absent that
charming simplicity which is found in Tahiti; and the greater part
of the English are the very refuse of society. Neither is the
country itself attractive.
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