if he had an envious eye on any particular own credit and the law of muru compelled piece of property held by his neighbor, that him either to sack my house or die in the article was now brought more within the attempt. I was glad enough to prevent probability of his possession. either event by paying him two whole bags In the eyes of the law of muru, so to of shot, two blankets, divers fishhooks, and speak, a blunder was more important than certain figs of tobacco, which he demanded. a crime. Indeed, the punishment of a crime I found that I had really and truly committed did not seem to come within its province, as a most horrid crime. I had on a journey we shall see later on. It was rather a penal made a fire at the foot of a tree, in the top law for carelessness and folly, or, as one of which the bones of my friend's grandfather writer expresses it, " a process of atonement, had once been deposited, but from which which the disgraced individual goes through they had been removed ten years before; in order to be restored to good and regular the tree caught fire and had burnt down: standing." and I, therefore, by a convenient sort of The offenses which called this law into figure of speech, had roasted his grandfather action were almost innumerable, many of and had to pay the penalty accordingly." them to our minds very trivial and amusing. The ordinary Maorian could not buy him An Englishman who had settled in New self off as this pakcha (foreigner) did, even if he desired to. In a genuine case of muru, Zealand relates his encounters with this pe culiar legal institution, as follows: "I have there were certain well-defined rules to be often myself been paid the compliment of followed. Take, for example, the case of being robbed for little accidents occurring in the burnt child. The first to take action in my family, and have several times also, from the matter was the family of the mother — a feeling of politeness, robbed my Maori the child being held to belong to the family friends, though I can't say I was a great of the mother more than of the father. gainer by these transactions. I think the Their resentment against the unfortunate greatest haul I ever made was about half a parent would seem to have been for his al bag of shot, which I thought a famous joke, lowing an incipient warrior, of whom he had seeing that I had sold it the day before to the rearing, to be so injured. To permit the owner for full value. A month after such a matter to pass unnoticed would be this I was disturbed early in the morning by an insult to all concerned, for it would mark a voice shouting, ' Get up! — get up! I will them among their tribe as persons of no kill you this day. You have roasted my importance. Clearly, to maintain the stand grandfather. Get up! — stand up!' I, of ing of both families, the father must be course, guessed that I had committed some murued. His brother-in-law took the mat heinous though involuntary offense, and the ter in hand and mustered a strong part}'. A messenger was dispatched to the offender 'stand up' hinted immediate probable con sequences; so I turned out, spear in hand, to announce their coming. " Is it to be a and who should I see, armed with a bayonet great muru?" inquired the victim. " Yes," on the end of a long pole, but my friend, said the messenger, " it is to be a very great the erstwhile owner of the bag of shot. He muru indeed." With a heart bounding with came at me with pretended fury, made some delight, the man got ready to be " licked." smart bangs and thrusts, which I parried, So pleased was he at the prospect that he and then explained to me that I had ' cooked took the trouble to prepare a feast of his his grandfather,' and that if I did not come best things for those who were coming to down handsome in the way of damages, punish him. deeply as he might regret the necessity, his When the muruing party arrived he seized
