James Cook - A Journal of the proceedings of His Majesty's Bark Endeavour on a voyage round the world, by Lieutenant James Cook, Commander, commencing the 25th of May 1768 - 23 Oct. 1770: No. 166

[page 166]
NEW ZEALAND

November 1769 the Assailants & a number of Darts lay upon it for that purpose, At right Angles to this Stage & a few paces from it was another of the same Construction & bigness this Stood ([note written in Left margin:] Mercury Bay) likewise another the Picketing & was intended for the same use as the other (Viz) to stand upon to throw stones & dash upon the Enemy as they advanced up the side of the Hill where lay the Main way in to the Place, it likewise might be intended to defend some little out works & hutts that lay at the Skirts & on this side of the Hill, these out works were not intended as advanced Posts but for such of the Inhabitants to live in as had not room in the Main works, but had taken Shelter under it, beside the works on the land side above described the whole Village was Pallisaded round with a line of Pretty strong Picketing seen round the Edge of the hill, The ground within having not been level at first but laid Sloping, They had divided it into little squares & Leveled each of these: these squares lay in the form of an Amphitheatre & were each of them Pallisaded round & had communication one with another by narrow lanes & little gateways which could easily be stoped up so that if an Enemy had forced the outer Picketing he had several others to incounter before the place could be easily reduced, suposcing them to defend everyone of the Places one after another, the may way leading into this fortification upon was up a very steep part of the Hill & thro' a narrow Passage about 12 feet long & under one of the Stages. I saw no door nor gate but it might very soon have been barricaded up. Upon the whole I looked upon it to be very strong & well choose Post & were a small number of resolute men might defend themselves a long time against a vast superior force, Arm'd in the manner as these People are, these seem'd to be prepared against a Siege having laid up in store an immense quantity of Firn roots & a good many dryd fish but we did not see that they had any fresh Water nearer than a brook which runs close under the foot of a hill from which I suppose they can at times get water, tho' besiged & keep it in gourds until' they use it, under the foot of the point on which this Village stands are 2 Rocks the one just broke off from the Main & other detached a little from it they are both very small & more fit for Birds to inhabit than men yet there are houses & places of defence on each of them & about a Mile to the Eastwd of these is another of these small Fortified rocks which communicates with the Main by a Narrow Pathway where there is a Small Village of the Natives many works of this kind we have seen upon small Islands & Rocks & Ridges of hill on all parts of the Coast besides a great number of Fortified towns to all appearances Vastly superior to this I have described. From This it should seem that this People must have long & frequent Wars & as not have been long accustomed to it otherwise they never would have invented such strong holds as these, the Erecting