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of offering money for them. In spite of this, Krull does not yield as there is a “harte Strafe” for
selling guns to Maori, “so ließen wir uns natürlich in diesen Handel nicht ein” (25.2.1859, 110),
just as there is a £50 fine for giving them alcohol (14.4.1859, 134) on account of their being
easily drunk 41 and consequently getting out of control and losing all inhibitions. During this
fleeting encounter he does not stay long, and after much travelling on horseback they decide to
make camp. However, as their two guides do not return in a hurry from hunting for dinner, they
soon give in to their fears: “[S]o fingen wir schon an zu fürchten, daß sie sich mit unseren Flinten
und Pferden davongemacht haben könnten […]” (25.2.1859, 110). But once they hear their cry of
excitement at catching a wild turkey, “unsere wilden Freunde” return with “freudestrahlendem
Gesichte”, and their superior hunting and culinary skills in the wild are soon revealed (25.2.1859,
112).
When Krull is led to the home of his guides and meets a Maori chief and his wife for the
first time, he is given an opportunity to develop his male-female stereotypes with the notion of
status. However, if anything, it is only the chief himself who receives any degree of respect:
Derselbe mochte 38 bis 40 Jahre alt sein, war europäisch gekleidet, aber im Gesichte ganz und gar
tättowirt; seine Züge hatten einen milden aber festen Ausdruck, und im Ohr trug er, wie fast alle
Eingeborne, einen Haifischzahn. Sein Körperbau war schlank, aber stark, sein Haar kraus. Seine
Frau, die uns mit einer brennenden Pfeife im Munde entgegen kam, war eins der widerlichsten
Frauenzimmer das ich je gesehen; sie war gleichfalls tättowirt, aber nicht so sehr, wie ihr Mann,
und ihre Kleidung bestand einzig und allein in einem schmutzigen Hemde. (25.2.1859, 112)
Here, the male chief stands firm, strong and fully tattooed in his European clothes, while his ugly
wife typically smokes a pipe and is covered in filth. As is already clear from Krull’s earlier
observations, his conception of female ugliness in this case is based not around disfigured tattoos
but rather an aversion to female dirtiness and smoking, if not also a sexual fear. The guests then
engage in a ‘hongi’ ceremony with all the members of the family: “Wir wurden von beiden auf
nationale Weise begrüßt, was uns äußerst komisch war, denn dies geschieht auf die Weise, daß
die beiden Begrüßenden grinsend ihre Nasen an einander reiben und dabei wie die Bienen
summen; je länger dieser Act dauert und je lauter das Gebrumme ist, für um so viel herzlicher gilt
die Begrüßung” (25.2.1859, 112). One can imagine the seemingly endless acts of nose-rubbing
with dirty individuals as having the potential to be a somewhat unnerving experience for Krull,
were it not for the joy in their faces and the comical-like humming which accompanies it.
41 Ibid., 105.
129