John Rutherford, an English seaman, claimed to have been captured by Māori in New Zealand in the 1810s, tattooed, and made a chief before escaping years later. George Lillie Craik first published his story in the 1830s; this edition, introduced by James Drummond, weighs the sailor’s yarn against what was later learned of the islands and their people.
A curious early forecastle tale of New Zealand, read best with its editor’s caution about what is fact. Download the free EPUB.