Best. — Maori Eschatoloqy. 205 



her last breath, and pass out over the edge of the rohe potae 

 n search of another world. 



Some days before the child's death her parents arrived, and 

 her father began to prepare for carrying the child back to her 

 home at Maunga-pohatu, that she might draw her last breath 

 at her home and on her own tribal lands. Knowing the extreme 

 roughness of the track, and judging that such carrying would 

 cause the child much suffering, I objected strongly, saying that 

 she should be allowed to die or recover where she was. I gained 

 my point, but much offended some of the child's elders by my 

 interference. As the child passed away an old woman sitting 

 near raised the mournful long-drawn wail for the dead, and then 

 many voices were raised to bewail the loss of Marewa-i-te-rangi. 

 It was principally a wordless wail, but every now and then one 

 or another would give a few lines of some old dirge. 



The people of Te Whaiti wished the child to be buried at that 

 place, but her people objected. Therefore a coffin was made of 

 rough boards, the body placed in it, and the coffin tied on to a 

 bier for carrying. Young men of the district offered their 

 services as carriers, two carrying the bier, bearers changing every 

 mile or two. The parents of the child asked me to accompany 

 them to their home and see the last of their child. I could not 

 leave with them, but knew that it would take them three days 

 to carry the child home, whereas I could walk the distance in 

 a day and a half. So I delayed starting until they had covered 

 half the distance. The party stayed a night at three different 

 Native villages, and at each place the mournful wailing was in- 

 dulged in, as also speech-making. And the people of each 

 place asked that the child be buried in their urwpa (burial- 

 ground), but the father objected. The family with whom the 

 child had stayed at Te Whaiti accompanied the party, at, I think, 

 the parents' request. 



The last night on the road was passed at Rahitiroa, and I 

 caught up to the party just before they arrived at that isolated 

 hamlet. As we wended our way along the forest range, about 

 three-quarters of a mile away, our party fired two guns to let the 

 village people know we were near. They had before been apprised 

 of the probable date of the arrival of the party. As we passed 

 down the bush-covered spur leading down to the hamlet I saw 

 old Hopa, of Hamua, cut a stick and hand it to one of the women 

 of our party. As we approached the plaza we saw the peoplo 

 of the village assembled thereon, while men were firing guns 

 frequently, some standing on the roofs of outhouses as they 

 fired. As we halted about 30 yards from the collected people 

 the coffin was placed on the ground and the wailing for the dead 

 was proceeded with. After this was over our party sat down, 



