382 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



of sight, lie went up to the post through which his father had 

 disappeared, and pronounced the magic words he had over- 

 heard. To his great joy the obedient post opened up, and 

 Maui boldly descended to the nether regions. Manuahifaie was 

 greatly surprised to see his son down there, but after saluting 

 (literally, "smelling,") him, quietly proceeded with his work. 



"Maui the Third went on an exploring tour through these 

 unknown subterranean regions, the entrance to which he had 

 luckily discovered. Amongst other wonderful things, he fell in 

 with a blind old woman bending over a fire, where her food was 

 being cooked. In her hand she held a pair of tongs (i.e., a 

 green cocoanut mid-rib, split open). Every now and then she 

 carefully took up a live coal and placed it on one side, supposing 

 it to be food, whilst the real food was left to burn to cinder in 

 the fire! Maui inquired her name, and to his surprise found it 

 was Inaporari, (or Ina-the- Blind,) his own grandmother ! The 

 clever grandson heartily pitied the condition of the poor old 

 creature, but would not reveal his own name. Close to where 

 he stood watching the futile cooking of Ina-the-Blind grew four 

 no7io trees (Morindo citri folia). Taking up a stick, he gently 

 struck the nearest of the four trees. Ina-the-Blind angrily 

 said: 'Who is that meddling with the nono belonging to Maui 

 the Elder?' The bold visitor to nether-world then walked up 

 to the next tree and tapped it gently. Again the ire of Ina-the- 

 Blind was excited, and she shouted : ' Who is this meddling 

 with the nono of Maui the Second ?' The audacious boy struck 

 a third tree, and found it belonged to his sister, luaika. He 

 now exultingly tapped the fourth and last nono tree, and heard 

 his old grandmother ask: 'Who is this meddling with the nono 

 of Maui the Third?' 'I am Maui the Third,' said the visitor. 

 'Then,' said she, 'you are my grandson, and this is your tree.' 



" Now when Maui first looked at his own nono-tree, it was 

 entirely destitute of leaves and fruit: but after Ina-the-Bliud 

 had spoken to him, he again looked, and was surprised to see it 

 covered with glossy leaves and fine apples — though not ripe. 

 Maui climbed up into the tree and plucked one of the apples. 

 Biting off a piece of it, he stepped up to his grandmother aud 

 threw it into one of her blind eyes. The pain was excruciating, 

 but sight was at once restored to the eye which had so long been 

 blind. Maui plucked another apple, and, biting oil' a piece of 

 it, threw it into the other eye of his grandmother: and lo ! sight 

 again was restored to it also. Ina-the-Blind was delighted to 

 see again, and, in gratitude, said to her grandson, ' All above 

 and all below ( = All on earth and all in spirit-land) are subject 

 to thee, and to thee only.' Ina, once called ' the Blind,' now 

 instructed Maui in all things found within her territory : that 

 as there were four species of nono, so there are four varieties of 

 cocoanuts and four of taro in Avaiki — i.e., one for each child of 



