Teegear. — Polynesian Folk-lore. 383 



Manuahifare. Maui asked Iua, 'Who is lord of fire ?' She 

 replied, ' Thy grandfather, Tangaroa-tui-mata' (or Tangaroa-of- 

 the-tattooed-face). ' Where is he '?' inquired Maui. ' Yonder,' 

 rejoined his grandmother ; ' but do not go to him. He is a 

 terribly irritable fellow ; you will surely perish.' But as Maui 

 persisted, the grateful goddess Ina said, ' There are two roads 

 to his dwelling. One of these is the path of death ; whoever 

 unwittingly approaches the Great Tangaroa by this path, dies : 

 the other is the common (or "safe," noa) road.' Maui disdained 

 to tread the path of safety. Knowing his own prowess, he boldly 

 trod the path of death. Tangaroa-of-the-tattooed-face, seeing 

 Maui advancing, raised his right hand to kill him — that hand 

 which as yet had never failed to destroy its victim. But Maui, 

 nothing daunted, lifted his right hand. At this, Tangaroa, not 

 liking the aspect of Maui, raised his right foot, for the purpose 

 of kicking to death the luckless intruder. But Maui was 

 prepared to do the same to the Lord of Fire with his right foot. 

 Astounded at this piece of audacity, Tangaroa demanded his 

 name. The visitor replied, ' I am Maui the Younger.' The 

 god now knew it to be his own grandson. ' What did you 

 come for ?' ' To get fire,' was the response of Maui. Tanga- 

 roa-of-the-tattooed-face gave him a lighted stick, and sent him 

 away. Maui walked to a short distance, and finding some 

 water, like that dividing the two islets collectively called Mani- 

 hiki, extinguished the lighted stick. Three times this process 

 was repeated. The fourth time all the firebrands were gone, 

 and Tangaroa had to fetch two dry sticks to rub together, in 

 order to produce fire. Maui held the under one for his grand- 

 father : but just as the fine dust in the groove was igniting, the 

 impudent Maui blew it all away. Tangaroa, justly irritated at 

 this, drove Maui away, and summoned a Jcakaia (or ' tern,') to 

 come to his assistance, to hold down the lower piece of wood, 

 whilst Tangaroa diligently worked away with the other stick. 

 At last, to the infinite joy of Maui, fire was obtained. It was no 

 longer a mystery. Maui suddenly snatched the upper stick, one 

 end of which was burning, out of the hand of Tangaroa. The 

 patient bird of white plumage still firmly clutched with her claws 

 the under fire-stick, when Maui purposely burnt either side of 

 the eye of the bird. The indignant tern, smarting at this ill- 

 requital, fled away for ever. Hence the black marks, resembling 

 a pair of eyebrows, on either side of the eye of this beautiful 

 bird to this day. Tangaroa reproached his grandson with 

 having thus wantonly deprived him of the valuable services of 

 his favourite bird. Maui deceitfully said, ' Your bird will come 

 back.' Maui next proposed to Tangaroa that they should both 

 fly up to daylight, through the hole by which the bird had 

 escaped. The god inquired how this could be accomplished. 

 Maui at once volunteered to show the way, and actually flew to 



