DowNKS. — Life of Nuku-Pewapewa. 371 



that we may fill the ship in payment for taking us there." He afterwards 

 found the captain of a ship who was agreeable to undertake the expedition, 

 and he eventually set sail. 



In the meantime Nuku was on his way back to his new home, and when 

 he reached Wai-marama (a well-known block of land, recently sold by the 

 Government) Te Hapuku came to meet Nuku, and after the greeting he 

 said, " This young person you have with you is a fine g'rl ; I want her, and 

 have come out to get her." Nuku replied, " This is the fire that you were 

 frightened of, and could not put out ; I put it out myself." Then Te Moana- 

 nui asked Nuku for her; but again Nuku refused, saying, "She was given 

 to me to make peace, and I wish to send her back to her father." He then 

 called the Ngati Kahu-ngunu around him, and when they had gathered he 

 said, " This lady is Whare-pouri's daughter, given me by Te Ua-mai-rangi 

 in order to make peace between us. You now see her ; there she is. I 

 want you to give her mats and greenstone, and send her back to her father." 

 Then the people all shouted for joy, agreeing to Nuku's proposals, and they 

 gave her fifteen mats and a celebrated greenstone called Kai-kanohi, and 

 then raised an escort of thirty men to see her safe as far as the place where 

 the Pencarrow Lighthouse now stands. When this place was reached 

 twenty-eight of the escort were sent back, but the two leaders, Paranga- 

 rehu and Te Aketu, still acted as her bodyguard, saying, " We will stay 

 with you whether you are safe or not." 



When the party reached the fa the girl called out, " Whare-pouri, where 

 are you ? " and the father, recognizing his daughter's voice, said, " Surely 

 it is my child ; I will go to meet her." As he went out the girl's two com- 

 panions hung behind, until they were about 2 chains away, for they did 

 not wish to intrude while the two met. When the father and his child 

 were clasped in the usual hongi, Whare-pouri whispered, " Is this an errand 

 of peace, or did you escape ? " and Te Kakape answered, " I came on a 

 mission of peace, and Nuku's two men are just behind ; save them." Then 

 Whare-pouri, in obedience to his daughter's words, hongied with the chiefs, 

 and they were saved. 



Before Nuku sent his escort south with Whare-pouri's daughter, one of 

 the leading chiefs of Hawke's Bay, named Pareihe (previously mentioned), 

 said to Nuku, " I find you are a brave man ; the way you challenged Ngati 

 Toa, Ngati Raukawa, and Ngati Awa, and put out their great fire, proved 

 that. Now there is a great fire at Roto-a-Tara (Te Ante), with smoke 

 rising to the very sky. Te Heuheu (of the Ngati Tuwharetoa) has taker; 

 possession, and has started that fire. You asked my people to help you 

 quench the great fire at Wairarapa, but they left you, frightened. Yet 1 

 come to you for help, for who else can put this fire out ? " Nuku replied, 

 ■' Let us first go to Nukutaurua ; we must have pu-atua before we can fight 

 Te Heuheu, for he has got them." As Pareihe was agreeable to wait, they 

 went to Nukutaurua and spent two years breeding pigs and growing maize 

 to give in exchange to the traders for pu-atua. At the end of that time an 

 army of six hundred men left Nukutaurua, and travelled to Te Ante, where 

 very many of the Waikato, Ngati Raukawa, and Ngati Tuwharetoa were 

 killed, the great chief Te Momo* being among the number. Afterwards Te 

 Heuheu came back to Hawke's Bay seeking revenge for his losses, but in 

 the battle of Te Whiti-otu he was again defeated, and the chief Tanguru 

 slain. 



* See Wfirs betw(^en north and south tribes, Poly. Soc. Journ. 



