CoLenso.—0On a better Knowledge of the Maori Race. 87 
§ 2.—Tales. 
THE Srory or tHE Destruction or MowsrERS. 
1. The Slaying of Hotupuku. 
Here is the tale of the valiant deeds of certain men of old, the ancestors of 
the chiefs of Rotorua. Their names were Purahokura, Reretai, Rongohaua, 
Rongohape, and Pitaka; they were all the children of one father, whose 
name was Tamaihutoroa. As they grew up to manhood they heard of 
several persons who had been killed in journeying over the roads leading by 
Tauhunui and Tuporo, and Tikitapu,—all places of that district. 
People of Rotorua who had travelled to Taupo, or who went into the 
hill country to meet their relations, were never again heard of; while the 
folks of the villages who were expecting them were thinking all manner of 
things about their long absence, concluding that they were still at their 
respective places of abode; but, as it afterwards turned out, they were all 
dead in the wilderness ! 
At last a party left Taupo on a visit to Rotorua, to travel thither by 
those same roads where those former travelling parties had been consumed. 
Their friends at Taupo thought that they had arrived at Rotorua, and were 
prolonging their stay there; but no, they, too, were all dead, lying in heaps 
in that very place in the wilderness! 
Afterwards another travelling party started from Rotorua to Taupo; this 
party went by the lakes Tarawera and Rotomahana, and they all arrived 
safe at Taupo. On their arrival there many questions were asked on both 
sides respecting the people of Taupo who had gone to Rotorua, but nothing 
whatever could be learned of them. On hearing this the people of Taupo 
earnestly enquired of the newly-arrived party from Rotorua, by what road 
they came? They replied, ** We came by the open plain of Kaingaroa, by 
the road to Tauhunui.” Then it was that the people of Taupo and the 
party from Rotorua put their heads together, and talked, and deeply con- 
sidered, and said, ** Surely those missing travellers must have fallen in with 
& marauding party of the enemy, for we all well know they have no kins- 
folk in those parts." Upon this the Taupo people determined on revenge, 
and so they proceeded to get together an army for that purpose, visiting 
the several villages of Taupo to arouse the people. All being ready, they 
commenced their march. They travelled all day, and slept at night by the 
road-side; and the next morning, at daylight, they crossed the river 
Waikato. Then they travelled on over the open plain of Kaingaroa until 
they came to a place called Kapenga, where dwelt a noxious monster, whose 
name was Hotupuku. When that monster smelt the odour of men, which 
had been wafted towards him from the army by the wind, it came out of 
its cave, At this time the band of men were travelling onwards in the 
