90 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 
Now it began to lash about furiously with its tail, feeling more and more 
the pain arising from the severe constriction of its stomach by the ropes. 
Then the bearers of arms leaped forth. A wonderful sight! The 
monster’s tail was vigorously assaulted by them ; they stabbed it over and 
over with their hardwood digging picks and their long spears, and pounded 
it with their clubs, so that even its head felt the great amount of pain 
inflicted on its tail, together with that arising from the severe constriction of 
the ropes on its softer parts. Now the monster began to rear and to knock 
about dreadfully with its head; on seeing this, the enticing band of pro- 
vokers, who had still kept their position in front, again began to entice it to 
make straight forward after them, by going up close to it and then running 
away from it, when, on its attempting to stretch out after them, they suddenly 
faced about in a twinkling, and began to play away upon the monster’s head 
with very good effect. Oh! it was truly wonderful to behold! 
By this time, too, the party of rope-pullers had succeeded in making fast 
all their ropes to the several posts they had fixed in the earth all round 
about for that purpose; this done, they also seized their weapons and 
rushed forward to assist their comrades in beating the monster’s head— 
` this being now the part of it which reared and knocked about the most 
violently. Now, the assault on its head was carried on alternately by those 
men, combined with the others who began it, and who for that purpose 
divided themselves into two parties, when one party rushed forward and 
delivered their blows, and the hideous head was turned towards them, and 
they fell back a bit, the other band came on on the other side and delivered 
their battery, either party always beating in the same place. After a while 
the monster became less vigorous, although it still raged, for its whole body 
was fast becoming one vast mass of bruises through the incessant and 
hearty beating it was receiving. 
Still the fight was prolonged ; prodigies of strength and valour, ability, 
and nimbleness were shown that day by that valiant band of 170, whose 
repeated blows were rained upon the monster. At last the monster yielded 
quietly, and there it lay extended at full length on the ground, stretched 
out like an immense white larva* of the rotten white pine wood, quite dead. 
By this time it was quite dark ; indeed, night. So they left it until the 
morning. When the sun appeared they all arose to cut up this big fish.t 
There it lay, dead! Looking at it as it lay extended, it resembled a very 
* The word is huhu. I suppose this large grub has been selected for a comparison 
owing to its dying helplessly extended, and its plump, fat appearance. 
+ I have translated this word (ika), wherever it occurs in the story, by “fish,” this 
being one of its principal meanings; but it would carry a very different one to a New 
Zealander, Here it would be just synonymous with whale, or large marine animal, 
ies eee eR STR meetin ee 
(RECTO SRS Tea Pe IIR S T UON ee ee Ree ENSE MEN M 
e EE DA 
