Wouters.— Mythology and Traditions of the Maori. 109 
‘From Hawaiki. The wind has blown us away from our shore. Where 
do you belong to?” ‘To Tahiti-nuiarua” (perhaps the Tahiti of the 
Society Islands is meant). Then they all went together to the settlement. 
ile on the way, the men said to the strangers, ‘‘ When you see our 
women, behave in an unbecoming way; you must not laugh, for if you do 
they will surely kill you.’’ 
The natives of that island lived in a very low state of civilization ; they 
did not even know the fire. When the food was brought, the strangers 
found that it was the raw meat of the hair-seal, and they could not eat it; 
but the natives ate it as their ordinary food. The women, in their uncivi- 
lized state, behaved very unbecomingly, and carried besides, formidable flint 
weapons. But the strangers did not laugh, and, therefore, were not killed. 
By and by the strangers began to rub their pieces of wood to produce fire. 
At first the people looked at them with curiosity, but when there arose a 
smoke, and when a strong smell of burning reached their noses, then all 
began to howl an enchantment, to protect themselves against the ghost, 
which, in their opinion, the strangers were conjuring up. Their howling 
went on. “ Piopio, sea by the eastward, what brought thee here to my sea 
by the land? Get up, go!’ The two strangers went on with their friction. 
When the chaffings were ignited, they wrapped them in dry grasses, and 
waved the same about to fan it into flame, and then they lighted a fire. 
The natives all the time kept up their howling, ‘“ Piopio, sea by the east- 
wind, what brought thee here to my sea by the land? Get up, go!” 
Meanwhile the two strangers had dug a small pit, put dry wood over it and 
stones on the top, and then set it on fire. When the wood was burned up, 
and the stones, being now red-hot, had fallen into the pit, they wrapped 
the raw meat of the seal in wet grass, and, having first raked some of the 
hot stones out, they placed the parcel of meat on those hot stones which 
were left in the pit ; then they put the other hot stones on the top, more 
wet. grass over the same, and then covered up the whole with earth. Now 
they sat down and waited for the meat to be cooked. The natives all the 
time looked at the steaming heap, and howled their enchantment. When 
the meat had been steaming long enough, the oven was opened. Then 
there arose a fragrant steam, and when the appetizing smell reached the 
noses of the natives, they stopped howling, and exclaimed, ‘‘ What a nice 
smell!’’ And the cooked meat looked so tempting. Then all relished the 
meal, the natives remarking, ‘‘ Now, for the first time, we eat cooked food!” 
‘‘ Yes,’ said the strangers, ‘‘ you are strange animals, living on uncooked 
food ; you are not like human beings.”’ 
After this the natives told them that there was one evil they were suffering 
from, namely, a monstrous bird, which ate people. They asked if the 
