Woxuters.—Mythology and Traditions of the Maort. 115 
put a quantity of ashes and a supply of wood boards on board, manned his 
canoe, and then set sail for Tutekoropanga’s place. Now the great sharks 
(taniwhas) and all the monsters and dangers of the deep, which were under 
Tutekoropanga’s spell, to keep Tama off, began to assail him. To some he 
threw ashes to darken the water, to others wood boards to let them bite at, 
and, while they were thus occupied, he went on. One fine morning 
Rukutia saw his bright sail on the sea. Then she climbed on the whata, 
roused all the people, and called, ‘‘ There is Tama, my husband.” When 
the canoe drew near the land, then all the people, but especially the women, 
admired Tama, that handsome man. They all called for Tutekoropanga to 
come and see Tama, the handsome man. But he would not believe them, 
and remained in his house. Tama, meanwhile, called to Rukutia to swim 
on board, which call she quickly obeyed. Then all the women called in a 
chorus, ‘‘O, Tutekoropanga! Do you sit lazily at home while Rukutia 
goes away with Tama, that handsome man.” But he believed his spell to 
be sufficient to keep Tama away. Meanwhile Rukutia had reached the 
canoe. Tama took hold of her hair, and pulled her in; then, with a sharp 
flint, he cut off her head. Then he ordered the canoe to be turned about, 
and to sail for home, with the dead woman aboard. 
When they reached home, the body having been bent together into a 
roundish ball (the knees under the chin, as the Maoris formerly handled 
their corpses), was wrapped in kura (a precious red substance) and put into 
a box made for the purpose, and buried in the house near the wall. Now 
Tama sat day after day in the dead-house, and mourned for his wife, 
Rukutia. At last, when the spring season came round and the tutu bush 
put forth new shoots, he heard a humming sound, and then he saw a blue- 
bottle fly humming, ‘‘ U—m—u, notwithstanding my head off, u—m—u.”’ 
Upon this Tama got the corpse up again, and opening the box, he found 
his wife alive, her cheeks were moving with a sweet smile. 
8.—Ruru-teina and Te Roronga-rahia. 
Ruruteina was the youngest of several brothers, who made him their 
cook, and to perform all sorts of mean work for them. At the same time 
there was living, at some distant place, a young lady named Te Roronga- 
rahia, who was spoken of as the most beautiful of all women. The elder 
brothers made up their minds to pay her a visit, so they got their canoe 
ready ; took their youngest brother Ruru with them as their cook and man of 
all work, and then sailed to that place. When they had landed they left Ruru 
to carry the luggage into a sort of store-house near the beach, which was to be 
their abode during their stay, and they themselves went to the large com- 
mon-house of the village. Here they were treated with food, and in the 
a 
