Wonters.— Mythology and Traditions of the Maori. 117 
disgusted, for she wore a dress with an enormous long skirt trailing behind 
her, and, when he tried to get away, she entangled him“in its folds, and 
not only that, but she had draggled it also over the food, and covered the 
same with dirty lizard-scales.* When the meal was over, the lady with- 
drew, and then Ruru asked the servants, ‘Is she always so?” ‘ Yes,” 
said the servants. ‘“ But do you think sheishuman?” “No, indeed; she 
isa monster.’’ Hereupon the lady, who had overheard the conversation, 
screamed ‘‘I will kill you.” Then the servants told Ruru to make his 
escape while they themselves ran and hid themselves under some rocks. 
Ruru ran, and Te Ngararahuarau called after him, “ Ruru come back ; 
Ruru come back.” And when she found that he would not come back, she 
screamed, ‘‘ You may not see me in a fair day; but, let there be a misty 
day, and I.will be with you. When Ruru came to his brothers, he told 
them what an adventure he had had, and that he was afraid she would 
pursue him there. Then all agreed that they would kill her. For that 
purpose they constructed a rude house, with a small window opening at the 
back. In the middle of the house they placed a wooden post, which they 
dressed up so as to resemble Ruru. Then there happened to be a misty 
day, and Te Ngarara made her appearance, calling, ‘‘ Ruru where are you?” 
‘Here,’ he answered, from behind the image inside the house. Te 
Ngarara went in, and mistaking the post for Ruru, encircled it with the 
drabbletail of her dress. Then, hearing a busy noise outside, she asked : 
‘Ruru, what means that?” Ruru answered, ‘Only your brothers-in-law 
making a meal for us.” But they were heaping fagots round the house, 
and blocking up the door, and then set it on fire all round. Ruru made 
his escape through the back opening. The house was seen enveloped in a 
sheet of flame; Te Ngarara was stifled with dense smoke, and she cried, 
‘‘O, Ruru, you are forgetting me!’ Now, while the monster was perishing 
in the flame, the scales of her skin tried tried to escape; but the people 
were watching round the burning house, with sticks in their hand, and 
threw back the scales, as they rushed out, into the fire. 
escaped, all the rest perished with the monster. 
I cannot give the uncivilised Maori credit of weaving a moral in their 
fable; but think civilization might draw one out of it with some advantage. 
If foolish pride, which prompts people to a display of vain show in a 
general, and to distorting the human form in a particular bearing, could be 
killed, then a few scales which might escape—if their breeding be kept in 
proper bounds—would be harmless and would be allowed to live. 
At last, the wind being fair, they started again, and arrived at their 
Only two scales 
* I had to modify this, in order to meet the taste of civilised fashion, It will be seen 
in the Maori text that her skirt was a huge lizard-tail 
