46 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



missionaries in this country had to contend with ; which, while scarcely any 

 perceptible traces of them are now left, were, at first and for a long time, 

 immensely powerful obstacles. 



1. The Stoey of the Murdek by Eangiwhakaoma. 

 The principal place of residence [pa) of this chief, of Eangiwhakaoma, was at 

 Eakaupuhi ; there he dwelt. One daj'' he went to the entrance porch of his 

 kumara store, and there he sat down. Now the name of that store was 

 Eaumatirua. While he was there a certain lad, named Tawakeariki, the 

 son of a chief named Te Aotata, went up also to that spot, when Eangi- 

 whakaoma said to him, " 0, sir, whither art thou going ? " The boy replied, 

 " Just here, to this place, to look at the kumara in thy store." On hearing 

 this Eangiwhakaoma said to him, " Stay a bit ; it is not so very good to 

 look about here (in the kumara store). Far better is it, thou ! below in 

 the unseen world freinr/aj, that the looking about maybe both beautiful and 

 pleasing." Then that boy went quickly below to the unseen world (reinga) 

 to observe and look about at the steep cliff in Hawaiki. There he expressed 

 his admiration at the beauty of the kumara'-^' ; and, while he was thus admir- 

 ing, lo ! the whole piled-up-stack of kumara (in that store) was made to fall 

 suddenly down upon him, so that he was immediately killed. His friends, 

 on finding that he was dead, sent off a messenger to Uawa, to his father, Te 

 Aotata. On hearing the sad news Te Aotata exclaimed, " By whom was my 

 son slain ? " The messenger replied, " By Eangiwhakaoma." The father, 

 having mourned over his son, assembled a band of his followers. On their 

 leaving to seek revenge the principal chief, Hauiti, called out to them, " 0, 

 friends, listen ! If you should capture the daughter of Eangiwhakaoma, let 

 her be kept alive, to become my wife." So the armed party of Te Aotata 

 went to Eakaupuhi, the place where Eangiwhakaoma dwelt, invested the 

 place, assaulted and took it, and killed the people, including Eangiwhakaoma. 

 A remnant, however, escaped ; and of those they caught alive they slew 

 some as food for themselves, saving alive three women — namely, Eakauma- 



* This is difficult to express clearly in a mere translation, although to me the original 

 is clear enough. I have given it just literally ; it may mean, either that the lad was so 

 carried away in thought at that saying of the chief ; or, that he soon proved the truth of 

 what had been said (I incline to the latter). What the chief said was no mere bombast, 

 but the common belief of the Maoris. To an adult that remark would have been sujBfi- 

 cient, meaning keep off. But an adult would scarcely have gone thither, at all events not 

 without a special invitation, as those barns or stores were rigidly tabooed, and could only 

 be entered by tabooed persons, and then only at proper set times. And the lad, it seems, 

 did not take the significant hint, but afterwards went inside. The central stack of ku- 

 mara in the store, as formeiiy jjiled, might very easily be made to fall bodily on a little 

 boy below ; their kumara was always stored away rather loosely, to allow of the dry air 

 circulating throughout, their great enemy being mould, caused by damp. 



