Stack. — Traditional History of the South Island Maoris. 67 



followers, commnnication with Hataitai "was reopened under the following 

 chcumstances. Tiiahurhi, deserted in infancy by Tu maro, had now attained 

 to man's estate, and had settled with his wives on the south-east coast of the 

 North Island. But he could not rest till he had solved a question which 

 had troubled him aU his hfe. Once when a cliUd he had been startled by 

 hearing the mother of one of his playmates, whom he had struck, exclaim, 

 "What a bullying fellow this bastard is." Eunniug up to his own mother 

 he immediately asked if it was true that he was a bastard. " No," she said. 

 " Then where," he asked, " is my father ?" "Look where the sun sets, that 

 is where your father dwells." He kept these words treasured up in his 

 memory, and now, having attained to man's estate, he determined to go in 

 search of his father. Leaving his wives behind him he embarked with 

 seventy men in a war canoe, and crossed the straits to "Waimea; arrived 

 there he landed and di-ew up the canoe in front of the pa. The inhabitants 

 came forth to welcome him in and invited him to occupy the residence of 

 then- chief. On entering the house Tuahurui laid himself down on his back 

 near the door, whilst his companions seated themselves round the sides of 

 the house. As no one in the place recognised any of them, the usual 

 preparations were made for their destruction ; as it was always held by 

 Maoris that those who were not known hiends must be regarded as 

 enemies, and treated accordingly. Kahukura te paku stationed armed men 

 all round the house, and while he was preparing to attack the new comers, 

 the women and slaves were busy heating the stones and iJrei^aring the ovens 

 to cook their bodies in. While these preparations were being made, and 

 everyone was longing for the time when the bodies would be cooked and 

 ready for them to feast u^Don, the children of the ^nllage came flocking round 

 the entrance curious to see the strangers. One more venturesome than the 

 rest climbed up to the window, and communicated to those behind him 

 what he saw ; while so occupied Tuahuriri lookmg up at the roof said "Ah, 

 just like the red battens of my grandfather Kahukura te paku's house which 

 he left over the other side at Kauwhakaarawaru." The boy on hearing this 

 ran and told the men who were lying in wait. They made him repeat the 

 words several times, and then Kahukura te paku said, "I never left any 

 house or painted battens on the other side, only the boy on whose account 

 we came across. Go, ask him his name." Then one arose and approached 

 and called out, "Inside there. Eh! Sit up. Tell me who you are!" Then 

 Tuahurhi sat up and said, "I am Te hiku tawatawa o te raid" (the name 

 given to him by his father when he was born). The man went back and 

 told Kahukura te paku, who was overwhelmed with shame when he dis- 

 covered that he had been craving after the flesh of his own grandson. 

 Approaching the house he told him to come forth, not by the door, but the 



