140 ' Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



This question is supposed to be put by a young man before the battle 

 begins to an old warrior, and half slightingly. After the battle is over, and the 

 young fellow wounded, the veteran says to him, " Ah ! You thought that 

 what I had had so much of {my food) was a trifle, did you ? What think 

 you now ? " He jests at scars that never felt a wound."- — Shaks2)eare. 



174. E ! ko te matakahi maire ! 



Lo ! the iron-wood wedge ! 

 Used of a warrior. 



Meaning ; He separates the enemy before him, as the wedge of the hard 

 Maire wood [Santalum cimninghamii'^) splits up a log. 



175. E tia ! me te icheke e j^ujjiirii ana ! 



Though stabbed through (with my spear), he holds on (to it) like a 

 cuttle-fish with its arms and suckers. 

 Said by a warrior of his hand-spear m fight. 

 Another saying of similar meaning : — •» 



176. Me te viea kei te jyaru e titi ana ! 



As difficult to pull my spear back out of his body as if I had stuck 

 it into sticky holding mud. 

 ] 77. Waiho i te toka tu nioana ! 



Stand firm and compact as the surf-beaten rock in the ocean ! 

 Used by a chief in battle. 



178. Waiho kia oroia, he ivhati toki nui. 



Just leave the big stone axe to be re- sharpened, its edge is merely 

 chipped a bit. 

 Meaning : Though some of the braves of our tribe are killed, the remnant, 

 including the chief, will fight the more fiercely. 



179. Ekore e ngaro, he takere waka ymi. 



The hull of a large canoe cannot be hidden. 

 Meaning : Although we have lost many in battle, we shall not become 

 extinct ; our tribe is numerous. 



180. He puia taro nui, he ngata taniivha rau, ekore e ngaro. 



A cluster of flourishing Tdro plants [Colocasia antiquorum), a hundred 

 devouring slugs, or leeches, cannot be extirpated = It is diffi- 

 cult to destroy them all. So with a large tribe. 



181. Kore te hoe, kore te taataa. 



Alas ! without paddles and baler ! 

 A canoe in this state must be lost. Applied to a tribe in a helpless 

 state. 



182. He ■pxikerpuJce maunga, e jnkitia e te tangata ; he jmkepuke moana, e ekeina e 

 te icaka ; he pukepuke tangata, ekore e pikitia e te tangata. 



* But, at the south parts of the North Island, JSIaire is thie Maori name of the 

 Olea cunninghamii, 



