﻿CoLENSO. 
  — 
  On 
  a 
  better 
  Knowlechje 
  of 
  the 
  Maori 
  Ilace. 
  87 
  

  

  § 
  2.— 
  Tales. 
  

  

  The 
  Story 
  op 
  the 
  Destruction 
  of 
  Monsters, 
  

  

  1. 
  The 
  Slaying 
  of 
  HotiqmJm. 
  

  

  Here 
  is 
  the 
  tale 
  of 
  the 
  vaHant 
  deeds 
  of 
  certain 
  men 
  of 
  old, 
  the 
  ancestors 
  of 
  

   the 
  chiefs 
  of 
  Eotorna. 
  Their 
  names 
  were 
  Purahokura, 
  Eeretai, 
  Eongohaua, 
  

   Eongohape, 
  and 
  Pitaka; 
  they 
  were 
  all 
  the 
  children 
  of 
  one 
  father, 
  whose 
  

   name 
  was 
  Tamaihutoroa. 
  As 
  they 
  grew 
  nj) 
  to 
  manhood 
  they 
  heard 
  of 
  

   several 
  persons 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  killed 
  in 
  journeying 
  over 
  the 
  roads 
  leading 
  by 
  

   Tauhunui 
  and 
  Tuporo, 
  and 
  Tikitapu, 
  — 
  all 
  places 
  of 
  that 
  district. 
  

  

  People 
  of 
  Eotorna 
  who 
  had 
  travelled 
  to 
  Taupo, 
  or 
  who 
  went 
  into 
  the 
  

   hill 
  country 
  to 
  meet 
  then- 
  relations, 
  were 
  never 
  again 
  heard 
  of; 
  while 
  the 
  

   folks 
  of 
  the 
  villages 
  who 
  were 
  expecting 
  them 
  were 
  thinking 
  all 
  manner 
  of 
  

   things 
  about 
  their 
  long 
  absence, 
  concluding 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  still 
  at 
  their 
  

   respective 
  ^Dlaces 
  of 
  abode; 
  but, 
  as 
  it 
  afterwards 
  turned 
  out, 
  they 
  were 
  all 
  

   dead 
  in 
  the 
  wilderness 
  ! 
  

  

  At 
  last 
  a 
  party 
  left 
  Taupo 
  on 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  Eotorua, 
  to 
  travel 
  thither 
  by 
  

   those 
  same 
  roads 
  where 
  those 
  former 
  travelling 
  parties 
  had 
  been 
  consumed. 
  

   Their 
  friends 
  at 
  Taupo 
  thought 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  arrived 
  at 
  Eotorua, 
  and 
  were 
  

   prolonging 
  their 
  stay 
  there; 
  but 
  no, 
  they, 
  too, 
  were 
  all 
  dead, 
  lying 
  in 
  heaps 
  

   in 
  that 
  very 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  wilderness 
  ! 
  

  

  Afterwards 
  another 
  travelling 
  party 
  started 
  from 
  Eotorua 
  to 
  Taupo; 
  this 
  

   party 
  went 
  by 
  the 
  lakes 
  Tarawera 
  and 
  Eotomahana, 
  and 
  they 
  all 
  arrived 
  

   safe 
  at 
  Taupo. 
  On 
  their 
  arrival 
  there 
  many 
  questions 
  were 
  asked 
  on 
  both 
  

   sides 
  respecting 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  Taupo 
  who 
  had 
  gone 
  to 
  Eotorua, 
  but 
  nothing 
  

   whatever 
  could 
  be 
  learned 
  of 
  them. 
  On 
  hearing 
  this 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  Taupo 
  

   earnestly 
  enquired 
  of 
  the 
  newly-arrived 
  party 
  from 
  Eotorua, 
  by 
  what 
  road 
  

   they 
  came? 
  They 
  replied, 
  "We 
  came 
  by 
  the 
  open 
  plain 
  of 
  Kamgaroa, 
  by 
  

   the 
  road 
  to 
  Tauhunui." 
  Then 
  it 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  Taupo 
  and 
  the 
  

   party 
  from 
  Eotorua 
  put 
  theix 
  heads 
  together, 
  and 
  talked, 
  and 
  deeply 
  con- 
  

   sidered, 
  and 
  said, 
  " 
  Surely 
  those 
  missing 
  travellers 
  must 
  have 
  fallen 
  in 
  with 
  

   a 
  marauding 
  party 
  of 
  the 
  enemy, 
  for 
  we 
  all 
  well 
  know 
  they 
  have 
  no 
  kins- 
  

   folk 
  in 
  those 
  parts." 
  Upon 
  this 
  the 
  Taupo 
  peo^^le 
  determined 
  on 
  revenge, 
  

   and 
  so 
  they 
  proceeded 
  to 
  get 
  together 
  an 
  army 
  for 
  that 
  purpose, 
  visiting 
  

   the 
  several 
  villages 
  of 
  Taupo 
  to 
  arouse 
  the 
  people. 
  All 
  being 
  ready, 
  they 
  

   commenced 
  their 
  march. 
  They 
  travelled 
  all 
  day, 
  and 
  slept 
  at 
  night 
  by 
  the 
  

   road-side 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  next 
  morning, 
  at 
  daylight, 
  they 
  crossed 
  the 
  river 
  

   Waikato. 
  Then 
  they 
  travelled 
  on 
  over 
  the 
  o^Den 
  plain 
  of 
  Kaingaroa 
  until 
  

   they 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  place 
  called 
  Kapenga, 
  where 
  dwelt 
  a 
  noxious 
  monster, 
  whose 
  

   name 
  was 
  Hotupuku. 
  When 
  that 
  monster 
  smelt 
  the 
  odour 
  of 
  men, 
  which 
  

   had 
  been 
  wafted 
  towards 
  him 
  from 
  the 
  army 
  by 
  the 
  wind, 
  it 
  came 
  out 
  of 
  

   its 
  cave. 
  At 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  band 
  of 
  men 
  were 
  travelling 
  onwards 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  