﻿CoLENSo. 
  — 
  On 
  a 
  better 
  Knoioledge 
  of 
  the 
  Maori 
  Race. 
  99 
  

  

  cliff, 
  almost 
  simultaneously 
  with 
  the 
  first 
  pull, 
  lo 
  ! 
  the 
  monster 
  was 
  already 
  

   ontside 
  of 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  cave. 
  But 
  then, 
  in 
  so 
  saying, 
  the 
  potent 
  

   work 
  of 
  the 
  priests 
  in 
  reciting 
  their 
  raising 
  and 
  uplifting 
  charms 
  must 
  be 
  

   also 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  easy 
  accomplishment. 
  The 
  moment 
  that 
  

   the 
  monster's 
  great 
  tail 
  was 
  outside 
  clear 
  of 
  the 
  cave, 
  then 
  its 
  head 
  began 
  

   to 
  rear 
  and 
  toss 
  and 
  plunge, 
  frightful 
  to 
  behold 
  ! 
  On 
  seeing 
  this, 
  they 
  

   loosened 
  a 
  little 
  the 
  rope 
  that 
  held 
  it 
  by 
  its 
  middle 
  ; 
  when, 
  lo 
  ! 
  its 
  head 
  was 
  

   close 
  to 
  the 
  trees, 
  against 
  which 
  it 
  began 
  to 
  lean, 
  while 
  it 
  knocked 
  about 
  

   its 
  tail 
  prodigiously. 
  The 
  men, 
  however, 
  were 
  on 
  the 
  watch, 
  and 
  soon 
  the 
  

   two 
  ropes 
  were 
  hauled 
  tightly 
  up 
  around 
  the 
  trees, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  

   jerkings 
  and 
  writhings 
  of 
  its 
  huge 
  tail. 
  There, 
  at 
  last, 
  it 
  was, 
  lashed 
  fast 
  

   close 
  to 
  the 
  trees, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  could 
  only 
  wriggle 
  a 
  little 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say 
  its 
  

   tail. 
  

  

  Then 
  the 
  armed 
  men 
  came 
  on 
  ; 
  they 
  banged 
  and 
  beat 
  and 
  clubbed 
  away 
  

   at 
  the 
  monster, 
  which 
  now 
  lay 
  like 
  a 
  rat 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  snare 
  of 
  a 
  trap 
  ; 
  and 
  

   it 
  was 
  not 
  long 
  before 
  it 
  was 
  quite 
  dead, 
  partly 
  through 
  the 
  blows 
  and 
  

   bruises, 
  and 
  partly 
  through 
  the 
  ropes 
  ; 
  and 
  so 
  it 
  came 
  to 
  pass 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  

   killed. 
  

  

  The 
  fame 
  of 
  this 
  great 
  exploit 
  was 
  soon 
  carried 
  to 
  all 
  those 
  tribes 
  who 
  

   had 
  fetched 
  and 
  sent 
  Purahokura 
  on 
  his 
  errand 
  to 
  Tikitapu. 
  Then 
  they 
  

   assembled 
  at 
  the 
  place, 
  and 
  saw 
  with 
  astonishment 
  their 
  deadly 
  foe 
  lying 
  

   on 
  the 
  ground, 
  just 
  like 
  a 
  stranded 
  whale 
  on 
  the 
  sea-shore, 
  even 
  so 
  this 
  

   noxious 
  monster 
  now 
  lay 
  extended 
  before 
  them. 
  Then 
  arose 
  the 
  mighty 
  

   shout 
  of 
  derision 
  from 
  all 
  both 
  great 
  and 
  small, 
  the 
  noise 
  was 
  truly 
  deai'en= 
  

   ing, 
  loud 
  sounding, 
  like 
  that 
  arising 
  from 
  the 
  meeting 
  together 
  of 
  the 
  strong 
  

   currents 
  of 
  many 
  waters 
  ! 
  

  

  Early 
  the 
  next 
  morning 
  the 
  people 
  arose 
  to 
  their 
  work 
  to 
  cut 
  up 
  their 
  

   fish 
  ; 
  then 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  with 
  admiration 
  the 
  dexterous 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  

   sharp-cutting 
  instruments 
  — 
  of 
  the 
  saw 
  made 
  of 
  sharks' 
  teeth, 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  

   mussel-shells, 
  of 
  the 
  sharp 
  pitch-stone 
  knives, 
  of 
  the 
  freshwater 
  mussel- 
  

   shells, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  flints. 
  Truly 
  wonderful 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  behold, 
  such 
  loads 
  of 
  

   fat 
  ! 
  such 
  thick 
  coUops 
  ! 
  This 
  was 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  cannibal 
  monster 
  con- 
  

   tinually 
  devouring 
  men 
  for 
  its 
  common 
  food 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  and 
  seasons 
  ; 
  it 
  

   never 
  knew 
  a 
  time 
  of 
  want 
  or 
  a 
  season 
  of 
  scarcity 
  ; 
  it 
  never 
  had 
  any 
  winter, 
  

   it 
  was 
  always 
  a 
  jolly 
  harvest 
  time 
  with 
  it! 
  How, 
  indeed, 
  should 
  it 
  have 
  

   been 
  otherwise 
  ? 
  when 
  the 
  companies 
  of 
  travellers 
  from 
  this 
  place 
  and 
  from 
  

   that 
  place 
  were 
  continually 
  passing 
  and 
  repassing 
  to 
  and 
  fro 
  ; 
  therefore 
  it 
  

   came 
  to 
  pass 
  that 
  its 
  huge 
  maw 
  was 
  satiated 
  with 
  food 
  — 
  not 
  including 
  the 
  

   food 
  given 
  to 
  it 
  by 
  its 
  master 
  Tangaroamihi 
  — 
  and 
  therefore 
  it 
  came 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  

   very 
  fat. 
  

  

  So 
  the 
  big 
  fish 
  was 
  cut 
  up. 
  As 
  they 
  went 
  on 
  with 
  their 
  work, 
  and 
  got 
  

  

  