38 
MYTHOLOGY. 
E tu tc rangi motuhia, Stand the severed heaven, 
E tu tc rangi pukai, Stand the heaped up sky, 
Pukai atu ana, Heaped up apart from the earth. 
I raro ite whenua. 
His uncle slipped down to the earth, quite down to the ground. 
When Karihi came to him, he said, it was your spell which 
made me fall, otherwise I should have quite ascended. Tawaki 
denied his having uttered any: now, said he, do you remain, 
and let me try. Tawaki’s hand laid hold of the fence, and he 
uttered this spell:— 
Ascend, Tawaki, to the first heaven : 
Ascend, Tawaki, to the second heaven : 
Ascend, Tawaki, to the third heaven: 
Ascend, Tawaki, to the fourth heaven : 
Ascend, Tawaki, to the fifth heaven : 
Ascend, Tawaki, to the sixth heaven: 
Ascend, Tawaki, to the seventh heaven: 
Ascend, Tawaki, to the eighth heaven: 
Ascend, Tawaki, to the ninth heaven: 
Ascend, Tawaki, to the tenth heaven : 
Cling, cling, like the lizard, to the ceiling. 
Stick, stick close to the side of heaven. 
Tawaki succeeded; he reached the sky;* he cut off the road 
by which he ascended. His uncle called to him to turn back, 
and help him to get up. But he answered from above, No, 
you all aided in my murder. He then went on and arrived at 
the dwelling-place of his grandmother, Waitiri : he came 
up to her; she was blind, sitting down counting her seed 
kumara. One kumara, two kumara, &c., ten kumara [toto 
tahi, toto rua, toto, &c. toto tekau, &c.] ; he pulled one of them 
to his side, there remained nine ; missing the tenth she counted 
them over again ; one kumara, &c. ; where is the tenth ? 
Tawaki took the ninth, and left eight. Waitiri recounted, 
and missed another; she again counted, and he took another, 
until all were gone. Waitiri then enquired, who is this, that 
is playing tricks upon me, and taking away my seed kumara ? 
Tawaki said, It is I, Waitiri. She said, you, who are you ? 
* It. is said that Tawaki ascended to heaven by a spider’s thread. Another 
tradition states, that Waitiri uttered the spell, and Tawaki slipped down. 
let the fair sky consent, 
let the fair sky consent, 
let the fair sky consent, 
let the fair sky consent, 
let the fair sky consent, 
let the fair sky consent, 
let the fair sky consent, 
let the fair sky consent, 
let the fair sky consent, 
let the fair sky consent. 
