48 
MYTHOLOGY. 
pae, or from one range to another, for though she went bare 
foot, yet she seemed to possess the virtue of the seven-leagued 
boots. Hatupatu in the meantime stopped up all the holes 
and crevices of the house with muka (flax), that none of the 
birds might escape to inform their mistress of his departure ; 
but he overlooked one very little hole. When he crept out of 
the house, he carefully closed the door after him; the riro- 
riro, which is the least of all the New Zealand birds, perceived 
the small opening which had been left, and she managed to 
squeeze her little body through it; she had no sooner done so, 
than she flew straight to her mistress, exclaiming, Ivurangai 
tuku, Kurangai tuku—e— ka riro a taua hanga! riro, riro, 
riro ! Our property is escaped, it is gone, gone, gone ! Hence 
has this little wren derived its name, riro-riro. She at once 
returned, and Kumea Warona stretching out her legs and 
dragging them onward, she was soon at home, and snuffing 
up the wind, quickly found the direction he had taken, and 
immediately set off after him and Kumea Warona : she soon 
came in sight, and nearly reached him, whilst he was ap¬ 
proaching a steep clifF. Now Hatupatu was the youngest son 
of his mother, and to make up for such a great disadvantage, 
his kind and considerate grandmother had bestowed a very 
powerful charm upon him—he had not a minute to spare—he 
therefore immediately put it to the test, and pronounced the 
spell, matiti, viatata, open and cleave asunder. The powerful 
words were no sooner uttered, than the rock obeyed; it at 
once opened and received him into it, and then closed again. 
Kurangai-tuku immediately afterwards reached the spot, and 
was strangely puzzled to find out what had become of Hatu¬ 
patu. She began scratching about with her long nails on the 
rock, exclaiming, Ina ano koe, e Hana, Where have you got 
to, O Hana, which is short for his name. Now, if you ever 
go from Rotorua to Tarawera, and ask your guide, he will 
show you these marks of her scratches, which still remain on 
the face of the rock, several inches deep. 
Wli^n Hatupatu thought that she had gone away, he came 
out again at some distance from the spot he entered. But she 
was too sharp-sighted to miss him ; again was she in full chase, 
