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FABLES. 
Kumukumu .—K ahore ; h aere 
koe ki uta. 
Tuatara. —E, haere mai, ka 
pau koe i te tangata. 
Kumukumu .—Kahore ; ekore 
au e pau : ko koe anake te pau. 
Tuatara .—E korc au e pau. 
Tutu aku tara; rarau aku poke; 
mataku te tangata, oma ki ta- 
witi 
Kumukumu. —No; go yourself. 
Tuatara. —Come, lest you be 
destroyed by man. 
Kumukumu. —No; I shall not 
be destroyed: it is you that men 
will destroy. 
Tuatara .—I shall not be des¬ 
troyed. I will set up my spines; I 
will stick out my claws : it is man 
that will be afraid, and run away. 
Kauri (pine tree) and Tohora (whale). 
Tohora .—E te Kauri, haere Tohora .—Kauri come to sea 
mai taua ki tai nci. with me. 
Ko konei Kauri. —No, I prefer my own 
Kami .—Teka ra. 
ra au ko taku wahi. 
Tohora .—Taua ra ka hoko kiri: 
meake koe tuakina e te tangata, 
a ka haua koe hei waka. 
element. 
Tohora .—Then let us change 
skins; for you arc in danger of 
being cut down by man, and made 
into a canoe. 
They accordingly exchanged skins. This is the reason assigned 
for the bark of the kauri being so thin and full of resin, as the 
whale is of oil. 
6 . 
Te Tuatini (a fish) and Ngarara (lizard). 
Ka mea atu te Tuatini ki te The Tuatini said to the Nga- 
Ngarara, Haere mai taua ki roto rara, Come, let us go together into 
ki te wai. Ka mea atu te Nga¬ 
rara kahore, Ka mea atu te Tua¬ 
tini, Akuanei au ka wakarongo 
mai ki a koe e murumuru ana ki 
te ahi rarauhe. Ka mea atu hoki 
te Ngarara, Apopo hoki au waka¬ 
rongo rawa atu ki a koe e kuru- 
kuruaana koe ki tepapa o tewaka. 
the sea. But the Ngarara said, 
No. The Tuatini retorted, I shall 
hear you before long in the flames 
of the blazing fern. 
The Nga¬ 
rara answered him again, And to¬ 
morrow when I listen, I shall 
hear you dashed against the side 
of the canoe. 
This is spoken ironically. The Tuatini tells the Ngarara, Soon 
you will wish you had listened to me, when you are being consumed 
in the blazing fern; and the Ngarara replies, You will soon wish 
that you had taken my advice, when you are caught by the fisherman 
and killed against the side of his canoe. 
