338 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
the sea; that mountain, Pito-hiti, (alone) re¬ 
mained, that was their abode. 
“ There they watched nights ten,* the sea ebbed, 
and they two saw the little heads of the mountains 
in their elevation. When the sea dried or retired, 
the land remained without produce, without man, 
and the fish were putrid in the caves and holes of 
the rocks. They said, ‘ Dig a hole for the fish in 
the sea/ The wind also was becoming feeble, 
and when it was dead or calm, the stones and the 
trees began to fall from the heavens : thither they 
had been carried by the wind. All trees of the 
land had been torn up, and carried high by the 
wind. They two looked about, and the woman 
said, ‘ Safe are we two from the sea, but death, 
or hurt, comes now in these stones that are falling. 
Where shall we abide V Torn by the roots up had 
been all the trees, and carried above the pathway 
of the rain in the heavens. 
“ ‘ Dig a hole for us two, a dwelling-place.’ The 
hole was dug, covered with grass the bottom of 
the hole or cave; stones were spread on the top 
of the hole, and these covered over with earth. 
While these two were sitting within, they heard 
with terror the loud voice of the falling stones. 
Now they fell more thinly, then one little stone 
at a time fell, and afterwards ceased entirely. 
“ The woman said, ‘ Arise you, and advance 
without, and see if the stones fall.’ The man 
replied, ‘ I go not out, I shall die.’ He waited 
till night and till day, and then said, 4 The wind 
is truly dead, and the stones and the trunks of 
trees cease to fall, neither is there the sound of 
the stones.” They went out, and like a small 
* The native mode of reckoning time is by nights 
instead of days. 
