THE LITTLE GREEN MAN

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 77, 31 March 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE LITTLE GREEN MA N

(By ALICE A. KENNY.)

CHAPTER L Once upon a time there was a great %ar between two Maori chiefs. One of them came with all his warriors and besieged the pa where the other lived, ■o that the people inside could get no food or water and soon became too weak to light. The chief inside the pa had • little son called Tu, and a little daughter called Petiwai, and when he •aw that everyone was going to be killed I)# thought he would try to save his little children at least. He called them to him, and he took some bundles of raupo and tied tbem round the children's bodies so that the reeds reached up higher than their heads, and when they stood quite still they looked like the dry bunches of reeds at the edge of a swamp. No one would have guessed that there were children inside unless they ha' chanoed to see the little bright eyes peeping out between.the leaves. Round the neck of the chief was hung an ornament, a fmmy little green tun carved out of greenstone, and he took it off and put it round Tu's neck. "My son is a chief and a warrior," be said. "Make your way through the forest to the great hill pa where your grandfather lives and give him this greenstone image, and tell him your father died fighting. You must not lose the greenstone, for there is good magic in it. Take care of your little sister, and be brave."

He gave him some more advice about now to keep hidden, and tied a little •tore of food to the boy's flax belt; then he caid farewell to each of them and lowered them over the palisades in the £ark.

Poor little Tu and Petiwai were very ■id and mnoh afraid, but they did what their father had told them to do. While it was dark they crept softly along trying to get past the smouldering fires of th© enemy without being seen, and before it was daylight they managed to reach ihe dry swamp in which their father had told them to hide. All day they crouched there looking like part of the fwamp, and they saw and heard toe enemy moving about, and the shouts of the fighters as they attacked the pa. They were very frightened because women kept coming and cutting dry rsupo, which they meant to tie up in bandies and use for setting fire to the doomed pa as soon as a wind arose to f n Jf the flames on to the thatched roofs inside the stockade. Once to I'otiwai's terror a young girl came quite close to nsr and caught hold of the raupo that bound to her. She was just going t® cut it when she saw poor Peti's little *»oking eye«. She gave a loud cry and ♦f a * an( * P €t ' an d Tu thought now ttff wculd surely be found. IjWliat is it?" cried the other women. A fairy! I have seen a strange little and it looked at me angrily!" the girL •And she and all the other women ran •way. No one else came near the dry swamp, Tu and Peti were still safe. But "97 were dreadfully unhappy, for they **w a great ftght, and they saw fire ■no smoke sweep over their father's vilNo one was left alive, and they Wept and felt lost and all alone in the world; but Tu remembered his father's words.

The Adventures of Tu and Petiwai

As goon as it was dark again he took his littl© sister's hand, and they crept away together and managed to get into tie forest unseen. "I must take care of you as my father told me to," he said, "and we must find our way to the house of our grandfather, who is * great chief and will protect and lore us."

PART 11. Away through the great dark forest went Tu and Petiwai and at evening they came to a bird-catchers' camp. It was the season of ripe berries and when the birds came to feast on them they caught in snares by the fowlers. The children were afraid when the strange men came toward them carrying their long spears, but Tu hid his fears and greeted them bravely. "What children are you t" asked one. We are children of the Njraitiranm Tribe," replied Tu.

"And whither go you ?" "On a journey to our relations," said Tu, and then he asked them to give him food because all theirs was now finished. You shall eat with us and sleep in our camp to-night," said the men, but they looked at each other in a secret way and Tu did not trust them.

But they treated him and Petiwai kindly and when it was dark the children lay down to sleep. They were tired, but before Tu was quite asleep a hand came across his shoulder and pulled awav his greenstone ornament. He started up and cried out, "You must not take my heitiki!"

The bird snarer pushed him roughly down. "Be still," he said, "or I will drive my bird spear into you!" Tu was too frightened to say anything more; he and Petiwai lay trembling and very quitft. They could hear the breathing of the men and could see the coals of the sinking fire like red eyes watching them, and they longed for someone to come and save them.

Far away in his strong pa Tu's grandfather, old Te Ikaroa, woke from sleep that very same night and said: "In a dream I have learned that my grandchildren are in danger. How shall I help them?"

"You are a great tohunga as well as a chief," said his old wife, "send some of your magic power to enter into something the children have with them, a staff or a basket, or whatever fchey carry and bid it keep harm away from them. Thus they will come safely to us." "Your words are wise," said the old chief, and he went to a secret place in the wood 9 and made magic, and said a strong spell which he sent flying away to find the children.

In the bird snarers' camp Tu and Petiwai, afraid to stir, afraid even to cry, had fallen asleep again. The-cruel bird snarers slept too, under their mats, and on the breast of one lay the stolen heitiki.

Then something tingled and thrilled through the air making the dark shake like a curtain and a strange thing happened. The bird snarer gave a jump in his eleep as if a thorn had pricked him. On his chest the heitiki, which had the shape of a little crooked green man, bounded up and pulled itself free. The magic spell had got into it and given it life. (To be continued.)