Chapter I.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIV, Issue 1018, 31 March 1857, Page 4

Chapter I .

» The bird Kawau in ita onward flight. To seise its prey will sutideuiy alight." — Takakorea. In olden times there lived at a certain place a man named Kohuki who had two wives ; the name of one waa Korire, and the name of the other wasTuhoropunga. The man used to go forth in the sumu.er months unaccompanied by his wives to snare birds and to fish, and his wires used to weave garments, and make ornamental baskets They gathered wood also and attended to the cooking while their lord was engaged in his own business, tilling the soil, fishing, &c. There were plantations of sweet potatoe, taro, and gourds, these things being the chief food of the Maori people in those days. There were also wild berries •which were gathered in their season. Now it was so that Kohuki went forth one day, and •when himself and wives had launched their canoe, lie put his fishing tackle on board and paddled away to fish, and returning in the evening with abundance of fish he called upon his wives to carry them to the village Korire answered his call and the fish were brought up, a portion of them were cooked and eaten, and the remainder hung up. On the follow ing day, Kohuki went again to fish, and returned in the evening laden with 6nappers. On this occasion he called to his wife Tuhoropunga, saying — " Go hence and fetch the fish " 'Hie •woman did as she was told, and her husband sat him down to rest at their little village. Now it came to pass that when Tuhoropunga had reached a certain height near the sea 6hore, she called to the birds of the air, and implored them to lend her tl.eir feathers and to furnish her with a beak, and they hearkened unto her voice and went near. So she plucked off their feathers and put them into her own body, and of them she formed n ings, and used a long beak, for her mouth. When she had done all this, she fluttered with her wings and looked upon her beauty •with feelings of pride, and then she stretched her long crane-like neck, and lo the bill she had made for herself reached even unto the canoe from the height on which she was standing, and sea-bird like she ate of the fish till they were all consumed. This work of Tnhoropunga being accomplished, she threw aside her feathers and bill and returned to the village, and said to her husband :—: — " You surely sent me on a foolish errand. Where are the fish you caught to day r" "They are in the canoe," was the reply. " There are none in the canoe ; I had my walk for nought." * " Did you not see them there ?" "No, I suppose some person must have stolen them." ••Not so," said her husband, "what man would do Buch a deed." " But they must be stolen," cried Tuhoropunga, "for they are not in the canoe. Do you go down and see for yourself." So the man went down and 10, there were no fish in the canoe, and he wondered greatly as to what could haye become of them. And Kohuki Went again to fish, and on his return he called to his wife Korire, and he went up and sat him down in his village. Korire obeywi the voice of her husband and she went down to the sea shore and carried up the fu>h and cooked them and placed them before her lord, and the heart of the man rejoiced greatly when he «a\r the attention paid to him by his wife Koi ire. After this Kohuki went again to fish and on his arrival he went to the village and told Tuhoropunga to fetch the fish from the canoe. She also obeyed her husband's voice, but when she came to the heights above the sea shore, she changed herself into a bird as she had done before and ate up all the fish, even three hundred, and then went back in her human form, to the settlement, and her husband said to her,— " Whore are the fish?" "They are lying in the canoe, perhaps." 11 Wherefore has>t thou lelt them ?" "There was reason for my leaving them," said she. "for there were no fish on board that canoe." Now when her husband heard th> lie answered not, for he suspected that Tuhoropunga had eaten the fish. After a time Kohuki went forth to fish again, and as usual he was most fortunate, for fish were very abundant in that place. When he came to the shore with his canoe, he cried out, " O Korire, come hither and take away the fish ;" and Tuhoropunga Kuril c's voice said, "Lo I come, Kohuki." Now Tuhoropunga, in expectation of her husband's speedy , return, had sent Korire to the woods for fuel, so that she might, in her absence, eat up the fish, as on former occasions. Korire not quickly making her appearance, her husband again called out, "Korire, where artthou." " I am here," said Tuhoropunga, and she hastened down to the sea shore. Now, when Kohuki saw her, he said, "Ahit is this great fish eater I see coming down again." When he had made this remark, he went on to the village. When Tuhoropunga beheld the fish , na**tempted to become a bird again, so that she eat them. So she became a bird and ate up the fish, after which she appeared at her husband's house quite unconcerned. And the man said to her, " Where are the fish ?" " Even on board the canoe are they," said she. Then Kohuki sent his wife Korire to see after the fish, and when she came to the canoe there were no fish to be seen. Now, after this the countenance of Kohuki was not towards his wife Tuhoropunga, and he began to think within himself as to how he could get rid of her; but as the fish had disappeared, he knew not how, he was desirous to make one more trial, and he decided in his own mind that he would closely watch her, that he might indeed know whether it was really she who ate up the fish, or whether by some enchantment they became invisible to the eyes of mortals . Now, it was so that he reposed that night thinking upon his scheme, and at the dawn of day he arose and paddled away in his canoe, as heretofore, to fish. He returned with a canoe full— even four hundred. Kohuki on his arrival went straight to his village and told his wife Tuhoropunga to fetch up the fish from the canoe, and the woman went towards the strand ; and her husband went after her softly, and concealed himself in a jungle near the canoe, whence he could s see every person coming to and fro on the shore. Now, Tuhoropunga knew not that her husband was lurking in ambush, so she went along with a light hear.t, using her divinations. And when &he came to her favourite hill side, she prayed to the gods, and the birds came to her call. She, therefore, arrayed herself in feathers, and took the beak of the Kawau. Then, stretching her wings and her neck, she darted down into the canoe; and commenced her meal. She had eaten three hundred fish, while her husband gazed with great astonishment at his wonderful wife ; and when she was eating the fourth hundred he came forth from his place of concealment, and cried out, — " Ah, now 1 have found you out. It is even you who have gobbled up my fish from time to time. But Tuhoropunga immediately turned herself into her woman's form, and she replied, — " Not so, my husband. See, I am of the sons of men." ""Nay; but it is you who have eaten our fish heretofore." " No, Kohuki," eaid Tuhoropunga innocently, " this, is the first time I have tasted the fish."