HINU AND THE TANIWHA

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 132, 7 June 1930, Page 18

HINU AND THE TANIWHA

ONCE there-lived in the bush, under a.spreading Punga, a little elf ,;-•■ named Mapou. -• - ••-■ ; It was Mapou's birthday, and he was a very happy elf, especially when his mother took a big plum cake out of the oven and stood it upon the table to cool. \ ' iThen he put on his best green velvet suit, and his mother took him to Fairy Town to buy a birthday present — anything he liked which did not cost more than six Kowhai seeds. Oh, but he was aiiappy little elf! And when they came home the cake was to be iced with pink icing! While they were away, along came another very fat little elfin boy named Hinu. "Um-m-m-m!" he said'to himself as he passed Mapou's door. "I smell cake! My! but it DOES smell good! I would like to see it! I'll just take one little peep there's no harm in that; lam sure.'' He did put his head round the door, and the cake looked so good that he went right in to have a better look. The; first thing that caught his eye was a big, black, juicy raisin sticking. out at ihe. top. "That raisin spoils the,shape of it," he said to himself, so he pulled it,and ate it. Next he took a wee Tittle bite—just to see what it tasted and then he sat down and ATE ALL THAT CAKE UP!- When-he had finished he did not feel very well,.and he thought he had better be going back to his mother. .'■■ :,.;:.-. . He was walking slowly home, shuffling his feet through ithe dry leaves, when suddenly he heard a noise behind him and the ground began to shake. Looking round,he saw a sight -Which made alLthe hair on his fat Tittle head stand up straight on end; : Al big dragon was Scorning after him at a -terrible speed. "O-o-oh Te'Taniwha!" he said, to : himself and HE COULDN'T RUN, because lie; eaten cafe*:. ■-.. : . Poor Hinu thought his last hour had come when, all at once, he had an idea. He couldn't run, but perhaps he might be able to climb. There was a Titoki tree growing near, so he made for it.--but climbing is hard work "when a body's pants are tight, and he just drew upTns tat little legs in time, when the dragon's jaws went SNAP, underneath. Once up the tree out of reach, young Hinu felt everso much braver. ■■"Ill just stay here for a while," he said to himself. That.old dragon will soon get tired and go away, and then I'll get down and go home quick.".,'

But do you think that old dragon went away? Not he: he curled ' himself round the tree and went to sleep! - Hinu sat up that tree all day. It seemed a terribly long time, and he began to wish he hadn't been a greedy elf. That started hirrr making ' good resolutions to pass the time away. He decided that he. would not eat more than twelve fairy cakes at a time. Then he. thought that twelve was very nearly greedy, so he made it . ten. Still too many—seven then—:or six -"Oh deaf me, I know I could NEVER be satisfied with six!" Still the dragon snored and snored down below. At last the poor little elf got so tired that he dropped off to sleep —.and fell right out of the tree BANG on the dragon's back! Hinu gave a veil of surprise and fear, and made off with all his might (he could ruiriiow all right). The dragon was even more surprised than Hinu. He gave a big grunt when the fat Tittle elf fell on him, and had all the breath knocked out of his body. By the time he had recovered, Hinu was ever so far ahead, and going for, his life. He chased the little elf a long way, but he couldn't run so fast because he hadn't got his breath back properly, so Hinu got safely home. His mother made him tell her where he had ' been all day, and; then spanked him good and hard and sent him back to Mapou's mother to say he was sorry for eating 1 the cake. Mapoii's <■ mother spanked him good and hard too; then she said she forgave him /because she thought he had had enough punishment for one day. She : told him that, she had made another cake for Mapoii, and if he liked to :.-. stay and have some, he could. He did stay, and ate about half the cake, and had a very good time. He and Mapou are good friends now; Sometimes; when all the elfin boys sit in the bush and talk, Hinu tells them about a fight he had with the Taniwha which lasted all day, until he gave him an extra hard whack on the head, which made him run V away. The elfin boys all look at each other, but do not say anything. "That is because Hiriu is just a little bigger than they, and anyway they were very well brought up. M. ERASER. ,'