TOENGA'S VISION.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 5494, 13 December 1884, Page 3

TOENGA'S VISION.

One night I ' w'os returning home with a party of Bix natives from a fish spearing expedition we had undertaken the same evening. The fi>h we speared at pighfc by, torchlight during the run in of the young flood tide.

My old friend Toenga Pou, who, among his many accomplishments, prided himself on being jt tohunga (priest) was sitting. next iv fr nt of me in the nose of the canoe, humming a weird sort of chant to himself in a low, dreamy tone and keeping time with his paddle. It was a beautiful olear starlight night, and midway up the sides of -the two ranges of wooded hills that formed the back ground to eaoh bank of the river, lightly floated a then soft line of white mist, the .tops of the ranges showing out distinctly 'against the starlit sky, the surface of the water might have been likened to a mirror in which the stars, mountains, and' trees were clearly reflected. ; ' r ' It was a warm. night, not a breath of air could be felt. , All was serenely still; 1 Our canoe out her way rapidly through the water, urged forward by our paddles, leaving a long trail of phosphoric light in our wake. We werd- steering across the. river to avoid the effects of the strong running tide, and were nearing a low line of mangrove trees, whose overhanging boughs, dipping and trailing in the tide, caused <a ripple as the current swept past, a«d now and then was heard the gurgling sound made by tbe water, as it washed op and receeded again from the hollow stems of the' mangroves. Suddenly, without warning, Toenga threw up his paddle, and stopped in his chant The action was so marked and unexpected, that we all stopped paddleing and the canoe drifted with the tide. •• Heaha ?" (what is it ?) I asked.

" Taihoa, "'(wait) replied Toenga, "resume your paddles till we laud." Noti a. word more was spoken until the canoe toched the shore.

By the time we reached home, it was nigh morning and I went to my house, Toengo following me until I reached the door. " My son;" he said, "I must away to my home. ..Lißte,n to me; the spirit of Nga Ripene (a young girl 1 knew well, and a neioe of Toenga's) has passed up the river;' it crossed the nose of the canoe just When I threw up my 1 paddle oti its way to my'settlement'and huts to carry her love and leave it with her relatives and with me. Alas 1 alas 1 Ngtf' Ripene is dead ; but I, fear her spirit will try and get my daughter Haupu to go with her to the Reiuga (the next world). I must go no was her people will be sure to bring her body up to-morrow to our settlement." .. „ , Old Tbehga had been very merry over our fishing, and nad been more successful than of any one of us. As hig'aim was so true and his sight so quick.jhe often suoceeded in |spearing fißii that' haa been missed by others of oar party. u £ now-bia xnood had changed and he walked towards his borne with his head down, looking careworn and sorrowful. I doubted the,truth of old Toenga's vision, as , I had seen the .girl a few days before,* she; haying' been one of a party .of Maoris who h'ad^called at our settlement on .'their way down 'the' river, when she had, in good health and apirits, and had looked re- ; markabiy t handsome-; and' nqwj ,ltoenga. had 'said she was dead ! I could hot believe it; ii> "" 1 " ' " ' ■ ■ "' Toenga discribed the sensation h^ had felt by saying thai his hair, and flesh had moved . of their qWnj.acc.ord, >doing a, kind of obeisance il io' tn'e u ppirit as. it, passed on its way. •■-''" •- '- About, noon on the. "following day, a n,atiye named Puakawpu came up the river on his way to Waikohfinganui, ,where Toenga (lived. He, told' ,n}e Nga Ripene was .dead. < She hid. died suddenly the previous day towards suWdown'. ', I told Pu'akawau the occurence otthe previous night, and what Toenga had said ;.but he expressed no surprise^ only eayirig he was glad of it/ as he would be prepared for the; message he waß staking to, The last request Nga Ripene bad made was, that she might not be buried in. the kjiri tupapaku (corpse. garden) of the missionaries... "., . ' ' / She had been christened Matilda, but Toenga, <was" to place her . remains . wjtb. those of her ancestors. Of , course Toepga carried out to the letter this last request.Nga Ripene's death was attributed to her having eaten some peaches that had been grown on a piece of tapued (sacred) ground by mistake. ■• . - This pooured about 1850; .. ;, ',r, r ..,.,',* '. ; ,T. MOD.;,