NEW ZEALAND STORIES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 19, 9 November 1910, Page 47

NEW ZEALAND STORIES.

For the Love of a Maori Maid.

(By

GAELIC.)

[The Ed/itor desires to announce that yew Zealand Stories by yew Zealand writers, will be published on this page regularly. The page will be open to any contributor, and all accepted stories will be paid for at current rates. Terse, bright sketches of Dominion life and people, woven in short story form, are required, and should be headed “New Zealand Stories.”]

yOU who read must set your thoughts to follow where my ■thoughts lead. I would have you leave the street and Che town, and come with me far back; come far into the lands that know not the pakeha voice—that know not the sounds of the white man’s world. The lands that bear the forest’s pride, where the fern is untrampled, where the tui sings his loudest and is not afraid —there must he wander. Nay, more! a greater and stronger fancy must lead you, for I would have your mind to close its understanding to the things of to-day —to the present that lives—and open its ways to the doings of the past. The present is real, and, save in mighty moments, fails to arouse the man from (beneath the skin that a newer world hath wrapped around him, ami hath (tied so fast that when aroused he 'blushes to find the spirit outpouring from the smothered and girded founts of his inmost mind. .We in the present are too languid to love as we loved before, too polite to hate as of old. Our love must first be bound by writings of law; our hate is ■unwieldy, and barren of the sport it should yield if only they who quarrel (would stand out, naked of knife and spear, and let the better brain and muscle laugh when the weaker fall. Can hate of the present be hate of the heart when it spits out death through a •tube of iron to the foe it has never met, nor even seen, as the wide valleys part the ways? My mind is of the past, and my whitened bones soon will show that my beating heart has ceased to yield life to my body of the present. 1 have seen that the present can never meet the past, for it does not understand, and will not reconcile. The old are old in mind, as in body, for their thoughts are not with the world of youth. Can the spirit of the ancient kauris deign to follow the doings of the chirping sparrows? We die, but the words of our mouths live on. Give me, then, your thoughts, that my tale shall be told when this, my tongue, lies mouldering into the dust whence it came.

’ Tell me, which of all people can boast of having known greater changes in life and in the manners of life, from grandsire to child, than the civilised Maori, Others may have tasted as many of the pleasures and pains of the passing of nakedness, but none, I say, has suffered the disappointments or enjoyed the advantages to points of keenness greater than my dark-skinned race. When the Great White Queen gave us our charter, we pictured a very heaven of bliss for the Maori. All things would work to one ending to form a happy Mend; all wrongs would be righted, and all darkness would be turned to light ! Thus we though, and so would you also have thought had your ignorance of life and of the ways of righteous men been as ours. But, thanks to that great Charter, we now can talk in the pakeha (tongue as well as our white brethren, and, perhaps, better than many of them! The pakeha guns protect us from the invader across the sea, and the pakeha law courts protect us from the landshark ashore. We sit beside the silkfwrapped lady in the worship-house, and We brush against the scented dandy in the swift-moving, horseless cars; and none dare banish us or openly insult nur name. Yes, we are grateful, very, but many thoughts of sadness come to the mind of the Maori, whose dreams (take him back to the past. He thinks of the fallen greatness of bis people, of the majesty and power of the mighty

Ariki, and of the mystery of the solemn tohunga’s power. He can now recall the dead ages only in lettered books, wherein cold, unfeeling authors describe all wondrous deeds as “acts of barbarism,” and wherein good and bad are too readily grouped into the signs and ways of savagery. Bad, the Maori may have been, but his soul was open to other spirits besides those of evil. Hate was strong, but love was stronger. You laugh, and beneath your laugh your eyes

may veil a sneer. My story may help to show you the .power of love’s sway among the hearts of my people. It will show you that faith in love led even our great chiefs to open their hearts to its spirit-power. Their love-filled minds Would lead them to do the bidding of their visions; and you will learn how the dreams of Ruatui moulded his path of life and of death, for’his visions were not to be denied. Nor do 1 know of any of love’s mind-beckonings which led any man out to the maid who had left her image on his soul, engraved by the magic power of her love-lit eyes in living flesh and blood. I lament the loss of poetry, and of the thoughts that soften hate. Our dreams now turn to the getting of money, and the Maori is fond of eating out his brains with the strong drink, the fiery liquid of the Evil One, which the pakeha is ever ready to sell to him. His talk is too much like that of the thing called larrikin, that

loves to hover in the gutters, smoking paper-wrapped tobacco and doing cowardly and unclean things. The home of the Maori has left the hills and high places. His bones are grown lazy, for he loves to dwell where his fuel and water are earned with but little labour. He builds his kainga on the low places, heedless that there the consumptive sickness lurks. The Maori is dying; he is to blame, for he sleeps on, and his sleep will end in death!

But the pakeha is impatient to hear my story. It was told to mo by my father, and is therefore true. My father was a great priest, and knew men’s minds. He it was who heard the last words of Ruatui. and saw him leap out to the gods. My heart stores the words of Ruatui, as told to me; and thus he spoke to my father the priest: — “My heart is heavy and my soul is sick, oh Tanemai! The goodness in my heart commands me. and says ‘Speak and die, oh Ruatui, the brave!* The badness laughs, and says ‘Be silent; bury thy sorrow, thy doings, and live thy life, oh Ruatui!’ My spirit is torn. Will your holy mind help me and command. oh Tanemai? “ ‘Speak, my son!’ “And die? Then let it be so. Tanemai, I love a maid Moeana must be my bride iu death. She is of the Xgapu; I of the Wairomo, as ail our race knows full

well. When the Wairomo fought the Ngapu, .their chief, led them; but we were beaten back, though many of our warriors stayed to feed the Ngapu tires of death. The pohutukawas have bloomed many times since then, but well 1 remember the way I fought for and won a prisoner—even Moeana —-surely the chosen of the goddess of beauty, for she was no other maid, and I protected her and chose her to mate. After many moons had shed their light and passed, the love that Moeana bore to inc was strong as the love I bore her, and she was soon to be the Wairomo’s chief honoured wife and queen. But my people were wrathful, and, while yet too fearful to kill her, they drove her back through the blackness of night, back to the Ngapu. her tribe, where she could see me no more. My anger was great, and straight way I took revenge, and gave, many of my people to the gulls on the shore. But revenge satisfies the evil in our minds and does not reach the heart. My sun had gone down, for Moeana was gone, and I knew that she, too, would mourn her fate nigh un'o death. Now. the maiden, my Moeana. who in her groat beauty was called the Sunshine of the Ngapu, appeared many times to me in wondrous dreams, so that L clutched forth as 1 slept, but the beauteous vision ever melted away and slowly beckoned me to follow. “I did not tell of my dreams to the Wairomo, for it was right that they should not wish a Ngapu to be the mother of my children. No, the Maori of old hated too well! Many murmurs of anger, too. had lieen heard by my spies concerning the taking of my revenge; and so I kept my thought and told not of the waiting yet fleeting visions. “But love is strong, and I loved the smiling face, the shining hair of Moeana; and oh. Tanemai! when I could no longer keep my sorrow, nor bear the tearing at my heart. I crept away at set of sun and followed where the love-shadow led. Whilst my people slept the happy vision led me over the hills, through many waters, and across the plains, far into our enemy's land, and there, while the moon was yet high and shining through the dew-glittering branches of the tall kauris, I lost my wondrous guide, but saw. running fast to meet mo. my heart’s longing—even Moeana herself—in full glory of life and beauty. 1 stood, and the heat of my quick journeying turned to cold. 1 had seen no green tuatara’; nothing had crossed my path to give tins fear-god power over im»; but for a nio* ment the brave Ruatui left his own body so that it became but a cold home for fear to dwell in. The change I had seen from lovely airy spirit to still lovelier mortal being was too great for my understanding. and my brain could, not help me. But Moeana spoke, and her voice was sweeter than music of the morning tui! “‘Come, oh Ruatui! Your spirit whispered through the night, and 1 knew’ that your love led you thither. Come to my people; they must surely welcome you. Yqu are strong, you are good, and we shall wed. Ruatui. our tribes shall be at peace. Come!’ “The sound of the human voice gav? me back my strength, and the thoughts of Moeana’s words lent me courage to that I could answer, ‘ Your will is my will, Moeana. Lafe and death shall see us as one, and neither shall pari us!’ “‘There spoke the true spirit of-R.ua-ui! Come, my mortal god, and we will go to the Ngapu to learn of our lite to be.’ “Moeana, your love is still mine? You speak of OUR. life!’ “ ‘ Even so, my warrior!’and Moeana’s soft laugh started a sleeping Whaureroa to his morning song. ‘ My arf is weaker, but my wits are nimbler than thine. “‘A maid may sing of the love she bears, and sigh! A man may fight with all his care, Or die! Iler heart is dead, but life is left To weep! JI is soul is peace, his body left, To sleep! But Moeana’s heart is burst With blood, To quench her brave Ruatui’s thirst, In flood Of love, that shall not die with life Or death! So live and laugh, or go in strife, Our breath.’ “ Moeana’s voice of song filled my soul and seemed to live in the 'trees, so that 1 could not speak until we were far out on the white cliffs that border the sea. We walked slowly on, hand in hand, ant

■poke of the visions that bad come to both of us, and we made many bright plans that would loop the bonds of friendship around our quarrelsome tribes, that for ever east aside the bitter feelings that made the Waironio sharpen their weapons, and point them towards tho home of the Ngapu. But I eare not, O Tanemai, to speak much of these sayings. The words of the heart are not for other ears. IL “ When the sun rose up from qver the ■ea, and cast the light of day over the doings of men, my love and I came to the great Ngapu pa, whieh even now showed many signs of the great Wairomo attack. As though we had come in the manner of invited guests, two men met us at the gates of the pa. My guide’s face showed great fear, but her words were spoken with firmness, as became a chief’s daughter. 'Be brave, my Ruatui,’ she said. ‘ Tehero the tohunga and Nuiawa my father come forth to greet us.’ “But neither of the men looked at me. They appeared not even to notice my presene*, but went straight up towards Moeana. “ •Daughter,’ began Nuiawa, ‘this must not be. You shall mate with none but a Ngapu. Haki shall be thy husband Haki the fearless, Haki the noble, the master of many lands, the chose? “‘Nay, my father,’ broke in Moeana. •Haki is not noble. Haki is cruel and faithless. 1 cannot ’ “‘•Silence!’ cried Tehero the tohunga, while his evil mind showed itself by the passion whieh worked in his face. ‘ You will be forgiven, but only in part. You must meet your punishment, though ill will be a light one, for you have delivered into our hand's the chief of our enemies. Yow Ruatui’s last moments shall cause mirth for the women and children. But as I have said, your punishhent shall be a light one, oh daughter of Nuiawa! You shall scrape clean the bones of this Ruatui, and shall take them in their shame to the tribe that owns them, even to the Wairomo! At the next rise of the sun we shall see how the chief of the Wairomo can die! Go and forget your shame!’ “ Aly weeping love was lied away. Many men then came to me, anil though I fought as the Wairomo knows how to fight, they quickly overcame my strength bound my arms, and threw me into a stout whare, setting an armed warrior to watch over me. How I spent that long day only Ruatui shall ever know. My limbs suffered much pain from my bonds, but this I could bear; my pain of the mind I could not bear, and I groaned aloud at the thoughts of my Moeana. and the misery she had brought upon herself by her great love for me. In stillness the night eame down, and I set my thoughts upon my people and upon the unknown world of spirits I was soon to enter.

“Another keeper was placed over me, and soon a soft feeling of rest crept over me, for surely my mind was about to give up its struggle and enter into a state of blankness, whieh would in mercy cover up the doings of my captors. But just as the world and the things of this world were about to pass from me, I heard a soft voice tenderly calling, ‘Ruatui! Ruatui!’- It was Moeana. I cried aloud in my joy, but her hand stole over my mouth, and her lips whispered, ‘My Ruatui, your keeper sleeps, and I am tome to set you free.’ She ent my bonds with a sharpened stone she had remembered to bring, but as the last strand yielded to her efforts the moon chose to burst from behind the clouds, and, as if its iufluence had wakened him, my door-watcher arose and came towards us. But my arm was free, and in the same instant one woman of the Ngapu became a widow. Moeana shuddered, and drew me behind the shadow of the whare, but no sound disturbed the stillness of the night. “ 'Ruatui,’ my love tremblingly whispered, ‘my hands are also red with Ngapu blood.’ “ How, Moeana?’ “ ‘Tehero the tohunga is a false priest. I had to protect myself from his evil when he eame to my prison; and, oh, Ruatui, his own mere came to my hand, and he now sleeps with it deep in his brains.* “I laughed softly and praised the deed, but Moeana answered not. She was peer.iig forth and listening, for the threatening sound of murmuring voices boro ill-news for ns; and loud shouts ■nd cries soon told their tale, for the deeds of blood were discovered, and now

the moon shone bright and clear as those at the gate of the pa came towards us. Then my strength came to life, and. my blood flowed fast. I lifted my love in my arms, and by quick scrambling round a whare, escaped the men. I ran past the gate and out into the fern as man never ran before. But the fern was thick and high, for I knew not the track, and Moeana had lost her brain power. The weight soon weakened me, so that my body wished to fall. My wrath became great when I turned and beheld Nuiawa and another, whom I at once knew to be Haki, following close upon us. I heard them laugh, for they knew, but till then I did not that a river ran at my feet. Without a pause I. plunged in, and the current of the stream quickly bore us down Then a thought of escape eame to me, and I seized a drooping mangrove root and held with a desperate grip. The coldness of the water caused Moeana to awake, but it made our bodies so that they shook as with disease. But we soon rejoiced, for the men passed us, running down the bank. We heard the curses of Nuiawa and the wailing of Haki. When their footsteps broke the fern far away, we scrambled out, and went towards the high land near the sea. We found a sheltered place, and there we stayed until we should be rested; and Moeana softly sang a war song to lend us courage. We believed that those who chased us were searching in the river, but it was not so. Moeana’s voice was suddenly hushed, for Nuiawa had found lus. He had crept up, and now hia

spear quivered in his daughter’s heart. In the dark his accursed weapon had found the wrong victim! I was cold and still with horror, and recovered only when. I saw Haki, burning with wrath, striking his mere deep into Nuiawa’s skull. “Then a third came up, and I fled. Oft’ have I felt ashamed, oh Tanemait but the truth must be told. I fled because I thought of dead, Moeana, and the thought stilled my heart, so that the blood which it pumped was cold. The two men followed me, and the night turned to day, and the day wore on and turned to night; but still they fallowed me. Many times as I ran my thoughts turned my will to stand and do battle, but my soul was torn and mad within me, and my body took its own unbidden course. “Now, I knew of the lake called Tangiora, and I ran towards it. Before the moon arose I was beside its waters, and without waiting cast my tired body into the cold depths and swam out to ihe island known to my tribe as Aotura. I could but drag my weary feet into the low, leafy growth of friendly Aotura, when I fell to the ground and slept; but my rest was broken by the cries of the birds, for they were uneasy at my coming. But soon a worse noise disturbed me; the moon shone upon Haki and the other man of Nga-pu, who Wtd heard the cries of the birds and had crossed the waters on a flax-bound raft of dry kauri. They landed and searched, but my luck was good, for I had seen them first. I softly crept down to Che water's edge, and stole their nUL I

could not paddle quickly with the heavy limb they had used, and I made much noise, so that my enemies soon discovered me. They entered the water, and I saw that they swam faster than I could paddle, but I dared not again trust to the merey of the water, for my affrighted brain heard the dread Taniwha beneath. I cried aloud to the spirit of Moeana, and before the echo of my voice had died away the noise of the demon fish had ceased. The good in death had defeated the evil in life. And now the sweet vision appeared to me unbidden, and I swam out towards her. She led me on, through the water and out over the fern, until I came to a narrow point of high land, where the sea broke on both sides. I rested and prayed that our spirits should become as one. The lovely dream-spirit came smiling, and pointed to where the narrow land joined the broad. I looked, and saw that Haki eame alone, and I knew that his companion slept beneath the waters of cold Tangiora. in. “Again I heard the war song —Che same song that had kissed the lips of living Moeana when we had rested during our flight. I looked to earth and sky, and strode forth to do battle. We were strong men both, and our hands were our only weapons. Neither of us spoke, but! the young manuka was trampled far around, for we fought a fearful fight. My angel-spirit’s voice sounded in my ears and gave to my fingers the strength of two men, so that Haki’s throat was

Old Lady (who has lost her bearings): But, dear me! I'm certain that the last time I was here I went that way to Harlem. Diplomatic Policeman: It’s right in the opposite direction, now, mum. Ye’d be surprised at the changes that’s been made.

clasped and held bight until the breath of life left his body, and I was alone. I dragged the dead thing away and covered it with leaves; for fear that Moeana’s spirit might not return while it lay in the- pure moonlight. “I stood free as the tui, aard thought to go buck to my people. But the love of Moeana held me, and again 1 sought the bright vision, ft came to my call of despair, but beckoned me to leap over tlie cliff, down on to the rocks beneath. I stayed, and saw the pale light play on the glorious image of Moeana. A soft sounding whisper chanted a wondrous song, but yet I stayed. Then clear and strong eame the words of Moeana: “‘Come, Ruatui, come! Y’our spirt is mine. It shall cling to my .shining hair. Your flesh is of earth; Let it wither to dust. Our spirits are one, as scent and the flower. Come, Ruatui, come!’ “Tanemai, oh tohunga, I stayed! And, Tanemai, my Heart is not white; for 1 turned, and with lips that were ready to speak lies I went towards my tribe. Tanemai, they had gone, and only the children and the feeble one had stayed. They were gone again to fight' with the Ngapu, and all for the lovo of their chief Ruatui, who had wandered hence. My heart and my limbs were heavy, but I turned again to fight and to die with my people. But the gods were angry with me, and caused my body to sink beneath its troubles and weariness, and I lay amid the trees for many days and nights, so that' 1 was very- etaas

to death; but the sweet spirt of Moeana came not to «y calling. “At last the fever went forth, f»r 1 ata freely- of the berries and leave* that heal and that give us strength and goad blood. I slowly went forth, hoping that the tribes yet fought. But next sun brought me to the taurakarika called Kaotae, one of my people. Kaotae had not long to live, for his blood flowed from many wounds. His weak voice could only just tell me his story, and he was glad that death was near, for after fierce and desperate fighting only he had escaped to tell the news. .

“And now the Wairomo children and feeble ones yet await in vain for the return of their warriors, oh Tanemai!, for Kaotae died at sun, and I have come: to you. The Waironio men were brave, but foolish, for the Ngapu were many—< as many to my braves as five meres are to one—and the Ngapu fought' for their homes, while the Wairomo fought as they thought for their imprisoned chief, even Ruatui who speaks. Tanemai, I have killed my tribe, for the children will wander. I have lost Moeana and her lovely, lonely shadow of spirt-worid hope. My brain is like the fire that eannot be quenched, and my heart is like the ice that cannot melt. Tanemai!, Tohunga! Speak to me thy words of wisdom!”

My father led the trembling Ruatui to the edge of the cliff, even to the bas« of this pohutukawa, and said, “Oh, chief of the Wairomo, you are called by the gods, your love is keen and your Moeana calls you. It is well. Spring far out, Ruatui, and forget all cares of earth in the evelasting peace of the spirit world. Go, and stay not!” Ruatui looked to the woods, but they were silent to him. He gazed below and upwards, and suddenly lifting up hiS voice cried, “My spirit shall go to Reinga; where the seaweed shall open wide to clear my way to the life beyond, and to Moeana. Wairomo, my people; Ngapu, my enemies; Tanemai, the tohunga, farewell! Moeana, I come to you!” Tanemai, my father, stood still until the Wairomo chief had leapt. The body lay on the pointed rocks below, and the troubles of Ruatui were over. Tanemai rested, and his mind became filled with many thoughts of the ways of men: but lie grieved not at the fate of the Wairomo. for it had been ordered by the gods, and the plans of the gods work ever to doings of wisdom. The men of the Wairomo had been kissed by the god of the death-cloud, and the tribe must die. The spirits of many fathers and young men of the Ngapu had gone forth also, for the Wairomo fought not with hands of snow. Many women were weeping, and many children would grow weary of waiting for those that had gone. The blood of chiefs and of tohungas fed the thirsty grounds; the kaingaS knew much misery, and the friends of Moeana mourned their Beauty-queen. Thus much may come from the doings of one man, but the heart feelings guide all things.

Tanemai, my father, commanded me never to weary of telling the story of Ruatui and his love. “My son,” hd said, “all these harvests of death but followed the course of Ruatui and hia love of a Maori maid; yet tell the story to your children; it will fill their thoughts with a true mind-pic-ture of your dead tribes. It will teach them that love will follow the brave, and that the brave may love and yet run, and still become yet braver —aye, even to death. Son, let your hate be keen. Be brave. But let your love be strongest of all, for a weak love dwells not in the heart of the good!”