already cooked. One of them, being hungry, went straight to the oven where the other women were gathering up the food and, forgetful of the sacred place from whence the fish was brought, she picked up a fish tongue which she saw lying in the oven and ate it before the other women noticed the action. That very night the monsters of the deep appeared, the sea arose and, Oh! my friends, it overwhelmed these people. Thousands of men, women, and children were overwhelmed and buried in the earth by these monsters—there the people lie even now. Thus perished these people; but those of the members of the two tribes who were at the time living in other settlements did not perish. These, therefore, lived on and when a long time had elapsed they went to gather the berries of the Karaka tree, and returned home in the evening. In returning home one of the women took a direction which brought her directly in front of the cave of ‘Ngarara-Hauarau’ (the monster reptile with the numerous progeny) so that when she looked, lo! the monster himself was there. She did not see the monster's tail, she only saw his head and, being frightened, she started to run—but the monster caught her with his tail and drew her in so that she immediately found herself encircled by the monster reptile. She was then led to the cave, and there the reptile and woman lived, with paua for food. The way they prepared the shell-fish for food was, first of all to gather a large quantity of it and put it into fresh water. By this means the fish is made palatable. One day the pair went to get a quantity of flax and returned in the fore-part of the day. Then the woman said, ‘Will you let me go to the water alone? I wish to go and prepare my food.’ The monster replied, ‘But you might run away and leave me!’ ‘I will not,’ said she, ‘because I have made up my mind that you shall be my husband.’ He replied, ‘Who can tell!’ Whereupon the woman said, ‘I will give something to assure you of my presence.’ ‘What is it?’ asked the reptile. ‘Let a rope,’ she said, ‘be made of flax and let it be made long enough to reach the water.’ ‘Then!’ said he, ‘let a rope be made.’ They accordingly set to work, and when the rope was finished the woman went to the water. On her return she gave the following directions: ‘When I go to the water I will tie the rope round me; when I get there if you pull the rope I will at once return.’ She then added, ‘Let us experiment.’ She accordingly went to the water, and on reaching it she called out, ‘Pull!’ The rope was pulled and she at once returned. ‘It is well,’ the reptile said, ‘go and prepare your shell-fish.’ Then she said, ‘I shall be detained, and will