te mano, te mano, te mano”. A free translation of this would be to the effect “for every kumara I plant in my garden at Hauruia there follows a progeny of thousands”. It may well be admitted that Kaiaio was not much different from you and from me in his fondness for talking about his hobby. As his hobby was connected with food he had some justification for considering it important. Food was probably the most important single thing there was to the Maori of that day. Tamahae, the youngest brother, was interested in the kumara only as an article of diet. He sometimes became bored with Kaiaio's talk about the kumara he had planted, was planting or intended to plant. “It that all you can talk about?” said Tamahae one day when Kaiaio was talking about some new strain he was developing. “Kumara? Pah ….! Food? Bah ….! You talk about nothing but food.” And he spat disgustedly. Kaiaio paused in his discourse and looked tolerantly at his youngest brother. “My dear Tamahae”, he said gently, “do not scoff at food. When you go forth to your glory in battle remember it is food which ensures your conquests. Battles are not won by starved men. Indeed it could be said that the victories of Tamahae were planted with the kumara of Kaiaio.” Tamahae was silent for awhile. The chiefs waited anxiously for his reply. The Maori of old, like the pakeha of old, were a touchy people. Bitter and lasting feuds had started from much smaller differences of opinion. They had heaved a sigh of relief when Tamahae, at length, answered his brother in equally gentle a tone. “You are right, my elder brother,” he said, “I will remember your words. Every time I win a battle I will remember your kumara.” Tamahae, though the youngest brother, was most noted as a warrior. He was a doer of doughty deeds which are preserved in the memory and story of his people. He is remembered as among the greatest of all the warriors of Whanau Apanui. From his earliest boyhood he delighted in practising his weapons. Like the European knights of the previous centuries he was always looking for trouble. Whenever he heard of a warrior who had a reputation for skill with any particular weapon he would seek him out to master his skill. He became expert in the use of patu, or short club; he became noted in the employment of the hoeroa, or throwing club, and he became, above all, renowned as the wizard of the taiaha, the favourite fighting weapon of chiefs. He became, in fact, so expert that no one in his neighbourhood could stand up to him. Tamahae had a purpose in acquiring these skills. He had a great and growing injury to avenge. His grandmother, Kahukurahihiata, had been slain while on a visit to Mahia by the Ngati Rakaipaaka. His uncle Kaimatai had been killed while on a visit to avenge the death of Kahukuramihiata. Tamahae yearned for the day when he would go south and wipe out this insult. But Kaiaio made him wait until he, the elder brother, thought the time was ripe. “But, Kaiaio,” complained Tamahae, one day, “My skill is becoming blunted for lack of adequate practice.” “Well,” replied Kaiaio, slyly, “if you have really exhausted the taiaha, you could turn to the mastery of the ko.” The ko is a digging stick, and Kaiaio was gently hinting that work is always a substitute for boredom. Tamahae pretended to consider this advice seriously. “Thank you, no,” he said after awhile. “You,” Kaiaio, are so completely the master of that weapon that it would not become me to challenge you.”

TAMAHAE SEEKS REVENGE As time went by Tamahae's fame increased. His impatience to avenge the death of his grandmother increased with it. Observing this Kaiaio one day said to him. “I hear that one Kuri Teko of Rongowhakaata is a noted expert of the taiaha. It is said that no man could defeat him.” “It is wrongly said, then,” replied Tamahae. “I could beat him. Indeed I would have done so long ago, had you not held me back. It is high time that I set out to avenge the death of my grandmother.” “Remember,” enjoined Kaiaio, “that many warriors have set out on that errand, and have not come back. There was Kaimatai, there was Kurautao and there was Hikawhakama. None of them returned. If however you believe you can do what they left undone, I will no longer hold you.” Tamahae jumped with joy. He twirled round, whirling his taiaha and making furious passes at an imaginary enemy. “Give me a supply of those famous kumara you are always talking about,” he said, “and I will go down and settle our score with Ngati Rakaipaaka. And on the way I will call on this Kuri Teko and pin his ears back with his own taiaha.” With this modest statement he gathered a great following and set off down the coast. He made pacts with the tribes of Ngati Porou, whereby they let him pass unchallenged through their territory. Eventually he came to Turanganui (which the pakeha calls Gisborne.) Here he met many chiefs of those parts, though Kuri Teko was not among them. “So, you are Tamahae?” said an old chief of Aitangaamahaki on whom Tamahae made a call. “Men say you are a mighty toa, a warrior of the highest repute.” With his customary modesty Tamahae admitted that such reports were but the truth, though there might be, he said, an element of understatement about them.