Moko is the only living author, as far as we know, who writes short stories in the Maori language. This is the seventh “Tawhaki” story we have published. Because of the wide interest shown, we have pre-sented an English rendering KA HAERE A TAWHAKI KI TE TANGI na MOKO Pai ana te moe a Tawhaki na te mauiui hoki i te hokinga mai i te kanikani. Pai ana hoki tana moemoea. Kei te Ngahere ia kei te puhipuhi tia e hia ke! Ka mau ia ki tana pu, ka whaka-keko atu ki nga tia. Ka pahu mai te pu ehara i tana. Ha, no hea hoki? Kei te mau tonu tana nei pu! Katahi ka rua, ka toru—ka taki omaoma nga tia. Ka oho ake a Tawhaki kei te paku tonu te pu—ka wha, ka rima ka ono! Katahi ia ka whaka-aro he aha hoki tenei. He “Waipu” pea, kei te kohurutia ranei tetahi tangata. Ka huri ano ia ki te moe. He roa tonu i muru ake, ka puta mai te matua ki te whakaoho i a Tawhaki. Ka mea atu te matua, “E hoa maranga, he aitua to tatau.” Ka ki atu te hiamoe nei, “Ei, kei te mate moe tonu ahau. Hei aha tena aitua.” Ka mea atu ano te matua, “E, kua mate to kuia a Mereraina, maranga mai!” Kare tonu a Tawhaki e maranga. Katahi ka kumea iho nga paraikete e te matua, katahi ano ka maranga. Ka ki atu a Te Whetu, “Kia tere, haere mai tatau ki te kai kia wawe te tae ki te marae.” Tawhaki slept soundly, so weary was he after a night out at a dance. He had a dream. He was in a bush shooting deer and he shot ever so many. He took hold of his rifle and aimed at the deer, a gun exploded—not his—whose was it? His gun had not been fired. There was another explosion and yet another—the deer scampered away. Tawhaki woke up—the gun was still exploding—four—five—six times. He wondered what it was all about—it was either just the sound of guns or somebody was being murdered—he turned over and went off to sleep. Some time elapsed—Tawhaki's father came in to wake him. He said: “Wake up son—there has been an accident.” The sleepyhead replied: “I am still sleepy—never mind about that accident”. The father persisted saying: “Your grandmother Mereraina is dead—get out of bed.” Tawhaki still refused to get out of bed—the father stripped off the blankets and then he had to get out. Te Whetu the father said: “Let us breakfast quickly and get along to the meeting house.”
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