Ka puta mai teenei whakaaro kia Taawhaki, “E rua tekau ma toru kei te toe. Ka taea raanei e au, ka peehea raanei? Kua maauiui te tinana inainei, kua ngenge; engari kaua e whakaaturia ki aku hoa kei kataina au!” Kei te haere te mahi. Kei te haere ngaa miihini, ngaa puruma. Koinei te mahinga whakamutunga mo teenei raa. Pau katoa ngaa kaha o ngaa kaimahi ki te mahi i a raatau mahi. Engari ki te maatakitaki atu kua aata haere te korikori. Kua aahua raruraru te tuaraa o te koroua. Mutu ana te hipi, roa noa atu ka torotika te tuaraa, ka hiikoi ngaa waewae. Ko Kaihuka, kei te maringi tonu ngaa pia o te Kirihimete, kaatahi ka tino heemanawa rawa atu. Kua aahua roa tonu a Te Whiu e taaora ana i a ia, i mua i tana hopu hipi maana. Ee, kua tiimata ngaa mahi whakaroaroa. Naa, ko te taahae nei ko Taawhaki, kua mutu aana mahi whakatoi. He mahi tino uaua inaianei. Ka kite ngaa hoa kua tata te pau o ngaa hau o ta raatau tamaiti. Ka tiimata ta raatau aki i a ia. Ka mea atu teetahi, “Kia kaha, e hoa! Kara-whiua, kia kai ai koe i te koura mara!” Ka mea ake ano teetahi. “Kia kaha poai, kei te aroha maatau ki a koe!” KO KUIA RAANEI, KO MEREANA RAANEI Ka kii ake a Kaihuka, “Ana, e Mere! Me noho tonu koe ki toona taha, kia piri tonu, kia kaha ai toona manawa! Ko koe tonu hei pirihoo moona.” Ka tiiwaha mai a Te Whiu, “Ko Mereana raanei, ko Kuia raanei? Teenaa, kia kitea. Me tiimata te whakahuahua inaianei. Ko Mereana teenaa hipi e kutia na!” Ka ruuruu mai ngaa pakihiwii o te koohine raa, ka mea ia, “Wii, ko koe ano te hipi!” Ka whakahuatia ngaa hipi, ko Kuia … ko Mereana … ko Kuia … ko Mereana. Kei waho eenaa hipi. Tekau maa iwa kei te toe. tekau maa waru … tekau maa whitu … ko Kuia … ko Mereana … ko Kuia. Naa, kei te haere te ringa nui o te karaka, i taana haere kaaore nei he whakamutunga. Engari ko te kaha o te tangata he mutunga toona. E ono ngaa hipi kei te toe ka eke ai te toru rau a Taawhaki. Kei te aakina e ngaa kaimahi katoe o te whare kutikuti hipi. “Kia haka … kia kaha!” Kua pau ke te hau o Taawhaki. Kua kore ke ia e moohio, e aha ana ia. Heoi ano kei te rongo atu ia i ngaa reo e kii mai ana. “Kia kaha, Taawhaki … Ma Kuia teenaa … kia tere, tiikina ano he hipi … kaare i konaa, e hoa! Araa ke! … pupuritia. e hoa! E rima kei te toe! … E rima kei te toe … Kia kaha!” Naawai, aa, kua tiimata a Taawhaki ki te koorero ki a ia ano.” Kia kaha … E rima kei te toe … Kia kaha, kia kaha, kia kaha!” Kua taumaha katoa ia, he taumaha e peehi ana i a ia kia takoto. kia moe i te moe e warewaretia The work still continues. The machines are traversing their devious paths, so too are the brooms. This is the final run. The workers exert all their effort to carry out their work. But if you were observing them you would notice that their movements had slowed down considerably. The old man's back was beginning to trouble him. When he completed a sheep it was quite a long time afterwards that his back straightened and his legs began to move. As for Kaihuka, his Christmas cheer was still oozing from his skin and he looked more hot and bothered than before. Te Whiu lingered over the act of wiping his brow before catching another sheep. Yes, it looked as though delaying tactics were being employed. And now, this fellow Taawhaki had given up all his cheekiness. Ah, the work was really tough going now. His friends noticed that the strength of their “child” was nearly spent. So they began urging him on. One cried out, “Come on, friend! Into it, so you will eat of the fermented crayfish!” And another cheered, “Come on, boy! We are all behind you!’ KUIA OR MEREANA Then Kaihuka spoke, “There, Mere! You stay close to his side, very close, so his heart will grow strong! You be his personal fleeco!” And Te Whiu yelled out, “Will it be Mereana, or shall it be Kuia? Now then, let us find out. Begin naming the sheep. That one he is shearing is Mereana.” The damsel shrugged her shoulders and said, “Wee, you are a sheep yourself!” In any case, the sheep were named, Kuia … Mereana … Kuia … Mereana. Out went those sheep. There were nineteen left … eighteen … seventeen … Kuia … Mereana … Kuia. Now, the big hand of the clock travels its journey that has no end. But there is an end to the strength of man. There are six sheep left to make up Taawhaki's three hundred. He is being urged on by every worker in the woolshed, “Be strong … be strong!” But the stuffing had been knocked out of Taawhaki. He barely knew what he was about. All that kept him going were the voices beckoning to him, “Be strong, Oh Taawhaki! … That is Kuia now … Be quick, fetch another sheep … Not there, man! … Over there … hold it, friend … five left … Five left … Be strong!” With all this ringing in his ears he soon began talking to himself, “Be strong … five left … be strong … Be strong, be strong!” He was overcome with weariness; a weariness which was pressing heavily upon him, urging him to lie down, to sleep, the sleep in which is forgotten all the weariness and pain of the human body