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Ka mea atu a Puhihuia, ‘Ko koe o taua te mohoao, te kite koe na Ponga ahau i awhina i a tatou i oma mai ra ki Onehunga, nau te kite i a au i neke mai nei i te wahi e nohoia na e koe, ka noho ahau i te taha o taku i mohio ai, o ta taku ngakau i mea ai, i ta taku hinengaro i manaaki ai hei awhina i a au.’ Ka mea atu ano a ia, te kaiurungi ra, ‘Kati, e mea ana koe ko Ponga hei ariki mou?’ Ka mea atu a Puhihuia, ‘Apaia’. Ka mea atu ano te tangata ra, ‘Ae, e pai ana; waiho i tau’. Ka mea atu a Puhihuia, ‘He aha koe, he aha a ia te pai noa ai au hei ariki a ia moku, nau ko te aha? He tapu koia koe te kite ai i te uaua ngaki kai, i kiia ai te pena me koe, “Ko te toa taua he toa paheke”, a, i kiia ai a Ponga u a Ponga, “Ko te toa ngaki kai te toa paheke”. Naku, na taku ngakau, taku i kite, a, penei rawa ake, kia mate ra ano ahau, ka wehe ai maua ko Ponga.’ Ka mutu te tautohe a te hunga nei i konei, a, kua tata te waka nei ki Tipitai. He mea koa ko nga kupu a te kaituki ra kua rangona e te tangata whenua i te pa i Awhitu, kua heke katoa iho ki raro ki tatahi ki te matakitaki i te kotiro ra, kua mohio noa ake nga kaumatua ki te rongo o te pai o te kotiro nei, o Puhihuia o Maungawhau, a, na nga kupu nei o taua kaituki i mea nei, Nui noa o rongo, Ki Maungawhau ra, Ka noho tenei, Ki Tipitai nei e. I mohio ai ratou kei te waka e hoe atu nei taua puhi nei e kawea atu ana, koia ra te take i heke katoa iho ai te iwi ra ki tatahi matakitaki ai. Hui mai te iwi, te koroheke, te kuia, te tamariki, hui mai, hui katoa mai, ka tata noa ano te waka ra ki uta, ka kite mai a uta i te kanohi o te tangata o te waka nei, ka pa te powhiri a tera i uta, ka mea, ‘Haere mai-i-i,

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from you to your elders at Tipitai, as a gift to bind the peace which has been made between them and those of your elders at Mount Eden. Peace was made in days of old, and there is food in the fish of the sea which we are now crossing; and you are not ignorant of the fact that because of these fish, death has come to many of both our tribes. I had thought that you would wish that such deaths and the cause of them should for ever cease; and now, O young woman, that you have come to this branch of your tribe, I had wished to put this heirloom into your hand, that I might have the honour of protecting you.’ She answered, ‘Of us two, you are the more ignorant. You have seen that I was in the protection of Ponga when we ran to Onehunga; and you could not help but see that I came from where you now sit, and am sitting beside Ponga, he who is known to my heart, he whom my spirit embraces. He will be my protector. The steersman said again, ‘Then, do you say Ponga is to be your lord?’ She answered, ‘Certainly I do’. He said, ‘Very well; let it be as you say’. She answered, ‘Who are you? And what is he, that I should not take him as my lord? And what can you do? Are you so sacred that you cannot work in the plantations? Of such as you it is said, “The path of the warrior is a slippery one”; and of such as Ponga it is said, “Those who cultivate the soil have also a dangerous life”. My heart and I have found ourselves a man, and only death shall part me from Ponga.’ The dispute between the young chief and Puhihuia was ended, and the canoe was approaching Tipitai. The songs of the chanter who sang to keep the time had been heard by the people of the pa at Awhitu, and all of them came down to the beach to see this young woman, for the elders had already heard of the noble and beautiful Puhihuia of Mount Eden. This is the song of the chanter who sang to keep the time: Though thy fame at Maungawhau Was spread abroad, and heard in distant lands, Thou deignest to live at Tipitai!’ They realised that this nobly-born girl must be aboard the canoe that was approaching, and that is why they all came down to the beach to watch. All of the people had gathered there, old

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