Page image

Ka whakaaetia e te rau-mā-whitu. Ka mutu a Pōtoru, kei runga ko taua toa patu kekeno: ‘Whakaaro mai, e te iwi! Kāore āku whiriwhiri mō tēnā ngārara, whakarongo mai! Māku tonu e tiki ki roto i te wai, hei reira māua riri ai!’ Kātahi ka whakaaetia e Pōtoru, ‘Ae.’ Ko te kupu ia tēnei—āna, a Pōtoru: ‘Waiho kia tohea ngā tohe a Potoru.’ Kātahi ka haere te rau-mā-whitu, ka tae ki te awa, ko te ingoa ko Te Parapara. Kātahi ka karanga atu a Pōtoru ki te ope kia noho ki raro, kātahi ka kawea e Pōtoru tētehi tāhapa, ka noho tērā; kātahi ka kawea tētehi tāhapa, ka noho tērā; kātahi ka kawea te matua-iwi, ka noho; oti rawa. Kātahi taua tangata patu kekeno ka karanga mai, ‘Kua oti tō mahi?’ Ka kī atu a Pōtoru, ‘Kia mārama te titiro atu; e āhua kaha, tukua mai ki te ope.’ Kātahi te tangata nei ka kī mai, ‘Māku ia e titiro, otiia, kāore anō he ika kia ora i tōku ringa o mua iho, tae noa ki tēnei rā.’ Ka kī atu a Pōtoru, ‘Haere! Ko te kupu nō roto i te upoko o ōku tūpuna, haere!’ Ka kī atu hoki a Pōtoru ki āna tamariki, ‘Haere, hei ārahi mai i te ika nei. Kāore au i te mōhio ki te haere a tērā tangata, he kawe ingoa pea nōna, otiia mā kōrua e titiro atu tōna mahi; ko wai ka hua e ora te uru o tāna patu?’ Kātahi te tangata rā ka haere, ka tae ki te awa, kātahi ka kau atu. Ka tae te wai ki ngā hope, kātahi ka piua te kete kōkōwai ki te wai. Ka heke iho te kōkōwai rā, ka tae ki te rua, kātahi te ngārara nei ka puta ki waho; ka tirohia atu ki te ngaru o te moana e waha ana mai. Kātahi ka hoki whakamuri mai te tangata rā; ka tae te wai ki ngā hope, ka tae te wai ki ngā turi, kātahi te tangata nei ka tahuri ki waho atu anō; ko te ngaru o te moana kua tae ki uta, ko te waha kua hāmama tonu mai. Ka tata mai, kātahi te tangata nei ka tahuri; e haere mai ana, e haere atu ana, ka tata tonu, kātahi ka whiua te meke, tahi tonu atu ki te ihu. Kua titaha te ihu, huri rawa te upoko; roa rawa, kātahi ka huri mai, ka whiua atu anō te meke, ka hāmama tonu mai te waha. Nō te whiunga atu i te meke, kīhai i pā ki te ihu, ka tika tonu te ringa ki te waha, ka riro te tangata nei ki roto ki te puku o te ngārara rā. Kātahi ngā tokorua nei ka karanga. ‘Tēnei tō whare! Tēnei tō whare!’ Kua rongo te ngārara nei i te waha o ngā Everyone agreed to this. Then after Potoru had spoken, the famous seal hunter stood up: ‘Kinsmen, listen carefully to what I say! I am not afraid of the ngarara. Listen! I myself will enter the water, and he and I will do battle there!’ Then Potoru agreed to this: ‘Very well.’ Yet it was Potoru who had said, ‘Wait until we have tried Potoru's plan.’ They went on, and arrived at Te Parapara river. Potoru called to his men to stop. Then he put a group of warriors on one side of the path and another group on the other side, and he placed the main group of warriors in position. At last everything was ready. The seal hunter called, ‘Are you ready?’ Potoru said, ‘Watch him carefully, and if he seems very strong, leave him to the warriors.’ He answered, ‘I will be careful, but never yet has any fish escaped my arm.’ Potoru said to him, ‘Go! My ancestors speak through me, saying to you, go!’ Potoru also said to some of his people, ‘Go and entice the creature towards us. I do not understand the nature of this man; perhaps he does it to win a name for himself. But you must watch and see what he does. Who can know if his blow will be sure?’ The seal hunter went forward, and when he came to the river he waded in. When the water was up to his waist he threw a basket of red ochre into the stream. The red ochre sank down to the ngarara's den, and the ngarara came out from the den—they could see the waves that were carrying it along. The seal hunter walked back again until the water came first to his hips, then to his knees. Then he turned round again. The waves had reached the shore, and the monster was coming towards him, its mouth gaping. As the ngarara approached he made his way towards it, and when he was very close, he struck it a blow on the nose. The blow turned its nose to one side, and twisted its head. After a while the ngarara again faced the warrior, who dealt it another blow. But the ngarara's mouth was still gaping wide, and when the man tried a second time to strike it, he missed the nose—his fist went right into its mouth, and he disappeared into its belly. The two men who were watching called, ‘That is your house! That is your house!’ The ngarara heard the two of them calling,