Page:Polynesian Mythology by George Grey (polynesianmythol00greyuoft).djvu/327

they been men, some of the reeds and grass which they sat on in their canoe would have been lying about." He felt quite sure from several circumstances, that spirits or fairies had been there; and after observing everything well, he returned to the house where he was stopping. He, however, held fast in his heart what he had seen, as something very striking to tell all his friends in every direction, and as likely to be the means of gaining knowledge which might enable him to find out something new.

So that night he returned to the place where he had observed all these things, and just as he reached the spot, back had come the fairies too, to haul their net for mackerel; and some of them were shouting out, "The net here! the net here!" Then a canoe paddled off to fetch the other in which the net was laid, and as they dropped the net into the water, they began to cry out, "Drop the net in the sea at Rangiaowhia, and haul it at Mamaku." These words were sung out by the fairies, as an encouragement in their work, and from the joy of their hearts at their sport in fishing.

As the fairies were dragging the net to the shore, Kahukura managed to mix amongst them, and hauled away at the rope; he happened to be a very fair man, so that his skin was almost as