Page:Tales-of-Banks-Peninsula Jacobson 2ed 1893 cropped.pdf/15

which grew in the Wairarapa Valley, the stump of which was shown until quite lately by the old Maoris there. On the completion of the conquest of Ngati-mamoe, the canoe was drawn up at Omihi, where it was subsequently buried by a landslip, the projecting bow only being left exposed. It was regarded as a sacred treasure under the immediate guardianship of atuas, and one man, who presumed to chip a piece off as a memento, paid the penalty of his sacreligious rashness by dying immediately afterwards.

The feud between the chief Tu te kawa and the ruling family of Ngai Tahu was caused by his having put Tuahuriri’s wives to death at Te-mata-ki-kai-poika, a pa on the south-east coast of the North Island. Tuahuriri had from some cause incurred the ill-will of a powerful member of his own tribe, the renowned warrior Hika-oro-roa. That chief assembled his relations and dependents, amongst whom was Tu te kawa, and led them to attack Tuahuriri’s pa. When they were approaching the place at dawn of day, and just as the leader was preparing to take the foremost post in the assault, a youth named Turuki, eager to distinguish himself, rushed past Hika-ora-roa, who uttered an exclamation of surprise and indignation at his presumption, asking in sneering tones “how a nameless warrior could dare to try and snatch the credit of a victory he had done nothing to win.” Turuki, burning with shame at the taunt, rushed back to the rear, and addressed himself to Tu te kawa, who was the head of his family, and besought him to withdraw his contingent, and proceed at once to attack the pa from the opposite side, and thus secure the victory for himself, and for ever prevent such a reproach from again being uttered against any one of his family. Tu te kawa, who resented keenly the insult