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homes, undisturbed by foreign attacks or internal strife. Occasionally the bolder spirits amongst them would go away to take part in the wars against Ngatimamoe, which were carried on for many years in districts farther to the South, or else to take part in some quarrel between different sections of the Ngai Tahu tribe located elsewhere. Among those who went off in search of military honors was a certain heretical teacher named Kiri mahi nahina, who left Akaroa for the seat of war near Moeraki, and fell at the battle of Tara ka hina a tea. This tohunga had told Turakautahi the younger that Tiki made man, whilst the fathers had always maintained that it was Io. Te Wera adopted a novel method to prevent the survival of this man’s false teaching, through his spirit escaping and getting into some other tohunga. When the battle was over, he made an oven capable of containing the entire body, and then he carefully plugged the mouth, ears, nose, and every other aperture, and having cooked the heretical teacher, he managed, with the assistance of some of his warriors, to eat up every portion of him, and so successfully extinguished the incipient heresy.

The condition of those who remained quietly at home was enjoyable enough, for it is a great mistake to suppose that the old Maori life in peaceful times was one of privation and suffering; on the contrary, it was a very pleasant state of existence; there was a variety and abundance of food, and agreeable and healthy occupation for mind and body. Each season of the year, and each part of the day, had its specially alloted work, both for men and women. The women, besides such household duties as cooking and cleaning their houses, made the clothing and bedding required for their families. They gathered the flax and ti palm fibres used, and prepared and worked them up into a great variety of garments, many of which took several months to complete, and which, when finished,