Page:Tales-of-Banks-Peninsula Jacobson 2ed 1893 cropped.pdf/46

quietly as not to awaken Te Whari rakau. This made him very angry (pouri), because he had inadvertently endangered his own life and that of his son by entertaining an unfriendly guest, who might easily have killed him in his sleep. He was vexed with himself for having allowed such a person the opportunity of saying that he could, if so disposed, have killed Te Whare rakau; that, in fact, he had spared his life. On returning home he told his father and their friends, who tried to quiet him, but without avail. Some time afterwards he happened to be in a canoe, containing, amongst others, no less a personage than Momo, the great chief of Kaiapoi, and, while they were pulling along the coast, Te Whare rakau caught sight of Kahuroa on the beach. He immediately asked to be put on shore, that he might pursue him. “What!” said Momo, “would you slay your own kinsman?” “What else can I do?” he replied, “Why did he deceive me? He might have killed not only me, but my son too. A little and we should both have fallen victims. For this he must die; I cannot let him live to boast that he spared my life and that of my son.” Saying this, he ran after the unfortunate man, and, having caught him, killed him on the spot.

About a year after the raid on Panau, Te Mai hara nui was captured in Akaroa Harbor by Te Rauparaha, the noted warrior chief of Kapiti, who came, accompanied by one hundred and seventy men, in an English trading vessel, for the express purpose of securing his person. The anxiety displayed by Rauparaha for the capture of this particular chief was caused by his determination to obtain the most distinguished member of the Ngai Tahu tribe, as payment for his near relative Te Pehi, who, in his opinion, was treacherously put to death by members