Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/62

50 warmer, till at length Atalanga, with an expression of anger and disgust got to work digging, and Kijikiji went and took his station at the breathing-vent, where presently the rat ran out, and was at once seized by the younger Maui and choked to death. After this the Mauis returned to Haalaufuli, and lived there; but after a while they heard of the ravages committed in Eua, by the moa (moa at present used for the ordinary barn-door fowl, but this is obviously a great bird, perhaps not unlike the New Zealand moa, although I know of no traces of any large birds in these islands), and the lizard, and the paper-mulberry tree, and the toto eitu (a tree). Accordingly they again set forth, and went to Eua, where they first met and slew the lizard. They next encountered the paper-mulberry, who, as was its wont, at once bent down to bite them, but Kijikiji seized it, and snapped it, and pulled it up by the roots. On resuming their quest they lighted next on the toto eitu, who also attempted to bite them, but was frustrated and destroyed by Kijikiji as summarily as the paper-mulberry had been. They went on in search of the moa, whom at length they saw in the distance, bigger than a house, a great mountain of a bird. Again the discussion of a plan of campaign revealed a lack of agreement. Atalanga proposed that his son should drive the bird towards him, till it was close enough to throw a stone at. Kijikiji was insistent that he have the privilege of throwing the stone. "No, father," he said, "do you go and chase it towards me, and I'll stone it." "What an undutiful child you are," the father angrily retorted, "you indeed, you stone it." "Oh, just wait here," responded Kijikiji, "whilst I go and chuck a stone at this great fowl." The discussion was becoming perilous, as meanwhile the bird had seen them, and they had all the while been drawing nearer to it. Now each of the Mauis had a stone in either hand, and as they got within range Atalanga added a last remonstrance against his son's being the marksman,, expressing his fear of the consequences should the shot miss its aim. Kijikiji curtly replied, "Father, I'll throw," and straightway let fly, realising at least part of his father's fears, for the stone merely grazed the moa; but the pain made him timid instead of fierce, for he flew off at once towards Tonga.