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Te Rou, or, The Maori at Home

Chapter IX. The Evening Meal—Pani's Wound and Its Payment

page 138

Chapter IX. The Evening Meal—Pani's Wound and Its Payment.

The slaves alone were actors now, and cooked the kai,1 but all was done silently. No question was asked either by the people or the warriors. Soon the kumaras, fish, and sow-thistle were cooked, and, still in silence, eaten. When all had done, Nga rose and said, “I shall not speak until those who know what I mean have returned.”

The eight who had carried the two corpses rose and went away. The people who had not heard anything sat still, waiting. The eight came back; as they entered the gate with the two litters they were saluted by a general wail of grief from the people. The litter-bearers placed the two corpses in the centre of the marae, and again by themselves took their places a little distance from the warriors. Nga rose, and gave an account of the action taken by the war party, and told them how the bodies became what

1 Food.

page 139 they now saw them. He called to Pani, and said, “Stand up.” Pani did so. Addressing the people while he pointed to Pani, he said, “Look, O people! that man was on the same road on which those two have gone, but Rohe could not catch him. O Pani! tell the people what has changed your face so much. Perhaps some one wished to give you a very large ear ornament, and as the hole in your ear was not, in his opinion, sufficiently strong to bear it, he has made a hole from your eye to the back of your head, from which you can suspend the green-stone he intends to give. Tell them yourself, O Pani! you have felt the pain and you can tell the tale.”

Pani, who had continued to stand while he was speaking now said: “I had no wish, O people! to tell of what I received in battle, but if you wish to know then I must show the gift.”

“Speak on, speak on, and tell us,” cried the warriors.

“You remember after we had left our camp and had reached the entrance to the forest, each one went into the scrub, and by himself repeated his kitao over his weapon of war. It so happened that I was not far from Whare, who, being old and deaf, was repeating his incantation in a loud whisper. He is of high rank, and is entitled to know a kitao more potent than that of our family, which is of the younger brother's branch. My inquisitiveness led me, while I pretended to repeat my own incantation, to get nearer to him to learn, if I could, his more sacred and powerful form page 140 of words. While doing this I did not think of what I was repeating. I made a tapepa.1 I must also have disturbed the old man, for I heard him make a tapepa. The evil that has befallen me was of my own seeking, for you all know that to make a mistake in any form of incantation is a tapepa—an omen of evil to come. There were two of us who made a mistake, and I was not certain to which of us the omen spoke. I did think old Whare had done his work on earth and I had mine to do. He had killed his enemies, I had mine to kill; and I supposed that the gods told him by these omens that he would soon be in the world in which they are. So I went on my way pitying my old relative. I thought how he had been admired in his youth for the fine tattooing of his face, and I also thought if I only had as fine lines on my face as his now are, wrinkled and scarred though he is, I might gain the love of Rou's daughter.” Pani was here interrupted by Miro, who ordered him to sit down; but Pani continued, “I did not say I was in love with you, but you might love me if my face was as beautifully tattooed as Whare's.”

“Sit down, chatterer, when I order you.”

Pani sat down, and Miro said: “O, old men, what are you now? The days were, in olden times, when you would not listen to such men as Pani. Then why waste your ears on a man who has not a line of tattooing on his face, nor has sufficient courage in his heart to bear the pain necessary to enable him to

1 A false repetition.

page 141 have his face tattooed; yet you listen to him while he thinks aloud and utters his thoughts that he could gain the love of a woman if he were tattooed. Do you men think that we love you because of your beautiful tattooing? Have you forgotten the proverb which says, ‘Poor food will not go to a beautiful face, but a beautiful face will go to poor food?’ And again, we look at what is expressed by another one, ‘Hard work makes short finger-nails, and short finger-nails make much food.’ If you, old men, know this, how is it that I have to rise and answer the words of a boasting son of a younger family, who dares to say that he could gain my love?”

Rou rose, and said, “You are hasty, O my child! Children often mistake the words of men. Pani did say the words that you have taken umbrage at, but you misunderstood his meaning. He meant that Whare had been in the world so long he ought to have been cautious, old age and caution being nearly always joined, and he, Pani, was young, and had not seen life; he had not been tattooed; he had not taken a wife. Whare had a grown-up family. Pani has no one to cry for him on his death as a wife and children would, hence his mentioning Whare's tattooing and your love. If you had listened until he had done speaking, you would not have been thought foolish. O Pani! continue your tale.”

Pani rose again, and continued: “It is true that I am not tattooed, but if Miro will have me, I will prove my love for her, and have my face fully tattooed page 142 at one sitting; she knows our ancestors tell us of but one man who had his whole face tattooed at one sitting, and he died as the last line was finished. I will be the second man to bear such pain if Miro will be mine. But first her lips must be tattooed. I could not bear to see a red-lipped girl (as she now is called) the daughter of my mother. I said if I had been tattooed as Whare is, I should gain the love of any girl who has knowledge in her heart. We were sitting near the root of the torn-up karaka-tree when Tupu and his men left to attack Otu pah. We heard the song of attack and left our retreat. I kept close to Whare while we crossed the level land between the pah and the karaka grove. I saw him trip and stumble over a small mound, and thought it an omen that he, not I, must die that day. I was not then aware that his eyes, through age, were much less clear than mine. Hence my mistake. I no longer kept near him, for I looked upon him as doomed to death. We saw the body of Haupa, and on we went and entered the pah. After entering the gate I turned to the left, Whare going to the right. I went to the back of the large house, and saw the end of a spear past the end of the house, and went cautiously up, lifting my hani to strike, but before giving the blow I saw who it was, and did not strike. The next moment the spear was through my cheek, projecting out behind my ear. I said, ‘Whare, I am Pani.’ He instantly pulled his spear back, saying, ‘My eyes, not myself, made the mistake,’ and turned away. As I looked after him I page 143 thought I saw a great number of gods—in the shape of stars—dancing around him. I also heard a noise like the blowing of a storm in a forest, and the rush of waters, which made me think that I felt thirsty. I knew where the creek was, and went to it, and not until I had taken some water did the tumult of the fight cease to sound in my ears. I saw Rete strike the chief. I followed them; and here I am. I do not blame old Whare; I was to blame for attempting to learn his incantation.”

Taiko, the mother of Pani, now rose, took a few steps, then turning to Whare, said: “If you had killed my son, I would have followed him. You have many children who are able to hold you here; but there would have been none to hold me if I had determined to go. You are old, and know that children are not brought up in one, two, or three summers. There was much I had to do before that child of mine whom you have killed could gather sow-thistle for me when I was sick, and with one stroke of your tao you nearly robbed me of him. His flesh is young, he will soon be well again; but my heart is dead because of his death. You must pay me for my death: my heart is old, and will not heal so soon.”

Whare rose and answered: “I will not deny I speared the boy. His was an evil act, to try to steal the sacred words of my incantation, and he made a tapepa in his own. Hence, I say, for his great theft my gods have caused the spear wound he feels. I will not be a slave; I will give the payment to cure your heart.” At the page 144 same time he unloosed a kuru-kuru1 from his ear and threw it to Taiko, saying, “There, take that. You may keep it for some time. It is an heirloom of your family and mine. Wear it until you die; then my family must have it again.”

Old Taiko took it, and hung it to her ear.

1 A green-stone eardrop.