the island. Oārangi and his four friends, hearing of its various uses in other lands, resolved to appropriate it to themselves, and thus to gain a superiority over the rest of their countrymen. In a secret conference about the matter, some advised Oārangi to have nothing to do with the tree, as it was an impersonation of an evil spirit named Vaotere. Oārangi, however, resolved that the famous tree should come down, in order to furnish him new and better weapons of war.

Thief-like, they started by night on their ill-starred expedition, each provided with a sharp stone axe and a candle-nut torch. Arrived at the hill-side, they easily found the tree, so utterly unlike all others, in its long slender branches and wiry leaves, and towering above all its companions. It had four gigantic roots, gnarled and twisted in fantastic shapes. The torches were placed on the ground around the tree, making the night light as day. The four woodmen zealously set to work upon the four great roots, whilst Oārangi sat at a little distance to watch their progress. From time to time they changed all round, as some made cleaner and deeper cuts than others. But curiously enough, when each returned to the root which had nearly been severed, he found it restored to its original condition, as if no axe had ever touched it. The astonished men desisted awhile to consult with Oārangi, who, resolved to attain his object, advised that each should keep to his own root until entirely severed. Again they plied their axes, and carrying out the advice of Oarangi, they eventually succeeded in their endeavours. At dawn the tree fell to the ground,

with a tremendous crash.

By full daylight the top had been lopped off, and the ponderous trunk lay on the soil. They had triumphed. They resolved now to return home to rest; to-morrow they would come back to finish their task.

At this moment the four men were taken ill, and began to vomit blood-the redness of the blood answering to the redness of the inner bark of the iron-wood tree which had been so injured by them. They staggered to the stream which winds through the valley, and sought relief in its waters, but kept on vomiting until two of their number died, and their unburied bodies were left in the tall fern.

Oārangi and the two surviving woodmen went off with heavy hearts. Upon reaching the crest of the hill overlooking the scene of their midnight toil, to their utter astonishment they saw that the great tree they had so recently felled was growing as stately as ever. They retraced their steps, in order carefully to note this wonderful phenomenon. There was no mark whatever of an axe on the resuscitated tree; even the chips all around had disappeared. The tree was restored to its former condition, with this difference, however the trunk, branches, and leaves were now all of the brightest red: as if resenting the treatment it had received, it bled at every pore.

They slowly wended their way homewards, but ere long the two surviving woodmen fell dead in the road. Oārangi, greatly annoyed at his failure, resolved that his next attempt should be made by daylight, in the hope of better success. With a number of friends he returned one day to the valley in quest of this tree. Upon arriving at the summit of the hill, where the tree could first be seen, their eyes became totally blinded. With difficulty they descended to the bottom of the valley, and wearied themselves in searching for the tree. But after wandering about all day in its immediate neighbourhood, they groped their way homewards at nightfall without having found it at all.

Oārangi had done his utmost, but had been foiled by the

malicious demon of the iron-wood tree, and soon after died.

But

was there no one who could overcome Vaotere, and render the wood of the tree useful to mankind? Ono came from the land whence this tree was originally derived, and had in his possession a remarkable iron-wood spade, named Rua-i-paku = the-holewhere-it-must-fall, given to him by his father Ruatea, ere he set out on his voyagings, for any dangerous emergency. This talisman was very valuable as a club. Armed with Rua-i-paku, he resolved to do battle with the demon Vaotere. Upon reaching the shady valley of Angaruaau, he carefully surveyed the coveted tree, and began his operations by digging up the earth about the roots, being careful, however, to avoid injuring any of the main ones. Day after day, entirely unassisted, the brave Ono persevered in his arduous task in pursuing the roots in all their deviations over the valley and hill-side. Upon their becoming small and unimportant, although exceedingly numerous, he fearlessly chopped them with his famous spade. The chips flew in all directions, over hill and vale, under his mighty blows. After many days' toil all the surface roots were bared and severed at their extremities, so that the tree began to totter. The tap-root alone remained. Ono dug to a great depth into the red soil, and then, at a blow, divided it. At this critical moment, the head and horrid visage of the evil spirit Vaotere became visible, distorted with rage at being again disturbed. His open jaws, filled with terrible teeth, prepared to make an end of the impious Ono, who, perceiving his danger, with one well-directed blow of his spade-club luckily succeeded in splitting the skull of Vaotere.

The victorious Ono now leisurely removed the four great gnarled roots which were, in sooth, the arms of the fierce Vaotere, and afterwards divided the enormous trunk-the bleeding body

of the demon—into three unequal portions: one to furnish a quantity of long spears, another to be split into araa, or "skullcleavers ;" the third to furnish aro, or wooden swords. All this was accomplished by the versatile qualities of Rua-i-paku, which was used first as a spade, then as a club, and now as an axe.

The thousand chips from the small roots of this wonderful tree falling everywhere over hill and valley and sea-shore, originated the iron-wood trees now covering the island: but, happily, Vaotere can no more injure mankind.

Until a few years ago this was believed to be the true origin of all the iron-wood on the island. It is not surprising that the heavy wood which in past times furnished all the deadly implements of war, should have been regarded as the embodiment of an evil spirit. The possession of land and the slaughter of men were alike the result of the use of this famous tree. "Toa " signifies indifferently "iron-wood," and what most resembles it, a "warrior."

A series of songs on the exploits of Ono once existed. They are believed to have been several hundreds of years old. Such compositions are called "pee manuiri," i.e. "songs relating to visitors." They are known to be the oldest extant.

The following fragment relates to the preceding myth: