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VI. The Strong Hand

Haere mai ! Haere mai !
E te manuhiri tua-rangi !
Nga taku potiki koe i tiki atu
I te taha atu o te rangi,
Kukume mai-ai !
Haere mai! Haere mai! Haere mai !
Welcome! Welcome!
Stranger from the far horizon !
’Twas my dearest child that brought thee
From the dim and distant sky-line,
Brought thee to my home and people.
Welcome ! Welcome ! Welcome!

James Cowan.
(Ancient Chant of Greeting.)

Rotoaira!

On the day fixed by Rerémoa for the entry of her Arawa into the pa, events occurred which caused the Ngatihotus to abandon their intended hostility to him, and in the end led them to welcome him with every sign of public favour. And those events were important for Tuwharétoa in another way also, for they gave him his first contact with the Whanganuis, the People of the Wai-nui-a-te-Rua River.

It was early morning when a small war-party of Whanganuis to the number of twenty or more arrived at the foot of the slope below the pa, and caused a great commotion among the inhabitants by demanding the instant opening of the gate. Refused admittance before disclosing their purpose, their chief Te Hakuwai announced that he came to claim the maiden who had been promised to his ariki Te Kanawa in marriage. He peremptorily demanded of Nukutea that he give up his daughter Rerémoa at once.

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Refused again, he cried out angrily:

“Then death shall come to thee, and captivity to her. Ha! What says the proverb? ‘He wahiné, he whenua, e ngaro ai te tangata. By woman, by land, is man destroyed.’ Now hear the words, O Nukutea, that mine ariki commanded me to speak should the maiden not be given up! These were his words: ‘Soon I will clear the weeds from off my land, and I will set fire to the scrub so that the flax plants will give forth new and vigorous shoots in the spring. And each shoot will be a Whanganui.’”.

A mocking laugh came from the edge of the forest near by, as out stalked a man whose startling height put a spell of silence on Whanganuis and Ngatihotus alike. They watched him as he calmly approached the palisade and swung himself up on to the tower above the gate. There Rerémoa joined him, and placed her hand in his. Then he laughed again.

Provoked beyond endurance by those laughs, and feeling certain that the Ngatihotus would on no account commence hostilities, the Whanganui leader hurled a taunt at the tall man on the tower:

“Ha! Thou Long One! When I return I will seek thee out in the assault. Then shall thy knees be loosened, and thy long body shall come to rest on the middle of my spear.”.

Tuwharétoa said nothing, but his flax cape slid from the shoulders and exposed his mighty frame. The chief below at once swished his waist-garment at him in most insulting fashion. He then went farther. He challenged him to single combat. But still Tuwharétoa made no reply.

“Ai-i!” cried the Whanganui chief in tones of contempt. “I see that thou hast the form of a war page 244 god but the heart of a pigeon.” He spat upon the ground to show his disgust.

Restraining the angry Rerémoa, the Arawa merely raised his open left hand above his head and closed the fingers in the gesture known as the “kapo,” to show that he had grasped the insult and would avenge it. Then he lowered himself lightly to the ground outside the palisade.

The Ngatihotu warriors within the pa at once began to threaten the People - of - the - River. The Whanganui chief, aware of his danger should Ngatihotu find a leader, grouped his men together in readiness for retreat; seeing which, Tuwharétoa called out mockingly:

“The neck of the shag is stretched for flight!”.

Yes, just as a shag straightens and stiffens its long neck and spreads its wings before taking flight, so the war-party below was now ready to run.

Caring nothing as to whether Ngatihotu assisted him or not, the Arawa moved slowly down the slope, and as slowly the Whanganuis retreated. The sight was too much for the warriors of the pa. Uttering threatening yells, about fifty of them scrambled over the palisade, and in a moment the Whanganuis were off, with Tuwharétoa behind them.

Then did the Whanganuis realise all too late that they were in contact, not with a weakling Ngatihotu, but with a stranger chief, a fighting chief of a warrior tribe.

Aué! The ease with which he passed them and brought to earth their swiftest runner away out in front! And the assurance of the man, as he now turned and roared a warning to the Whanganuis to forsake their leader if they valued their lives!.

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Changing their course and grouping still nearer their chief, the Whanganuis let loose a flight of spears as they passed the stranger by. Without difficulty he evaded their spears, then down he came upon their flank with a rush, and at once with an outward swerve he was away, leaving behind him a wounded man to mark his track.

Three times did he turn, and three times did he utter that ominous warning, and three times did he go back and strike, until finally the Whanganui chief, knowing the stranger's purpose and unwilling to allow the pursuing Ngatihotus such a leader, told his men that he must leave them. Watching his chance, he broke away suddenly and sped off to the north, hoping to reach the shelter of the forest on the near-by hills. Ah! As he had expected, the stranger at once circled away from the other Whanganuis and swung round in pursuit of their flying leader.

The Whanganuis, freed from the menace of the tall stranger, and more than anxious about their leader's safety, seemed now in no hurry to escape. Indeed, ignoring the Ngatihotus shouting and leaping at a safe distance in the rear, they even stopped, and watched with amazement the pursuit that was going on before their eyes. And the Ngatihotus, fearing to attack without the Arawa to lead them, seemed glad to hold back. Soon they also watched, fascinated by the scene before them.

And a queer pursuit it was, for time after time the pursuer got within striking distance of his quarry, but merely passed him by, and circled round ahead. Time after time the Whanganui tried to make for the hills, but each time he was relentlessly headed back towards Rotoaira. And once, when three Ngatihotus sought to page 246 intercept the Whanganui, the pursuer turned upon the three with fury, striking them down one after the other with blows to the shoulder, then bounding away after his man at a speed that amazed the onlookers.

The end came as the Whanganui reached the base of the slope before the pa, and stood upon the very spot from which he had hurled his insult. There he turned upon his pursuer and, for a moment, with gallant effort, he held him off.

But the longer reach and the greater strength and skill of the Arawa were too much for him, and soon he was disarmed. Another moment, and he was hurled down and seized by the hair, and then, with the struggling burden dragging behind him, Tuwharétoa walked slowly up the slope, followed by the fifty Ngatihotus joyfully returning from their bloodless victory.

“Behold!” cried the Arawa as he reached the top, and found Rerémoa waiting for him before the open gate. “A pigeon has captured a hawk, but it has not the heart to slay that hawk. Therefore, the hawk goes free.”.

Then, placing the Whanganui upon his feet again, he pointed to the west, and said:

“Go! Go while the way is still open! Go to Te Kanawa and say that Rotoaira is not for him, and that the maiden Rerémoa will not be given to him for wife. Enough! Go!”.

Without waiting to watch the Whanganui as he fled down the slope, Rerémoa took the Arawa by the hand and led the way through the gate, and to her joy and relief the people of the pa joined with Nukutea and the elders in the welcoming cry “Haeré mai!“.

Crowding in front of the pair, and breaking into a page 247 chant, the women-folk and the maidens moved slowly backwards, each one waving the right hand with the inward motion of the powhiri or welcoming gesture. The warmth of their welcome was evident to all, for eyes which under other conditions would have looked upon the stranger with hate now flashed upon him with glances of admiration and respect. Ah! Such limbs! Such strength!.

Somewhat shyly, but with a happy little air of possession, Rerémoa led the Arawa to her father and then across the marae to the guest-house, and as he stooped to enter she cried:

“ Manaia-of-the-Strong-Hand has arrived. Now let the scent of the mokimoki fern give forth its sweetness !”.

Going inside, he found the floor strewn with layers of karetu grass and mokimoki fern, the whole interior being perfumed with the sweetness of the scent. He lifted up a small gourd of oil which had been left for his use, and found the oil to have been delicately scented with tawhiri. Near at hand was a taha bowl full of clear water, and upon the top of the water had been placed some fresh fern leaves to give the water that cool appearance which is so agreeable to the sight.

Tuwharétoa noticed at once the delicate carving of the panel-work on the walls, and the neatness of the lattice-work of yellow reeds showing up between the panels, and the brightness of the red, white, and black scroll-work on the rafters above. Some of the designs employed in the carving of the panel-work had clearly been evolved from a study of nature. In one could be traced the curve of a wave, in another the unfolding of a fern frond, but the design that pleased the Arawa the most was the one showing the drooping beauty of the kowhai's petals.

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He invited Rerémoa and her maidens to enter, then said to them:

“Not even among the Arawas have I seen a guesthouse the equal of this. Refreshing to the body, and refreshing to the mind! Tell me the name of the man who designed this place, my Rerémoa!”.

She blushed with confusion, and said nothing. At last one of her maidens answered for her:

“E koro, e! O Sir! Permit that I speak! It was our Puhi maiden herself who designed this place upon her return from the Kaimanawas about a year ago. We aided the craftsmen who followed her designs. Thou art the first guest to enter this dwelling. We see now that it was built for thee.”.

“And for thee, my Rerémoa?” he asked softly.

“Perhaps!” she whispered.