Scene II.

The Peninsula.

Hinemoa, with throbbing heart and flashing eye, listening alternately to the melody borne across the lake by lisping zephyrs, and to the blandishments of a pakeha peddler who wants to sell her a Boyton's swimming suit and a necklace of big glass beads. She cannot have both, because she has only five thousand acres of land at her own disposal, and the poor peddler says that to part with either the Boyton or the beads for so small a consideration would be to ruin himself pecuniarily for ever, "s'help him, Moshesh." Yet he will strain a point, if the lovely Hinemoa desires it—but not both. 0 no! he cannot part with both for a poor five thousand acres! At last the damsel fixes on the beads. Better to take her chance of drowning than to miss this of making herself more beautiful than ever in the eyes of Tutanekai. Pakelia peddler writes out deed of exchange, Hinemoa signs it with her mark, and gets the beads. Exit peddler to claim the five thousand acres. In his delight over the bargain he forgets that he has not returned the Boyton to his pack. Hinemoa "takes a lunar" with both hands—tandem—at his retreating figure, and dons the Boyton. Admires herself immensely in it and the necklace, and performs a haka, pas seul, on the shore of the lake, preparatory to jumping in.