Māni now walked up boldly toward the house of the fire-god, guided by the curling column of smoke. Manike, who happened at the moment to be cooking an oven of food, stopped his work and demanded what the stranger wanted. Māni replied, “A fire-brand.” The fire-brand was given. Māni carried it to a stream running past the bread-fruit tree and there extinguished it. He now returned to Manike and obtained a second fire-brand, which he also extinguished in the stream. A third time a lighted stick was demanded of the fire-god. He was beside himself with rage. Raking the ashes of his oven, he gave the daring Māni some of them on a piece of dry wood. These live coals were thrown into the stream as the former lighted sticks had been. Māni correctly thought that a fire-brand would be of little use, unless he could obtain the secret of fire. The brand would eventually go out; but _how to reproduce the fire_? His object, therefore, was to pick a quarrel with the fire-god, and compel him, by sheer violence, to yield up the invaluable secret, as yet known to none but himself. On the other hand, the fire-god, confident in his own prodigious strength, resolved to destroy this insolent intruder into his secret. Māni, for the fourth time, demanded fire of the enraged god. Manike ordered him away, under pain of being tossed into the air; for Māni was small of stature. But the visitor said he should enjoy nothing better than a trial of strength with the fire-god. Manike entered his dwelling to put on his war-girdle (ume-i-tono maro); but on returning, found that Māni had swelled himself to an enormous size. Nothing daunted at this, Manike boldly seized him with both hands and hurled him to the height of a cocoanut tree. Māni contrived, in falling, to make himself so light that he was in no degree hurt by his adventure. Manike, maddened that his adversary should yet breathe, exerted his full strength, and next time hurled him far higher than the highest cocoanut tree that ever grew. Yet Māni was unhurt by his fall, whilst the fire-god lay panting for breathe. It was now Māni’s turn. Seizing the fire-god, he threw him up to a dizzy height, and caught him again like a ball with his hands. Without allowing Manike to touch the ground, he threw him a second time into the air, and caught him in his hands. Assured that this was but a preparation for a final toss, which should seal his fate, the panting and thoroughly exhausted Manike entreated Māni to stop and spare his life. Whatever Māni desired Manike promised should be his. [Illustration: NEW ZEALAND MOON-GOD.]