His point gained, old Te Kaihuia seemed highly delighted, and rubbed his lean hands together, grinning and chattering to himself. Finally he calmed down, and with a sly glance at George, said coaxingly: 'If you are not tired of an old man's tale, Hortoni, perhaps you would like to hear the history of the _mere_ which has now become your own.' 'I should, indeed,' answered George, who had been wondering whether he might ask this very favour without giving offence or intruding upon family secrets. Te Kaihuia looked pleased, settled himself upon his mats, coughed once or twice after the manner of an orator about to address an audience, and then, after a false start or two, unfolded to the interested listener the following singular history. CHAPTER VI THE STORY OF THE GREENSTONE MERE Te Turi, my ancestor, one day called to him his two friends, Te Weri, the Centipede, and Te Waerau, the Crab, whom he loved best after Ngahue, and taking a sailing canoe, with three men to row upon windless days, set out from Te Ika A Maui on a course to the south. And when they had sailed for many days, they came to the mouth of a river, and there they ate food and landed. And as they stepped ashore, Te Turi chanted a prayer of propitiation to the Spirit of the Land, and they six prayed together and humiliated themselves. And afterwards, looking about them, they saw that the land was very fair; for the _pohutukaua_ trees[1] and the _ratas_[1] were ablaze with red blossoms, and the white flowers of the _puawananga_[2] were shining like stars in the deep green of lofty boughs. And the blue sky smiled down upon them, and the warm sun of morning stirred their blood, and the sweet scents of the forest beguiled their senses, so that with one accord they cried aloud, 'Behold! The new land which the gods have given us is very good.' [1] The pohutukaua and rata trees belong to the myrtle order. [2] The puawananga is a variety of clematis with large, star-like white blossoms. In the flowering season the effect of these white stars amid the dark metallic green of the overhead foliage is most beautiful. But of a sudden the forest grew denser, till at last they saw neither sun nor moon, nor could they find food to eat or water to drink--not even fern-roots or _kanini_ berries, which might have stayed the terrible pangs of hunger. So then the five began to blame Te Turi that he had brought them out of a land of plenty into this wilderness, and Te Turi, being sorry for them, bade them rest while he went on to seek deliverance. So Te Turi walked alone, and, as he walked, it grew so cold that he drew his mat of _kiwi_[3] feathers close about him. Yet still was he cold as death, and at last, crying to the gods to show him a way whereby his friends and the three men might be saved, he fell prone upon the ground. [3] The _apteryx_, a curious, small, wingless bird.