And Te Turi looked, and lo, in his hand was a most perfect _mere_ of greenstone, with flaxen wrist-loop, and on the narrow end the print of two fingers and a thumb, where TUMATAUENGA had held it. Whereat Te Turi marvelled exceedingly, thinking not of the prophecy which went with the gift, and, bowing his head, he gave thanks to the six great brethren. And now once more he turned to go; but, even as he turned, lo, a Thing, a great and horrible Thing, stood in his way. The Thing was as a bird, but bigger than any bird of the forest, for it stood thrice the height of a man. Its neck was the length of a tall man, its legs the thickness of a man's trunk, and on its feet were claws the length of a whale's rib and sharp as the teeth of a shark. Its wings were little, but its beak was as long as two spears, and the gape of its mouth was as wide as the cavern through which men pass to enter Te Reinga.[6] [6] Probably Te Turi encountered a Moa (Dinornis Moa), the gigantic wingless bird, believed now to be extinct in New Zealand. His imagination, excited by danger, doubtless added to its already enormous proportions. Now Te Turi was a very brave, strong man, but his legs shook under him as he saw this ugly, fearful Thing. And the Thing, noting his fear, gaped and rushed to swallow him, and out of its mouth came a vast roaring, as of the sea breaking upon a pebbly shore. Then Te Turi dropped his greenstone club and fled for his life, crying aloud to TANE MAHUTA: 'Where is now the dominion thou gavest me over the birds? If indeed this monster be a bird, and not a _taipo_ (devil), which much I doubt.' But it seemed as if the gods were angry with Te Turi; for, when he would have hidden in the forest, lo, in a moment there grew up a tall hedge of thorns and supple-jacks, through which neither man nor beast could pierce. So then Te Turi gave himself up for lost. And, as he sped round and round the glade, the roaring of the evil Thing shaped to a voice which cried after him: 'Malign now thy gods, Te Turi, and I will cease from pursuing thee, and will make thee great; but if thou worship not me thou shalt perish.' Then Te Turi knew that the Thing was indeed a _taipo_; but he would not revile the gods, but only called more loudly upon ATUA for aid. And, as he called, his foot caught in a root and he fell headlong, and the spear-bill of the Thing sped at him, coming so near that it grazed his skin, and the blood flowed. And the point of the bill drave into the ground for the half of its length, and there stuck fast. Now when Te Turi saw this, he flung himself upon the long neck of the Thing and strove to snap the bone, but his hands were not large enough to encircle it, and meanwhile the Thing had freed half of the buried part of its bill, and the earth flew this way and that, as it scratched and tore and twisted, striving to loosen itself and finish Te Turi.