Fairy Tales and Folk-Lore of New Zealand and the South Seas/The Pet Whale
LESSON VII.
THE PET WHALE.
(New Zealand.)
In ancient days there lived a prince named Tini, who was the lord of all the fishes in the ocean, and could compel them to perform any action he commanded. Near his home on Sacred Island he had large fish-ponds, in which the young ones were bred that were, when grown up, to inhabit the deep seas. So beautiful and calm were these great sheets of water (the nursery-places of baby-fishes), that they were called “The mirrors of Tini.”
The prince had a beautiful wife, whose name was Hina, and to them was born a son. Soon after the boy was born, he and his mother were taken away by the child’s uncle, Rupe, and all three of them went to live in a distant country. When the infant had grown to boyhood, Tini went in search of his wife and child, and arriving near the village in which they lived, he saw some children playing among the reeds. He called to them to ask his way, and noticed that one of them wore round his neck a little bag filled with sweet-scented moss. This bag had been given by Tini to Hina years before, so Tini at once knew that this boy must be his son. Taking the child by the hand, the Lord of Fishes went up to the village, and was received as a great chief; but the people were suffering from famine, and had no food to set before their guest. Tini ordered them all to remain within their houses, and keep the doors fast shut. This they agreed to do; and then, when all was ready, Tini recited a charm. There was heard a sound like a rushing wind, and this continued a long time. Then when the people were allowed to come forth, they found the open places piled up high to the tops of the storehouses with heaps of fish that had fallen in a shower from the skies as an answer to the spell of Tini. Then Tini, with his wife and child, returned home. The boy had not passed through the ceremonies necessary at the birth and acknowledgement of a noble’s son, so Tini induced a great priest or magician named Kae to accompany them on their return journey.
On the day after they arrived, Tini sent out messengers in every direction to summon his vassals and people together to witness the ceremonies, and all the people assembled for that purpose. Then the boy had magical songs chanted over him. He was sprinkled with water, and the sacred branch planted, that it might grow into a tree, as should befit the rank of an illustrious person. When all the rites had been performed, the people dispersed to their homes, and Kae also desired to return to his own place. Tini ordered a large canoe, with suitable attendants, to be got ready; but Kae was disinclined to travel in this fashion, and said to the Lord of Fishes, “Where is that pet whale on which you journey?” Tini said, “That is my own valued property; you cannot have it, because it might get hurt.” Kae answered, “I will be very careful if you will lend it to me; I will promise that it shall not get hurt.” Tini, after much persuasion, agreed to lend his pet, which was called Tutu. Tini told Kae that when he should arrive near the shore of his own land, and felt the animal give a few shakes, then he would know that the water was very shallow, and that he must get off and go on shore, else the whale would die. Kae promised to observe the precaution carefully, wished Tini farewell, and started away on his voyage.
The magician and the whale passed safely across the sea till they arrived near the shore on which Kae’s village stood, and Tutu shook himself many times as a sign that the journey was ended; but the wicked old priest would not get off. He sat there and made himself as heavy as he could by means of charms, pressing the whale against the shallow bottom; and as the whale writhed about in its pain, its blowholes got choked with sand, its body cut on the sharp rocks, until it died. Then Kae got off and went ashore. He and his people dragged the body up on the beach, and lighted great fires, building ovens filled with fragrant leaves, in which they cooked parts of the whale’s flesh, and feasted thereon.
com-mand′-ed
un′-cle
cer′-e-mon-ies
fare′-well
in-hab′-it
scent′-ed
priest
prop′-er-ty
calm
suf′-fer-ing
mag′-ic-al
fra′-grant
vil′-lage
fam′-ine
sprin′-kledov′-ens
nur′-sery, a place where anything is fostered and growth promoted.
ac-knowl-edg-ment, the owning or admission of anything openly.
pre-cau′-tion, previous care to prevent mischief.
re-ci′-ted, repeated or rehearsed in a chant or in a formal manner.
ma-gi′-cian, one skilled in magic; a conjurer.
blow′-holes, the nostrils of the whale, through which the animal spouts water.
LESSON VIII.
THE PET WHALE.
Continued.
Tini waited a long time for his pet’s return, but no sign of its appearance came. One day the wind blew directly from the country of Kae towards the Sacred Island, and Tini said to his people, “Borne on the wind I smell the savour of roasted flesh. It is the flesh of Tutu.”
Hina also discerned the scent of the poor whale’s flesh being roasted; angry indeed were both husband and wife, for they had designed Tutu to be the bearer of their little boy when he had grown up. So they resolved to fit up an expedition to visit Kae, and if possible to entice him back to Sacred Island, so that they might have revenge for their murdered pet. They dragged a double canoe from the shed in which it was safely kept, and this canoe was launched and provisions put into it for a voyage. Only women were allowed to go on the expedition, for they thought, “If there are only women, the party will not be attacked; and they can beguile the old magician more easily.” Hina with forty other women started in the canoe, and they sailed across the ocean. But before they went they asked, “How shall we surely know Kae?” And they were answered, “Because his teeth are uneven and overlap each other.” Then they felt certain that they should know him.
When the canoe arrived at the place in which Kae lived, all the tribe collected to see the strangers and to give them welcome. In his great house sat Kae, and at night a fire was lighted in the house; one side of the room within was allotted to the stranger women from over-seas. Kae sat near the huge pillar which supported the roof, but he sat among his own people, and was not to be distinguished by his apparel. The women did not dare to ask which was he, for it is considered a rudeness to ask the name of a distinguished person, who is assumed to be known to all the world. The women from Sacred Island sang all sorts of songs and danced all manner of dances in order to make Kae laugh, so that they might see his teeth. They played on flutes, and accompanied the music with castanets; they played on instruments like Jews-harps; they played games with their fingers such as cats’ cradle and mora; they made dolls dance with all sorts of antics, but Kae did not laugh. At last they hit upon one intensely comic song, and they sung this all together, sticking out their hands and jerking their bodies, while their faces were grimacing till even the grim old magician was forced to join in the shouts of laughter. Then the women whispered one to the other, “Yonder is Kae, with the gapped teeth.” When they had found out which was he, they pretended that there was too much light and heat from the fire, as it made them too warm when dancing, so the fire was allowed to burn low, and the women commenced a “lullaby” song, a magical sleep-making charm. Soon the heads of those within the house began to nod, Kae with the others yielded to the drowsy spell, and he with his people all fell into an enchanted sleep. Hina and her friends took the old priest, rolled him up in their cloaks, and carried him gently down to the canoe, still fast asleep. They got out the paddles, trimmed the sails, and started off for the Sacred Island. Having arrived, Kae, still sleeping, was laid in the centre of the house of Tini. When the morning broke, Kae was awaked by hearing shouts of “Tini is coming! Tini is coming!” So he arose in great fear. Tini entered and said, “How came you here?” Kae, thinking himself still in his own house, answered, “Nay, how came you here?” “Look around,” said Tini, “and see where you are.” Kae looked round him and recognised the dwelling of the man whom he had wronged. Then he knew that his hour was come, and bowed his head to the stroke that justly slew him for his treachery and for the cruel death of Tutu the pet whale.
roast′-ed
un-e′-ven
laugh′-ter
de signed′
col-lec′-ted
pre-tend′-ed
pro-vi′-sions
wom′-en
yield′-ed
doub′-le
rude′-ness
drows′-y
ex-pe-di′-tion, an enterprise by a number of persons.
launch, to cause a boat or vessel to slide from the shore into the water.
lul′-la-by, a song to quiet infants; that which quietens.
sa′-vour, the quality of a thing whereby it excites the senses of smell or taste.
gri-mace′, to make faces; to distort the features.
o-ver-lap′, to fold over, to have one edge over the edge of something else.
pad′-dles, the oars used by natives in their canoes.
trim, to trim sails is to arrange them so as to hold the wind properly.