THE HISTORY OF TA-MA-HA-HA.

There once lived in New Zealand a great chief, named Ka-pau-ra-ho.

He was much admired by his heathen countrymen, for he was "strong to work, and strong to talk;" but the working he loved was fighting and killing, and the talking was boasting and railing. He once led an army from one end of the island to the other, burning the huts, and slaying the inhabitants wherever he

came.

While he was carrying on these wars—a little SON was born. It was a common thing in those days for New Zealand mothers to murder their own infants; and the mother of this little son was just going to kill him, when the babe opened his mouth wide, and uttered a loud cry. The father heard it, and determined to save the child. Rushing into the hut, he snatched his boy from the hands of the inhuman mother, and, placing him in a basket, carried him away on his shoulder.

It was his earnest desire that his son should be a great warrior, and he gave him a warlike name, "The White Chief Bird of the Heavens,' which is, in New Zealand language, "Rangi

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ka-tu-kua." For short-the child was called

"Katu."

In order to make him a great warrior the father took the boy to a priest of his false gods to be blessed. The blessings he desired for Katu were-strength to fight, and a heart to fear nothing. He trained him up to worship the false gods, hoping that they would make his son as terrible as himself. There were no images of these gods, for they were supposed to be spirits, dwelling unseen among the forests and mountains. The priests declared that the gods required food (though they were spirits), and they taught people to hang food for them in baskets upon the trees, and they undertook themselves to eat anything that the gods might leave.

Little Katu one day placed a basket in a tree. He asked his father, "May I not eat some of the food which the gods leave?"

"No," replied the father, "that food is taboo (or sacred); it is only fit for priests."

The little boy, however, crept softly among the bushes till he reached the place where he had put the food, and he secretly took some. But his father found out what he had done, and was very angry.

'Katu," said he, "the gods will kill you." The boy replied, "I am not afraid."

Yet he was afraid, and for a long time expected that he should fall down dead. But he lived still. Then he began to think those were not true gods that he had worshipped.

He was right in thinking this.

Yet there is ONE TRUE GOD. There are many boys as unbelieving as Katu, who are not right, but very wrong, because they do not believe in the One True God, who made heaven and earth.

Little Katu now feared neither God nor man, and became every day a more daring and desperate boy.

He had never heard of the true God, for the missionaries lived at the north of the island, and he lived at the south,-five hundred miles off.

At last he did hear of Him,-but not from a missionary.

He had a cousin named Tip-po-hee, and this cousin had made a voyage to England in hopes of getting guns. However he got none; for the English would not let him have any. Katu saw Tippohee after his return home, and he asked him about England. Tippohee told him a great deal, especially THIS, “The English say there is one God, and only ONE, and that He lives in Heaven,-and they say, this God does not like fighting."

Katu was much surprised; for he thought that all gods delighted in fighting. He was the more surprised because he Tippohee no longer delighted in it.

saw that

From this

time he longed to hear more about the God of the English,-more than Tippohee could tell him. We know that "the Lord filleth the hungry with good things," and he soon satisfied Katu's desire.

Soon a band of warriors from the north came near the place where Katu dwelt. They were not enemies to his tribe. Amongst them was a man named Matahau-who had been a servant to the missionaries in the north.

When Katu knew this, he was very anxious to see him. He heard also that Matahau had a BOOK that told about the God of the English.

Katu sent a message to Matahau, requesting him to come; but Matahau refused; for though he had been with the missionaries, he had not turned to their God, nor did he wish to turn others to God.

When Katu found that Matahau would not come, he determined to go and seek him. He took with him, as a companion, a cousin, named "Whi-whi." These two went to Matahau, and asked him for the book.

"Oh!" replied Matahau, "do you want that book? I have not got it?"

"Where is it?" inquired the anxious visi

tants.

Matahau mentioned the man's name.

The two cousins went to that man. "Will you let us have the book?”

"No," replied the man, "I want it to make cartridges for my gun.'

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"Oh! you must not use it for your gun," said Katu, "it is the book of God. I will buy it. What shall I give you for it?"

"Some mats and some tobacco."

The price was gladly paid. A much greater would have been paid, if demanded.

Katu now held the precious book in his hand; but he could not read even the title page.

It was not a Bible, nor even a New Testament; it was only the Gospel of St. Luke. It had not been given to Matahau by the missionaries; it had been taken by violence from a Christian native. His loss was to prove the gain of many souls, and though it caused him grief, it was to bring joy to angels !

It was now Katu's earnest desire to learn to read.

Who could teach him?

Matahau-for the missionaries had taught

him.

But would he?