urden. Maui went to the north
and crept into a place, where, lying prostrate under the sky, he could
brace himself against it and push with great power. In the same way Ru
went to the south and braced himself against the southern skies. Then
they made the signal, and both pressed "with their backs against the
solid blue mass." It gave way before the great strength of the father
and son. Then they lifted again, bracing themselves with hands and knees
against the earth. They crowded it and bent it upward. They were able to
stand with the sky resting on their shoulders. They heaved against the
bending mass, and it receded rapidly. They quickly put the palms of
their hands under it; then the tips of their fingers, and it retreated
farther and farther. At last, "drawing themselves out to gigantic
proportions, they pushed the entire heavens up to the very lofty
position which they have ever since occupied."

But Maui and Ru had not worked perfectly together; therefore the sky was
twisted and its surface was very irregular. They determined to smooth
the sky before they finished their task, so they took large stone adzes
and chipped off the rough protuberances and ridges, until by and by the
great arch was cut out and smoothed off. They then took finer tools and
chipped and polished until the sky became the beautifully finished blue
dome which now bends around the earth.

The Hervey Island myth, as related by W. W. Gill, states that Ru, the
father of Maui, came from Avaiki (Hawa-iki), the underworld or abode of
the spirits of the dead. He found men crowded down by the sky, which was
a mass of solid blue stone. He was very sorry when he saw the condition
of the inhabitants of the earth, and planned to raise the sky a little.
So he planted stakes of different kinds of trees. These were strong
enough to hold the sky so far above the earth "that men could stand
erect and walk about without inconvenience." This was celebrated in one
of the Hervey Island songs:

"Force up the heavens,
O, Ru!
And let the space be clear."

For this helpful deed Ru received the name "The supporter of the
heavens." He was rather proud of his achievement and was gratified
because of the praise received. So he came sometimes and looked at the
stakes and the beautiful blue sky resting on them. Maui, the son, came
along and ridiculed his father for thinking so much of his work. Maui is
not represented, in the legends, as possessing a great d