eal of love and
reverence for his relatives provided his affection interfered with his
mischief; so it was not at all strange that he laughed at his father. Ru
became angry and said to Maui: "Who told youngsters to talk? Take care
of yourself, or I will hurl you out of existence."

Maui dared him to try it. Ru quickly seized him and "threw him to a
great height." But Maui changed himself to a bird and sank back to earth
unharmed.

Then he changed himself back into the form of a man, and, making himself
very large, ran and thrust his head between the old man's legs. He pried
and lifted until Ru and the sky around him began to give. Another lift
and he hurled them both to such a height that the sky could not come
back.

Ru himself was entangled among the stars. His head and shoulders stuck
fast, and he could not free himself. How he struggled, until the skies
shook, while Maui went away. Maui was proud of his achievement in having
moved the sky so far away. In this self-rejoicing he quickly forgot his
father.

Ru died after a time. "His body rotted away and his bones, of vast
proportions, came tumbling down from time to time, and were shivered on
the earth into countless fragments. These shattered bones of Ru are
scattered over every hill and valley of one of the islands, to the very
edge of the sea."

Thus the natives of the Hervey Islands account for the many pieces of
porous lava and the small pieces of pumice stone found occasionally in
their islands. The "bones" were very light and greatly resembled
fragments of real bone. If the fragments were large enough they were
sometimes taken and worshiped as gods. One of these pieces, of
extraordinary size, was given to Mr. Gill when the natives were
bringing in a large collection of idols. "This one was known as 'The
Light Stone,' and was worshiped as the god of the wind and the waves.
Upon occasions of a hurricane, incantations and offerings of food would
be made to it."

Thus, according to different Polynesian legends, Maui raised the sky and
made the earth inhabitable for his fellow-men.

IV.

MAUI SNARING THE SUN.

"Maui became restless and fought the sun
With a noose that he laid.
And winter won the sun,
And summer was won by Maui."

--Queen Liliuokalani's family chant.

A very unique legend is found among the widely-scattered Polynesians.
The story of Maui's "Snaring the Sun" was told among the Maoris of New
Zealand, the Kanakas of t