He kōrero matakite
I ngā rā i mua atu i te taenga mai o te Pākehā, tino whakapono ai te Māori ki tēnei mea ki te matakite. I ēnei rā, kei te whakapono tonu ētahi, engari ko te nuinga, kāore noa iho. He kōrero matakite tēnei nā tētahi toa Māori, i haere ki te whawhai i te taha o tētahi taua Pākehā; ko Mētara te tangata nei, nō Rotorua, he māia.
E whai ana te taua Pākehā nei i te ope a Tītokowaru, he rangatira nō Taranaki, he Hauhau, he kaitangata. He maha ngā Maori o Wanganui me Rotorua i roto i tēnei rōpū Pākehā. Ka whai nei, whai nei, ehara, kua tae atu ki te wāhi e whakangā ana, e noho ana te rōpū ā Tītokowaru Ko taua kāinga he wāhi mārakerake i waenga i ngā rākau roroa o te ngahere; ruarua nei ngā whare nīkau.
Ka whakatata atu a Mētara me tana rōpū, ka huna i raro i ngā rauaruhe, i ngā rākau, me ngā pū harakeke. Kātahi rātou ka whakarongo atu ki ngā tāngata e kōrerorero ana i runga i te marae; ki a Tītokowaru hoki e whakahau ana ki ana tāngata. Nā, i a Mētara e takoto ana i raro i tētahi rauaruhe, e whakarongo ana ki a Tītokowaru, ka tāia e te moe, me tana pū tonu i roto i ana ringa; kātahi ka puta mai tētahi moemoeā ki a ia.
Heoti rā, i te ata tonu, ka whakaekea te kāinga rā e te ope Pākehā, ka whati te rōpū a Tītokowaru, ka whāia. E whai ana te ope Pākehā, ko Mētara i muri noa e haere ana. Ka māharahara te kāpene o te rōpū Pākehā nei, he aha rā a Mētara i whakatōnga ai ki muri. Roa rawa, kātahi anō a Mētara ka puta mai ki taua kāpene nei ka kōrero i tana moemoeā.
"I tērā pō, i moe au i te kāinga tonu au, i Maketū. E haere ana au i te one. I a au e haere ana, ka puta mai tētahi ika tino nui, pēnei i te hāpuku nei, me ōna paihau e kapakapa haere mai ana i te tai tae noa ki uta. Me te mea tonu nā tētahi ngaru nui i kawe ki uta. Ko te kanohi, he kanohi tangata. Kātahi au ka whakatata atu, ka ata tiro atu. Auē! ko te kanohi rā nōku tonu!
"Ka hoki atu te tai, ka haere anō au, ehara, ka kapakapa haere mai anō te ika rā, tae noa mai ki uta, ka tau ki āku waewae. Ko taku kanohi anō tērā; ko te tinana, he tinana ika, engari ko te māhunga, he māhunga tangata, ko tōku māhunga. Nā, ka ngaro atu anō.
"I te ngaromanga atu anō, ka oho ake au; ka puta mai te wehi ki a au, nō te mea he tohu kino tēnei, he tohu mate. He tohu tēnei nā ngā atua ki a au, e whakaatu mai ana ki a au ko au te mataika, arā, te toa tuatahi ki te hinga i te whawhai e whai ake nei."
Kia rata ai ngā whakaaro o Mētara, ka whakaae atu te kāpene nei kia noho a Mētara ki waenganui o te ope, kaua ki mua. Ka mea te kāpene, "Ki te noho koe ki waenganui, kāore pea koe e mate, nō te mea ko mua tonu te wāhi e pā tuatahi ki te hoariri."
Kātahi ka whāia te hoariri e te ope Pākehā; papa tonu te oma a te ope Hauhau a Tītokowaru. Ka oma te hoariri, ka noho mai ētahi ki te whakatō i ngā kaiwhai, i roto i tētahi awaawa, i waenganui tonu i ētahi pari tūpoupou. Ka puta atu a mua o te ope Pākehā, ka tukua kia haere tonu, kāore i pā atu. Ka whanga noa, puta rawa mai a waenganui. Kātahi anō ka ākina mai ki ā rātou pū.
Ko Mētara tonu te tangata tuatahi ki te hinga. E rua ngā matā i pā ki a ia, kōtahi ki tōna pokohiwi, kōtahi ki tōna ringa, ehara, kei raro e whārōrō ana, me te mea kua mate. I a ia e takoto taotū ana, ka whakaaro ake a Mētara ki tana moemoeā, ka mea ki a ia anō, "Ehara, kua rite ki tā taku matakite, ina hoki kāore he mea o mua i hinga, whai rawa ki a au, ki te mea i waenganui rawa. Mehemea au i mua, i muri ranei, ko taua rite tonu." Ka pai ake a Mētara, ka hoki tika ki tōna kāinga i Maketū, ka kōrerotia tana matakite i roto i te whare rūnanga. Ka mutu tana kōrero, ka mea te whakaminenga, "Āe, he tino tika tō kōrero! He matakite pono tēnā! He atua rā!"