OCR Text |
Show 82 - Ki waenganui o_ mate _i ora Between Death and Life The eldest warrior among them asked the gods' protection uoon the two brothers. He then blessed their canoe by touching it x<jith a sacred stick and saving the proper karakia. Two strong warriors pushed the canoe into the x«7aters. Ruruku lav unconscious in the bottom of the boat, wrapped in a feathered cloak. Roa knelt in the stern with the paccle. A few powerful strokes of the paddle in the water and loneliness surrounded him. He was in night and darkness, the domain of Po_, god of the unknown x^orld. He could barely see the form of Ruruku lying helpless in the bottom of the canoe. His love for his brother slowly transformed into fear for his life, and he thought: "My dear brother, why did |