stomach vomit

I am aged-and very soon afterwards I
shall die, and then you will bury me be-
neath the sands of this homeland of ours
-and after that you will never see me
again.»
"Why, that is indeed terrible," Maui
said "and by what means can people keep
on living forever?"
"If you can gain possession of the
stomach of Rori-mata-popoko (Sea-slug-
of-the-deep-set-eyes) you will never die,"
Hua-hega answered.
"Then I shall go and get the stomach
of Rori-mata-popoko for myself," Maui
announced, "and I shall give my own to
Rori."
So Maui went all the way to the shal-
low reaches of the sea and looked about
for Rori-he was living there beneath the
masses of clustering coral; and Maui
went up to Rori.
"You must have some purpose,
O
Maui-of-a-thousand-exploits,"
Rori sur-
mised, "that you should come all the way
hither to the coral beds of Fakape?"
"That is so," Maui said, "I have come
for a purpose."
"Then what is your errand?" Rori
asked.
Maui replied, "I have come to obtain
your stomach for myself, and I shall give
mine to you in exchange."
"If my stomach should be given over to
you," Rori exclaimed,
"then you would
be the cause of my death!"
Maui answered, "I shall not kill you if
you give me your stomach for myself:
but if you do not give it to me, then I
surely will kill you!"
"Never will I give it up to you!" Rori
protested.
Maui was furious with Rori, so he
seized him and squeezed out his stomach;
then Maui vomited up his own, and he
took that of Rori and commenced to
swallow it; and just as it had almost dis-
appeared inside of Maui.
his elder
brothers, who had been trailing him se-
cretly to find out what he was about,
gave a loud shout and startled Maui.
"Ho_oh! Maui is swallowing the
stomach of that demon-creature over
there!" his brothers all shouted with one
voice.

- The legends of Maui and Tahaki, translated by J.F. Stimson