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Show FIRST TO USE WATER WINGS Lovesick Maori itfalden Credited With Devising Those Valuable Aids to Weak Swimmers. Water wings were Invented by a Maori Ma-ori maiden hundreds of years before the Rrltish conquered these New Zealand Zeal-and natives. She used some gourds which she lashed together with strands of flax, putting the lashing under her chest, with a gourd behind each arm. Thus equipped, she swam four miles to meet her lover, who was not In favor fav-or with her father. The romantic story Is a pretty one. Tutanekai's mother was the beautiful beauti-ful Rangi-uru, wife of Whakane-kai-papa, the great chief of the Ngati-whakane Ngati-whakane tribe. His father was a home wrecker, the soft-spoken glib-tongued glib-tongued Tu-whare-toa, who had persuaded per-suaded Rangi-uru to run away with blm. Later she repented and returned to her husband, who forgave her. He took her child Into the family and ' moved to another neighborhood, so that the family would escape gossip. In this district Tutanekai grew into an Apollo of manhood and a regular Solomon in wisdom, but the stigma of his birth followed him. He fell In love with Hlne-Moa, but her father refused re-fused his consent to the marriage. The lovers were kept apart, while the girl's father remained obdurate. Finally, In desperation, Hlne-Moa planned to make the four-mile swim to his Island from Rotorua, and Just before plunging plung-ing Into the water decided to make the water wings as an extra safety precaution, although she was an expert ex-pert swimmer. |