He sat down and took out a little leather mendy-bag , full of reindeer-sinews and strips of leather , and lumps of bee 's - wax and resin , and began to mend the spear . Taffy sat down too , with her toes in the water and her chin in her hand , and thought very hard . Then she said -- ' I say , Daddy , it 's an awful nuisance that you and I do n't know how to write , is n't it ? If we did we could send a message for the new spear . ' ` Taffy , ' said Tegumai , ` how often have I told you not to use slang ? `` Awful '' is n't a pretty word , but it could be a convenience , now you mention it , if we could write home . ' Just then a Stranger-man came along the river , but he belonged to a far tribe , the Tewaras , and he did not understand one word of Tegumai 's language . He stood on the bank and smiled at Taffy , because he had a little girl-daughter Of his own at home . Tegumai drew a hank of deer-sinews from his mendy-bag and began to mend his spear . ` Come here , said Taffy . ` Do you know where my Mummy lives ? ' And the Stranger-man said ` Um ! ' being , as you know , a Tewara . ` Silly ! ' said Taffy , and she stamped her foot , because she saw a shoal of very big carp going up the river just when her Daddy could n't use his spear . ` Do n't bother grown-ups , ' said Tegumai , so busy with his spear-mending that he did not turn round . ' I are n't , said Taffy . ' I only want him to do what I want him to do , and he wo n't understand . ' ` Then do n't bother me , said Tegumai , and he went on pulling and straining at the deer-sinews with his mouth full of loose ends . The Stranger-man -- a genuine Tewara he was -- sat down on the grass , and Taffy showed him what her Daddy was doing .
The XXXXX thought , this is a very wonderful child .
Mummy Stranger-man Taffy Tewara Tewaras deer-sinews grown-ups reindeer-sinews shoal spear-mending