The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai Part 26

Kauakahialii's charge pleased his friend.

In the end Kauakahialii died; the chief, his friend, took the rule, and their wife was the counsellor.

Afterwards, when Kailiokalauokekoa's last days drew near, she prayed her husband to guard Kanikawi, their sacred flute, according to Kauakahialii's command:

"My husband, here is the flute; guard it; it is a wonderful flute; whatever things you desire it can do; if you go to get the wife your friend charged you to, this will be the means of your meeting. You must guard it forever; wherever you go to dwell, never leave the flute at all, for you well know what your friend did when you two came to get me when I was almost dead for love of your friend. It was this flute that saved me from the other side of the grave; therefore, listen and guard well my sayings."

CHAPTER XX

After Kailiokalauokekoa's death, the chief's house and all things else became Kekalukaluokewa's, and he portioned out the land[61] and set up his court.

After apportioning the land and setting up his court, Kekalukaluokewa bethought him of his friend's charge concerning Laieikawai.

Then he commanded his counsellor to make ready 4,000 canoes for the journey to Hawaii after a wife, according to the custom of a chief.

When the chief's command was carried out, the chief took two favorites, a suitable retinue of chiefs, and all the embalmed bodies of his ancestors.

In the month called "the first twin," when the sea was calm, they left Kauai and came to Hawaii. Many days pa.s.sed on the voyage.

As they sailed, they arrived in the early morning at Makaha.n.a.loa in Hilo. Then said the man who had seen Laieikawai before to the chief, "See that rainbow arching over the uplands; that is Paliuli, where I found her." Now the rain was sweeping Hilo at the time when they came to Makaha.n.a.loa.

At the man's words, the chief answered, "I will wait before believing that a sign for Laieikawai; for the rainbow is common in rainy weather; so, my proposal is, let us anchor the canoes and wait until the rain has cleared, then if the rainbow remains when there is no rain, it must be a sign for Laieikawai." The chief's proposal was the same as Aiwohikupua's.

So they remained there as the chief desired. In ten days and two it cleared over Hilo, and the country was plainly visible.

In the early morning of the twelfth day the chief went out of the house, and lo! the rainbow persisted as before; a little later in the day the rainbow was at the seacoast of Keaau; Laieikawai had gone to the coast (as in the narrative before of Aiwohikupua's story).

That day there was no longer any doubt of the sign, and they sailed and came to Keaau. When they arrived, Laieikawai had gone up to Paliuli.

When they arrived the people crowded to see Kekalukaluokewa and exclaimed, "Kauai for handsome men!"

On the day when Kekalukaluokewa sailed and came to Keaau, Waka foresaw this Kekalukaluokewa.

Said Waka to her grandchild, "Do not go again to the coast, for Kekalukaluokewa has come to Keaau to get you for his wife. Kauakahialii is dead, and has charged his favorite to take you to wife; therefore this is your husband. If you accept this man you will rule the island, surely preserve these bones. Therefore wait up here four days, then go down, and if you like him, then return and tell me your pleasure."

So Laieikawai waited four days as her grandmother commanded.

In the early morning of the fourth day of retirement, she arose and went down with her hunchbacked attendant to Keaau.

When she arrived close to the village, lo! Kekalukaluokewa was already out surf riding; three youths rose in the surf, the chief and his favorites.

As Laieikawai and her companion spied out for Kekalukaluokewa, they did not know which man the grandmother wanted.

Said Laieikawai to her nurse, "How are we to know the man whom my grandmother said was here?"

Her nurse said, "Better wait until they are through surfing, and the one who comes back without a board, he is the chief."

So they sat and waited.

Then, the surf riding ended and the surfers came back to sh.o.r.e.

Then they saw some men carrying the boards of the favorites, but the chief's board the favorites bore on their shoulders, and Kekalukaluokewa came without anything. So Laieikawai looked upon her husband.

When they had seen what they had come for, they returned to Paliuli and told their grandmother what they had seen.

Asked the grandmother, "Were you pleased with the man?"

"Yes," answered Laieikawai.

Said Waka, "To-morrow at daybreak Kekalukaluokewa goes surfing alone; at that time I will cover all the land of Puna with a mist, and in this mist I will send you on the wings of birds to meet Kekalukaluokewa without your being seen. When the mist clears, then all shall see you riding on the wave with Kekalukaluokewa; that is the time to give a kiss to the Kauai youth. So when you go out of the house, speak no word to anyone, man or woman, until you have given a kiss to Kekalukaluokewa, then you may speak to the others. After the surf riding, then I will send the birds and a mist over the land; that is the time for you to return with your husband to your house, become one flesh according to your wish."

When all this had been told Laieikawai, she returned to the chief-house with her nurse.

Afterward, when they were in the house, she sent her nurse to bring Mailehaiwale, Mailekaluhea, Mailelaulii, Mailepakaha, and Kahalaomapuana, her counsellors, as they had agreed.

When the counsellors came, her body guard, Laieikawai said, "Where are you, my comrades? I have taken counsel with our grandmother about my marriage, so I sent my nurse to bring you, as we agreed when we met here. My grandmother wishes Kekalukaluokewa to be my husband. What do you say? What you all agree, I will do. If you consent, well; if not, it shall be just as you think." Kahalaomapuana said, "It is well; marry him as your grandmother wishes; not a word from us. Only when you marry a husband do not forsake us, as we have agreed; where you go, let us go with you; if you are in trouble, we will share it."

"I will not forsake you," said Laieikawai.

Now we have seen in former chapters, in the story of Hauailiki and the story of Aiwohikupua's second trip to Hawaii, that it was customary for Laieikawai to go down to Keaau, and it was the same when Kekalukaluokewa came to Hawaii.

Every time Laieikawai came to Keaau the youth Halaaniani saw her without knowing where she came from; from that time the wicked purpose never left his mind to win Laieikawai, but he was ashamed to approach her and never spoke to her.

As to this Halaaniani, he was Malio's brother, a youth famous throughout Puna for his good looks, but a profligate fellow.

During the four days of Laieikawai's retirement Halaaniani brooded jealously over her absence. She came no more to Keaau.

In the village he heard that Laieikawai was to be Kekalukaluokewa's.

Then quickly he went to consult his sister, to Malio.[62]

Said her brother, "Malio, I have come to you to gain my desire. All those days I was absent I was at Keaau to behold a certain beautiful woman, for my pa.s.sion forced me to go again and again to see this woman.

To-day I heard that to-morrow she is to be the chief's of Kauai; therefore let us exert all our arts over her to win her to me."

Said his sister, "She is no other than Waka's grandchild, Laieikawai, whom the grandmother has given to the great chief of Kauai; to-morrow is the marriage. Therefore, as you desire, go home, and in the dark of evening return, and we will sleep here on the mountain; that is the time for us to determine whether you lose or win."

According to Malio's directions to her brother, Halaaniani returned to his house at Kula.

He came at the time his sister had commanded.

Before they slept, Malio said to Halaaniani, "If you get a dream when you sleep, tell it to me, and I will do the same."

They slept until toward morning. Halaaniani awoke, he could not sleep, and Malio awoke at the same time.