The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai Part 16

On the way from Keaau they rested at Kamaee, on the rocky side of Hilo, and the next day left there, went to Humuula on the boundary between Hilo and Hamakua; now the seer saw Aiwohikupua sailing over the ocean.

After pa.s.sing Humuula they stopped right off Kealakaha, and while the chief slept they saw a woman sitting on the sea cliff by the sh.o.r.e.

When those on board saw the woman they shouted, "Oh! what a beautiful woman!"

At this Aiwohikupua started up and asked what they were shouting about.

They said, "There is a beautiful woman sitting on the sea cliff." The chief turned his head to look, and saw that the stranger was, indeed, a charming woman.

So the chief ordered the boatmen to row straight to the place where the woman was sitting, and as they approached they first encountered a man fis.h.i.+ng with a line, and asked, "Who is that woman sitting up there on the bank directly above you?"

He answered, "It is Poliahu, Cold-bosom.".

As the chief had a great desire to see the woman, she was beckoned to; and she approached with her cloak all covered with snow and gave her greeting to Aiwohikupua, and he greeted her in return by shaking hands.

After meeting the stranger, Aiwohikupua said, "O Poliahu, fair mistress of the coast, happily are we met here; and therefore, O princess of the cliff, I wish you to take me and try me for your husband, and I will be the servant under you; whatever commands you utter I will obey. If you consent to take me as I beseech you, then come on board the canoe and go to Kauai. Why not do so?"

The woman answered, "I am not mistress of this coast. I come from inland; from the summit of that mountain, which is clothed in a white garment like this I am wearing; and how did you find out my name so quickly?"

Said Aiwohikupua, "This is the first I knew about your coming from the White Mountain, but we found out your name readily from that fisherman yonder."

"As to what the chief desires of me," said Poliahu, "I will take you for my husband; and now let me ask you, are you not the chief who stood up and vowed in the name of your G.o.ds not to take any woman of these islands from Hawaii to Kauai to wife--only a woman who comes from Moaulanuiakea? Are you not betrothed to Hinaikamalama, the famous princess of Hana? After this trip around Hawaii, then are you not returning for your marriage? And as to your wis.h.i.+ng our union, I a.s.sure you, until you have made an end of your first vow it is not my part to take you, but yours to take me with you as you desire."

At Poliahu's words Aiwohikupua marveled and was abashed; and after a while a little question escaped him: "How have you ever heard of these deeds of mine you tell of? It is true, Poliahu, all that you say; I have done as you have described; tell me who has told you."

"No one has told me these things, O chief; I knew them for myself," said the princess; "for I was born, like you, with G.o.dlike powers, and, like you, my knowledge comes to me from the G.o.ds of my fathers, who inspire me; and through these G.o.ds I showed you what I have told you. As you were setting out at Humuula I saw your canoe, and so knew who you were."

At these words Aiwohikupua knelt and did reverence to Poliahu and begged to become Poliahu's betrothed and asked her to go with him to Kauai.

"We shall not go together to Kauai," said the woman, "but I will go on board with you to Kohala, then I will return, while you go on."

Now, the chiefs met and conversed on the deck of the canoe.

Before setting out the woman said to Aiwohikupua and his companion, "We sail together; let me be alone, apart from you two, fix bounds between us. You must not touch me, I will not touch you until we reach Kohala; let us remain under a sacred taboo;" and this request pleased them.

As they sailed and came to Kohala they did not touch each other.

They reached Kohala, and on the day when Aiwohikupua's party left, Poliahu took her garment of snow and gave it to Aiwohikupua, saying, "Here is my snow mantle, the mantle my parents strictly forbade my giving to anyone else; it was to be for myself alone; but as we are betrothed, you to me and I to you, therefore I give away this mantle until the day when you remember our vows, then you must seek me, and you will find me above on the White Mountain; show it to me there, then we shall be united."

When Aiwohikupua heard these things the chief's heart was glad, and his counsellor and the paddlers with him.

Then Aiwohikupua took out his feather cloak, brought it and threw it over Poliahu with the words, "As you have said to me before giving me the snow mantle, so do you guard this until our promised union."

When their talk was ended, at the approach of day, they parted from the woman of the mountain and sailed and came to Hana and met Hinaikamalama.

CHAPTER VIII

When Aiwohikupua reached Hana, after parting with Poliahu at Kohala, his boat approached the canoe landing at Haneoo, where they had been before, where Hinaikamalama was living.

When Aiwohikupua reached the landing the canoe floated on the water; and as it floated there Hinaikamalama saw that it was Aiwohikupua's canoe; joyful was she with the thought of their meeting; but still the boat floated gently on the water.

Hinaikamalama came thither where Aiwohikupua and his men floated. Said the woman, "This is strange! What is all this that the canoe is kept afloat? Joyous was I at the sight of you, believing you were coming to land. Not so! Now, tell me, shall you float there until you leave?"

"Yes," answered Aiwohikupua.

"You can not," said the woman, "for I will order the executioner to hold you fast; you became mine at _konane_ and our vows are spoken, and I have lived apart and undefiled until your return."

"O princess, not so!" said Aiwohikupua. "It is not to end our vow--that still holds; but the time has not come for its fulfillment. For I said to you, 'When I have sailed about Hawaii then the princess's bet shall be paid;' now, I went meaning to sail about Hawaii, but did not; still at Hilo I got a message from Kauai that the family was in trouble at home, so I turned back; I have stopped in here to tell you all this; and therefore, live apart, and on my next return our vow shall be fulfilled."

At these words of Aiwohikupua the princess's faith returned.

After this they left Hana and sailed and came to Oahu, and on the sea halfway between Oahu and Kauai he laid his command upon the oarsmen and the steersmen, as follows: "Where are you? I charge you, when you come to Kauai, do not say that you have been to Hawaii to seek a wife lest I be shamed; if this is heard about, it will be heard through you, and the penalty to anyone who tells of the journey to Hawaii, it is death, death to himself, death to his wife, death to all his friends; this is the debt he shall pay." This was the charge the chief laid upon the men who sailed with him to Hawaii. Aiwohikupua reached Kauai at sunset and met his sisters. Then he spoke thus to his sisters: "Perhaps you wondered when I went on my journey, because I did not tell you my reason, not even the place where I was to go; and now I tell it to you in secret, my sisters, to you alone. To Hawaii I disappeared to fetch Laieikawai for my wife, after hearing Kauakahialii's story the day when his party returned here. But when I came there I did not get sight of the woman's face; I did not see Laieikawai, but my eyes beheld her house thatched with the yellow feathers of the _oo_ bird, so I thought I could not win her and came back here unsuccessful. And as I thought of my failure, then I thought of you sisters,[41] who have won my wishes for me in the days gone by; therefore I came for you to go to Hawaii, the very ones to win what I wish, and at dawn let us rise up and go." Then they were pleased with their brother's words to them.

As Aiwohikupua talked with his sisters, his counsellor for the first time understood the reason for their return to Kauai.

The next day Aiwohikupua picked out fresh paddlers, for the chief knew that the first were tired out. When all was ready for sailing, that very night the chief took on board 14 paddlers, 2 steersmen, the 5 sisters, Mailehaiwale, Mailekaluhea, Mailelaulii, Mailepakaha, and the youngest, Kahalaomapuana, the chief himself, and his counsellor, 23 in all. That night, at the approach of day, they left Kauai, came to Puuloa, and there rested at Hanauma; the next day they lay off Molokai at Kaunakakai, from there they went ash.o.r.e at Mala at Lahaina; and they left the place, went to Keoneoio in Honuaula, and there they stayed 30 days.

For it was very rough weather on the ocean; when the rough weather was over, then there was good sailing.

Then they left Honuaula and sailed and came to Kaelehuluhulu, at Kona, Hawaii.

As Aiwohikupua's party were on the way from Maui thither, Poliahu knew of their setting sail and coming to Kaelehuluhulu.

Then Poliahu made herself ready to come to wed Aiwohikupua; one month she waited for the promised meeting, but Aiwohikupua was at Hilo after Laieikawai.

Then was revealed to Poliahu the knowledge of Aiwohikupua's doings; through her supernatural power she saw it all; so the woman laid it up in her mind until they should meet, then she showed what she saw Aiwohikupua doing.

From Kaelehuluhulu, Aiwohikupua went direct to Keaau, but many days and nights the voyage lasted.

At noon one day they came to Keaau, and after putting to rights the canoe and the baggage, the chief at once began urging his sisters and his counsellor to go up to Paliuli; and they readily a.s.sented to the chief's wish.

Before going up to Paliuli, Aiwohikupua told the steersmen and the paddlers, "While we go on our way to seek her whom I have so longed to see face to face, do you remain here quietly, doing nothing but guard the canoes. If you wait until this night becomes day and day becomes night, then we prosper; but if we come back to-morrow early in the morning, then my wishes have failed, then face about and turn the course to Kauai;" so the chief ordered.

After the chief's orders to the men they ascended half the night, reaching Paliuli. Said Aiwohikupua to the sisters: "This is Paliuli where Laieikawai is, your sister-in-law. See what you are worth."

Then Aiwohikupua took Mailehaiwale, the first born; she stood right at the door of Laieikawai's house, and as she stood there she sent forth a fragrance which filled the house; and within was Laieikawai with her nurse fast asleep; but they could no longer sleep, because they were wakened by the scent of Mailehaiwale.

And starting out of sleep, they two marveled what this wonderful fragrance could be, and because of this marvel Laieikawai cried out in a voice of delight to her grandmother:

LAIEIKAWAI: "O Waka! O Waka--O!"

WAKA: "Heigh-yo! why waken in the middle of the night?"

LAIEIKAWAI: "A fragrance is here, a strange fragrance, a cool fragrance, a chilling fragrance; it goes to my heart."

WAKA: "That is no strange fragrance; it is certainly Mailehaiwale, the sweet-smelling sister of Aiwohikupua, who has come to get you for his wife, you for the wife and he for the husband; here is the man for you to marry."