The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai Part 21

And on the next day, in the afternoon, when they reached Keaau, Laieikawai had just returned with Aiwohikupua's sisters to Paliuli.

When Hauailiki's party arrived, behold many persons came to see this youth who rivaled Kauakahialii and Aiwohikupua in beauty, and all the people of Keaau praised him exceedingly.

Next day at sunrise the mist and fog covered all Keaau, and when it cleared, behold! seven girls were sitting at the landing place of Keaau, one of whom was more beautiful than the rest. This was the very first time that the sisters of Aiwohikupua had come down with Laieikawai, according to their compact.

As Laieikawai and her companions were sitting there that morning, Hauailiki stood up and walked about before them, showing off his good looks to gain the notice of the princess of Paliuli. But what was Hauailiki to Laieikawai? Mere chaff!

Four days Laieikawai came to Keaau after Hauailiki's entering the harbor; and four days Hauailiki showed himself off before Laieikawai, and she took no notice at all of him.

On the fifth day of her coming, Hauailiki thought to display before the beloved one his skill with the surf board;[48] the truth is Hauailiki surpa.s.sed any one else on Kauai as an expert in surf riding, he surpa.s.sed all others in his day, and he was famous for this skill as well as for his good looks.

That day, at daybreak, the natives of the place, men and women, were out in the breakers.

While the people were gathering for surfing, Hauailiki undid his garment, got his surf board, of the kind made out of a thick piece of _wili-wili_ wood, went directly to the place where Laieikawai's party sat, and stood there for some minutes; then it was that the sisters of Aiwohikupua took a liking to Hauailiki.

Said Mailehaiwale to Laieikawai, "If we had not been set apart by our parents, I would take Hauailiki for my husband."

Said Laieikawai, "I like him, too; but I, too, have been set apart by my grandmother, so that my liking is useless."

"We are all alike," said Mailehaiwale.

When Hauailiki had showed himself off for some minutes, Hauailiki leaped with his surf board into the sea and swam out into the breakers.

When Hauailiki was out in the surf, one of the girls called out, "Land now!"

"Land away!" answered Hauailiki, for he did not wish to ride in on the same breaker with the crowd. He wished to make himself conspicuous on a separate breaker, in order that Laieikawai should see his skill in surf riding and maybe take a liking to him. Not so!

When the others had gone in a little wave budded and swelled, then Hauailiki rode the wave. As he rode, the natives cheered and the sisters of Aiwohikupua also. What was that to Laieikawai?

When Hauailiki heard the cheering, then he thought surely Laieikawai's voice would join the shouting. Not so! He kept on surfing until the fifth wave had pa.s.sed; it was the same; he got no call whatever; then Hauailiki first felt discouragement, with the proof of Aiwohikupua's saying about the "stubbornness of Laieikawai."

CHAPTER XIV

When Hauailiki saw that Laieikawai still paid no attention to him he made up his mind to come in on the surf without the board.

He left it and swam out to the breakers. As he was swimming Laieikawai said, "Hauailiki must be crazy."

Her companions said, "Perhaps he will ride in on the surf without a board."

When Hauailiki got to the breakers, just as the crest rose and broke at his back, he stood on its edge, the foam rose on each side of his neck like boars' tusks. Then all on sh.o.r.e shouted and for the first time Laieikawai smiled; the feat was new to her eyes and to her guardians also.

When Hauailiki saw Laieikawai smiling to herself he thought she had taken a liking to him because of this feat, so he kept on repeating it until five breakers had come in; no summons came to him from Laieikawai.

Then Hauailiki was heavy-hearted because Laieikawai took no notice of him, and he felt ashamed because of his boast to Aiwohikupua, as we have seen in the last chapter.

So he floated gently on the waves, and as he floated the time drew near for Laieikawai's party to return to Paliuli. Then Laieikawai beckoned to Hauailiki.

When Hauailiki saw the signal the burden was lifted from his mind; Hauailiki boasted to himself, "You wanted me all the time; you just delayed."

And at the signal of the princess of Paliuli he lay upon the breaker and landed right where Laieikawai and her companions were sitting; then Laieikawai threw a _lehua_ wreath around Hauailiki's neck, as she always did for those who showed skill in surf riding. And soon after the mist and fog covered the land, and when it pa.s.sed away nothing was to be seen of Laieikawai and her party; they were at Paliuli.

This was the last time that Laieikawai's party came to Keaau while Hauailiki was there; after Hauailiki's return to Kauai, then Laieikawai came again to Keaau.

After Laieikawai's party were gone to the uplands of Paliuli, Hauailiki left off surf riding and joined his guide, the chief counsellor of Aiwohikupua. Said he, "I think she is the only one who is impregnable; what, Aiwohikupua said is true. There is no luck in my beauty or my skill in surf riding; only one way is left, for us to foot it to Paliuli to-night." To this proposal of Hauailiki his comrade a.s.sented.

In the afternoon, after dinner, the two went up inland and entered the forest where it was densely overgrown with underbrush. As they went on, they met Mailehaiwale, the princess's first guardian. When she saw them approaching from a distance, she cried, "O Hauailiki, you two go back from there, you two have no business to come up here, for I am the outpost of the princess's guards and it is my business to drive back all who come here; so turn back, you two, without delay."

Said Hauailiki, "Just let us go take a look at the princess's house."

Said Mailehaiwale, "I will not let you; for I am put here to drive off everybody who comes up here like you two."

But because they urged her with such persuasive words, she did consent.

As they went on, after Mailehaiwale let them pa.s.s, they soon encountered Mailekaluhea, the second of the princess's guardians.

Said Mailekaluhea, "Here! you two go back, you two have no right to come up here. How did you get permission to pa.s.s here?"

Said they, "We came to see the princess."

"You two have no such right," said Mailekaluhea, "for we guards are stationed here to drive off everybody who comes to this place; so, you two go back."

But to Mailekaluhea's command they answered so craftily with flattering words that they were allowed to pa.s.s.

As the two went on they met Mailelaulii and with the same words they had used to the first, so they addressed Mailelaulii.

And because of their great craft in persuasion, the two were allowed to pa.s.s Mailelaulii's front. And they went on, and met Mailepakaha, the fourth guardian.

When they came before Mailepakaha this guardian was not at all pleased at their having been let slip by the first guards, but so crafty was their speech that they were allowed to pa.s.s.

And they went on, and behold! they came upon Kahalaomapuana, the guardian at the door of the chief-house, who was resting on the wings of birds, and when they saw how strange was the workmans.h.i.+p of the chief-house, then Hauailiki fell to the earth with trembling heart.

When Kahalaomapuana saw them she was angry, and she called out to them authoritatively, as the princess's war chief, "O Hauailiki! haste and go back, for you two have no business here; if you persist, then I will call hither the birds of Paliuli to eat your flesh; only your spirits will return to Kauai."

At these terrible words of Kahalaomapuana, Hauailiki's courage entirely left him; he arose and ran swiftly until he reached Keaau in the early morning.

For weariness of the journey up to Paliuli, they fell down and slept.

While Hauailiki slept, Laieikawai came to him in a dream, and they met together; and on Hauailiki's starting from sleep, behold! it was a dream.

Hauailiki slept again; again he had the dream as at first; four nights and four days the dream was repeated to Hauailiki, and his mind was troubled.

On the fifth night after the dream had come to Hauailiki so repeatedly, after dark, he arose and ascended to the uplands of Paliuli without his comrade's knowledge.

In going up, he did not follow the road the two had taken before, but close to Mailehaiwale he took a new path and escaped the eyes of the princess's guardians.