The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai Part 22

When he got outside the chief-house Kahalaomapuana was fast asleep, so he tiptoed up secretly, unfastened the covering at the entrance to the house, which was wrought with feather work, and behold! he saw Laieikawai resting on the wings of birds, fast asleep also.

When he had entered and stood where the princess was sleeping, he caught hold of the princess's head and shook her. Then Laieikawai started up from' sleep, and behold! Hauailiki standing at her head, and her mind was troubled.

Then Laieikawai spoke softly to Hauailiki, "Go away now, for death and life have been left with my guardians, and therefore I pity you; arise and go; do not wait."

Hauailiki said, "O Princess, let us kiss[49] one another, for a few nights ago I came up and got here without seeing you; we were driven away by the power of your guards, and on our reaching the coast, exhausted, I fell asleep; while I slept we two met together in a dream and we were united, and many days and nights the same dream came; therefore I have come up here again to fulfill what was done in the dream."

Laieikawai said, "Return; what you say is no concern of mine; for the same thing has come to me in a dream and it happened to me as it happened to you, and what is that to me? Go! return!"

As Kahalaomapuana slept, she heard low talking in the house, and she started up from sleep and called out, "O Laieikawai, who is the confidant who is whispering to you?"

When she heard the questioner, Laieikawai ceased speaking.

Soon Kahalaomapuana arose and entered the house, and behold! Hauailiki was in the house with Laieikawai.

Kahalaomapuana said, "O Hauailiki, arise and go; you have no right to enter here; I told you before that you had no business in this place, and I say the same thing to-night as on that first night, so arise and return to the coast."

And at these words of Kahalaomapuana Hauailiki arose with shame in his heart, and returned to the beach at Keaau and told his comrades about his journey to Paliuli.

When Hauailiki saw that he had no further chance to win Laieikawai, then he made the canoe ready to go back to Kauai, and with the dawn left Keaau and sailed thither.

When Hauailiki's party returned to Kauai and came to Wailua, he saw a great company of the high chiefs and low chiefs of the court, and Kauakahialii and Kailiokalauokekoa with them.

As Hauailiki and his party were nearing the mouth of the river at Wailua, he saw Aiwohikupua and called out, "I have lost."

When Hauailiki landed and told Aiwohikupua the story of his journey and how his sisters had become the princess's guardians, then Aiwohikupua rejoiced.

He declared to Hauailiki, "There's an end to our bet, for it was made while we were drunk with _awa_."

While Hauailiki was telling how Aiwohikupua's sisters had become guardians to Laieikawai, then Aiwohikupua conceived afresh the hope of sailing to Hawaii to get Laieikawai, as he had before desired.

CHAPTER XV

Said Aiwohikupua, "How fortunate I am to have left my sisters on Hawaii, and so I shall attain my desire, for I have heard that my sisters are guardians to the one on whom I have set my heart."

Now, while all the chiefs were gathered at Wailua, then Aiwohikupua stood up and declared his intention in presence of the chiefs: "Where are you! I shall go again to Hawaii, I shall not fail of my desire; for my sisters are now guardians of her on whom I have set my heart."

At these words of Aiwohikupua, Hauailiki said, "You will not succeed, for I saw that the princess was taboo, and your sisters also put on reserved airs; one of them, indeed, was furious, the smallest of them; so my belief is you will not succeed, and if you go near you will get paid for it."

To Hauailiki's words Aiwohikupua paid no attention, for he was hopeful because of what he had heard of his sisters' guarding the princess.

After this he summoned the bravest of his fighting men, his bodyguard, all his chiefly array, and the chief arranged for paddlers; then he commanded the counsellor to make the canoes ready.

The counsellor chose the proper canoes for the trip, twenty double canoes, and twice forty single canoes, these for the chiefs and the bodyguard, and forty provision canoes for the chief's supplies; and as for the chief himself and his counsellor, they were on board of a triple canoe.

When everything was ready for such a journey they set out.

Many days they sailed. When they came to Kohala, for the first time the Kohala people recognized Aiwohikupua, a magician renowned all over the islands. And because the chief came in disguise to Kohala when he fought with Cold-nose, this was why they had not recognized him.

They left Kohala and went to Keaau. Just as they reached there, Laieikawai and the sisters of Aiwohikupua returned to Paliuli.

When Laieikawai and her companions returned, on the day when Aiwohikupua's party arrived, their grandmother had already foreseen Aiwohikupua's arrival at Keaau.

Said Waka, "Aiwohikupua has come again to Keaau, so let the guard be watchful, look out for yourselves, do not go down to the sea, stay here on the mountain until Aiwohikupua returns to Kauai."

When the princess's head guard heard the grandmother's words, then Kahalaomapuana immediately ordered Kihanuilulumoku,[50] their G.o.d, to come near the home of the chief and prepare for battle.

As the princess's chief guard, she ordered her sisters to consult what would be the best way to act in behalf of the princess.

When they met and consulted what was best to be done, all agreed to what Kahalaomapuana, the princess's chief guard, proposed, as follows: "You, Mailehaiwale, if Aiwohikupua should come hither, and you two meet, drive him away, for you are the first guard; and if he should plead his cause force him away: and if he is very persistent, because he is a brother, resist him still more forcibly; and if he still insists then despatch one of the guardian birds to me, then we will all meet at the same place, and I myself will drive him away. If he threatens to harm us, then I will command our G.o.d, Kihanuilulumoku, who will destroy him."

After all the council had a.s.sented they stationed themselves at a distance from each other to guard the princess as before.

At dawn that night arrived Aiwohikupua with his counsellor. When they saw the taboo sign--the hollow post covered with white _tapa_--then they knew that the road to the princess's dwelling was taboo. But Aiwohikupua would not believe it taboo because of having heard that his sisters had the guardian power.

So they went right on and found another taboo sign like the first which they had found, for one sign was set up for each of the sisters.

After pa.s.sing the fourth taboo sign, they approached at a distance the fifth sign; this was Kahalaomapuana's. This was the most terrible of all, and then it began to be light; but they could not see in the dark how terrible it was.

They left the sign, went a little way and met Mailehaiwale; overjoyed was Aiwohikupua to see his sister. At that instant Mailehaiwale cried, "Back, you two, this place is taboo."

Aiwohikupua supposed this was in sport; both again began to approach Mailehaiwale; again the guardian told them to go. "Back at once, you two! What business have you up here and who will befriend you?"

"What is this, my sister?" asked Aiwohikupua. "Are you not my friends here, and through you shall I not get my desire?"

Then Mailehaiwale sent one of her guardian birds to Kahalaomapuana; in less than no time the four met at the place guarded by Mailekaluhea, where they expected to meet Aiwohikupua.

CHAPTER XVI

And they were ready and were sent for and came. When Aiwohikupua saw Kahalaomapuana resting on the wings of birds, as commander in chief, this was a great surprise to Aiwohikupua and his companion. Said the head guard, "Return at once, linger not, delay not your going, for the princess is taboo, you have not the least business in this place; and never let the idea come to you that we are your sisters; that time has pa.s.sed." Kahalaomapuana arose and disappeared.

Then the hot wrath of Aiwohikupua was kindled and his anger grew. He decided at that time to go back to the sea to Keaau, then send his warriors to destroy the younger sisters.

When they turned back and came to Kahalaomapuana's taboo sign, behold!

the tail of the great lizard protruded above the taboo sign, which was covered with white _tapa_ wound with the _ieie_ vine and the sweet-scented fern,[51] and it was a terrible thing to see.

As soon as Aiwohikupua and his companion reached the sea at Keaau, Aiwohikupua's counsellor dispatched the chief's picked fighting men to go up and destroy the sisters, according to the chief's command.

That very day Waka foresaw what Aiwohikupua's intention was. So Waka went and met Kahalaomapuana, the princess's commander in chief, and said: "Kahalaomapuana, I have seen what your brother intends to do. He is preparing ten strong men to come up here and destroy you, for your brother is wrathful because you drove him away this morning; so let us be ready in the name of our G.o.d."

Then she sent for Kihanuilulumoku, the great lizard of Paliuli, their G.o.d. And the lizard came and she commanded him: "O our G.o.d, Kihanuilulumoku, see to this lawless one, this mischief-maker, this rogue of the sea; if they send a force here, slaughter them all, let no messenger escape, keep on until the last one is taken, and beware of Kalahumoku, Aiwohikupua's great strong dog;[52] if you blunder, there is an end of us, we shall not escape; exert your strength, all your G.o.dlike might over Aiwohikupua. Amen, it is finished, flown away." This was Kahalaomapuana's charge to their G.o.d.