The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai Part 38

Said Kapukaihaoa: "High one of the highest, I grant your request, my high one; it is well for you to go in to my foster child; for no good has come to me from my charge. It was our strong desire, mine and hers who took care of your wife Laieikawai, that Kekalukaluokewa should be our foster child's husband; very good, but in settling the rule over the islands, the gain has gone to others and I have nothing. For he has given all the islands to your sisters, and I have nothing, the one who provided him with his wife; so it will be well, in order to avoid a second misfortune, that you have the wife for the two of you."

At the end of their secret conference, Kapukaihaoa went with the chief to Laielohelohe.

Said he, "My ward, here is the husband, be ruled by him; heavens above, earth beneath; a solid fortune, nothing can shake its foundation; and look to the one who bore the burden."

Then Laielohelohe dismissed her doubts; and Kaonohiokala took Laielohelohe and they took their pleasure together.

Three days after, Kaonohiokala returned to Kahakaekaea.

And after he had been some days absent, the pangs of love caught him fast, and changed his usual appearance.

Then on the fourth day of their separation, he told a lie to Laieikawai and said, "This was a strange night for me, I never slept, there was a drumming all night long."

Said Laieikawai, "What was it?"

Said Kaonohiokala, "Perhaps the people below are in trouble."

"Perhaps so," said Laieikawai. "Why not go down and see?"

And at his wife's mere suggestion, in less than no time Kaonohiokala was below in the companions.h.i.+p of Laielohelohe. But Laielohelohe never thought of harm; what was that to her mind!

When they met at the chief's wish. Laielohelohe did not love Kaonohiokala, for the princess did not wish to commit sin with the great chief from the heavens, but to satisfy her guardian's greed.

After perhaps ten days of these evil doings, Kaonohiokala returned above.

Then Laielohelohe's love for Kekalukaluokewa waxed and grew because she had fallen into sin with Kaonohiokala.

One day in the evening Laielohelohe said to Kapukaihaoa, "My good guard and protector, I am sorry for my sin with Kaonohiokala, and love grows within me for Kekalukaluokewa, my husband; good and happy has been our life together, and I sinned not by my own wish, but through your wish alone. What harm had you refused? I referred the matter to you because of your binding me not to keep companions.h.i.+p with anyone; I thought you would keep your oath; not so!"

Said Kapukaihaoa, "I allowed you to be another's because your husband gave me no gifts; for in my very face your husband's gifts were given to others; there I stood, then you were gone. Little he thought of me from whom he got his wife."

Said Laielohelohe to her foster father, "If that is why you have given me over to sin with Kaonohiokala, then you have done very wrong, for you know the rulers over the islands were not appointed by Kekalukaluokewa, but by Kaonohiokala; and therefore to-morrow I will go on board a double canoe and set sail to seek my husband."

That very evening she commanded her retainers, those who guarded the chief's canoe, to get the canoe ready to set sail to seek the husband.

And not wis.h.i.+ng to meet Kaonohiokala, she hid inside the country people's houses where he would not come, lest Kaonohiokala should come again and sin with her against her wish; so she fled to the country people's houses, but he did not come until that night when she had left and was out at sea.

When she sailed, she came to Oahu and stayed in the country people's houses. So she journeyed until her meeting with Kekalukaluokewa.

About the time that Laielohelohe was come to Oahu, that next day Kaonohiokala came again to visit Laielohelohe; but on his arrival, no Laielohelohe at the chief's house; he did not question the guard for fear of his suspecting his sin with Laielohelohe. Now Laielohelohe had secretly told the guard of the chief's house why she was going. And failing in his desires he returned above.

The report of his lord's falling into sin had reached the ears of the chief through some of his retainers and he had heard also of Laielohelohe's displeasure.

Now the vagabond, Aiwohikupua, was one of the chief's retainers, he was the one who heard these things. And when he heard Laielohelohe's reason for setting sail to seek her husband, then he said to the palace guard, "If Kaonohiokala returns again, and asks for Laielohelohe, tell him she is ill, then he will not come back, for she would pollute Kaonohiokala and our parents; when the uncleanness is over, then the deeds of Venus may be done."

When Kaonohiokala came again and questioned the guard then he was told as Aiwohikupua had said, and he went back up again.

CHAPTER x.x.xIII

In Chapter x.x.xII of this story the reason was told why Laielohelohe went in search of her husband.

Now, she followed him from Kauai to Oahu and to Maui; she came to Lahaina, heard Kekalukaluokewa was in Hana, having returned from Hawaii.

She sailed by canoe and came to Honuaula; there they heard that Hinaikamalama was Kekalukaluokewa's wife; the Honuaula people did not know that this was his wife.

When Laielohelohe heard this news, they hurried forward at once and came to Kaupo and Kipahulu. There was substantiated the news they heard first at Honuaula, and there they beached the canoe at Kapohue, left it, went to Waiohonu and heard that Kekalukaluokewa and Hinaikamalama had gone to Kauwiki, and they came to Kauwiki; Kekalukaluokewa and his companion had gone on to Honokalani; many days they had been on the way.

On their arrival at Kauwiki, that afternoon, Laielohelohe asked a native of the place how much farther it was to Honokalani, where Kekalukaluokewa and Hinaikamalama were staying.

Said the native, "You can arrive by sundown."

They went on, accompanied by the natives, and at dusk reached Honokalani; there Laielohelohe sent the natives to see where the chiefs were staying.

The natives went and saw the chiefs drinking _awa_, and returned and told them.

Then Laielohelohe sent the natives again to go and see the chiefs, saying, "You go and find out where the chiefs sleep, then return to us."

And at her command, the natives went and found out where the chiefs slept, and returned and told Laielohelohe.

Then for the first time she told the natives that she was Kekalukaluokewa's married wife.

Before Laielohelohe's meeting with Kekalukaluokewa he had heard of her falling into sin with Kaonohiokala; he heard it from one of Kauakahialii's men, the one who became Aiwohikupua's chief counsellor; and, because of that man's hearing about Laielohelohe, he came there to tell Kekalukaluokewa.

When Laielohelohe and her companions came to the house where Kekalukaluokewa was staying, lo! they lay sleeping in the same place under one covering, drunk with _awa_.

Laielohelohe entered and sat down at their heads, kissed him and wept quietly over him; but the fountain of her tears overflowed when she saw another woman sleeping by her husband, nor did they know this; for they were drunk with _awa_.

Then Laielohelohe did not stay her anger against Hinaikamalama. So she got between them, pushed Hinaikamalama away, took Kekalukaluokewa and embraced him, and wakened him.

Then Kekalukaluokewa started from his sleep and saw his wife; just then, Hinaikamalama waked suddenly from sleep and saw this strange woman with them; she ran away from them in a rage, not knowing this was Kekalukaluokewa's wife.

When Kekalukaluokewa saw the anger in Hinaikamalama's eyes as she went, then he said, "O Hinaikamalama, will you run to people with angry eyes?

Do not take this woman for a stranger, she is my wedded wife." Then her rage left her and shame and fear took the place of rage.

When Kekalukaluokewa awoke from his drunken sleep and saw his wife Laielohelohe, they kissed as strangers meet.

Then he said to his wife, "Laielohelohe, I have heard about your falling into sin with our lord, Kaonohiokala, and now this is well for you and him, and well for me to rule under you two; for from him this honor comes, and life and death are with him; if I should object, he would kill me; therefore, whatever our lord wishes it is best for us to obey; it was not for my pleasure that I gave you up, but for fear of death."

Then Laielohelohe said to her husband, "Where are you, husband of my childhood? What you have heard is true, and it is true that I have fallen into sin with the lord of the land, not many times, only twice have we sinned; but, my husband, it was not I who consented to defile my body with our lord, but it was my guardian who permitted the sin; for on the day when you went away, that very day our lord asked me to defile myself; but I did not wish it, therefore I referred my refusal to him; but on his return from above he asked Kapukaihaoa, and so we met twice; and because I did not like it, I hid myself in the country people's houses, and for the same reason have I left the seat appointed me, and have sought you; and when I arrived, I found you with that woman.

Therefore we are square; I have nothing to complain of your you have nothing to complain of me; therefore, leave this woman this very night."

Now his wife's words seemed right to her husband; but at Laielohelohe's last request to separate them from their sinful companions.h.i.+p, then was kindled the fire of Hinaikamalama's hot love for Kekalukaluokewa.

Hinaikamalama returned home to Haneoo to live; every day that Hinaikamalama stayed at her chief-house, she was wont to sit at the door of the house and turn her face to Kauwiki, for the hot love that wrapped her about.