The days had just begun to lengthen after the summer solstice of
1765 when a great grief fell upon the royal court of the island of
Maui. Kamehamehanui, the king, had died very suddenly at Wailuku,
which had been his favorite place of residence, and his brother and
successor, Kahekili, had removed his court to Lahaina. The bones of
the dead king had been carefully secreted, the customary mourning
excesses had been indulged in, and many new apportionments of lands
had been made in accordance with the bequests of the deceased moi
and the will of his successor.
Kamehamehanui was an amiable sovereign, but his reign was not as
successful as that of his father, Kekaulike. His right to the sceptre
had been contested by his brother, Kauhia, and he was secured in it
only through the efforts of Alapainui, the king of Hawaii. Subsequently
Kalaniopuu, the successor of Alapainui, wrested from him the district
of Hana and the celebrated fortress of Kauwiki, and retained possession
of both at the time of Kamehamehanui's death. The lands of the district
might have been recaptured, perhaps, but the fortress commanding them
was well-nigh impregnable, and Hana remained a dependency of Hawaii.
Kamehamehanui's political wife was his half-sister Namahana, with
whom he had two children; but as both of them died in their infancy,
his brother, Kahekili, succeeded him as moi of the island by common
consent. After the death of his brother, Kahekili at once removed his
court to Lahaina, where the customary period of mourning was concluded.
It was while the members of the royal family were still in mourning at
Lahaina that a distinguished stranger suddenly landed, with a number
of personal attendants, and presented himself at court. His double
canoe bore the ensign of an alii, and his garb and bearing showed
him to be of the higher nobility. His age was perhaps thirty years,
although he looked somewhat older. He was over six feet in height, and
well proportioned. His face was handsome, and his hair and beard were
closely cropped. He was clad in a maro and short feather mantle, and
around his head was bound a single fold of yellow kapa. By a cord of
hair was suspended from his neck a palaoa, or carved whale's tooth, and
his left wrist was ornamented with a bracelet of curious shells. He was
courageous, courtly, and in his best moods agreeable and captivating,
and was a splendid representative of the rude chivalry of his time.
As he stepped ashore and proceeded to the royal mansion, way was
respectfully made for him, even as a stranger of distinguished bearing,
and his name secured him admission at once to the presence of Kahekili,
who welcomed him to Lahaina, and set apart ample accommodations for
himself and lodgings for his attendants.
Who was this stranger? He was no common chief who would have thus
presumed to present himself at the court of the moi of Maui and
expect the courtesy of royal entertainment. Two generations before
Lonoikahaupu, who had peacefully inherited the sovereignty of the
western side of the island of Kauai, while the noted Kualii, of Oahu,
retained possession of the remainder, paid a royal visit of state
to the windward islands of the group. His blood was of the best in
the archipelago, and his equipment and retinue were brilliant and
imposing. He embarked with a number of large double canoes, the
royal kaulua being over eighty feet in length, and was attended by
a company of skilled musicians and dancers. He also took with him
his chief navigator, priest and astrologer, and a corps of personal
attendants in keeping with his rank.
In turn he visited Oahu, Maui and Molokai, where he was entertained
with distinguished honors, and then set sail for Hawaii, of which
Keawe was then king. Touching at Hilo, he found that the royal court
had been temporarily established in Kau, and thither he proceeded,
to pay his respects to Keawe and his beautiful but volatile wife
and half-sister, Kalani-kauleleiaiwi. He was becomingly received
and entertained by the royal couple, and spent some weeks in the
enjoyment of the festivities arranged for his amusement. The result
was that the queen became enamored of the handsome Kauaian king,
who was duly recognized at once as one of her husbands.
From this union a son was born, who was named Keawepoepoe, when the
father returned to Kauai and there remained. This son grew to manhood,
and by marriage with Kumaiku, of the royal line of Maui, became the
father of the three distinguished chiefs who, with Keawe-a-Heulu, were
the leading captains of Kamehameha in the conquest of the group at
the close of the eighteenth century. One of these sons of Keawepoepoe
was Keeaumoku, the Warwick of his time, the slayer and maker of kings.
Keeaumoku's first effort in king-making occurred in 1754. On the
death, in that year, of his uncle Alapainui, and the succession of
his cousin Keaweopala to the Hawaiian throne, he became dissatisfied
with his allotment of lands and raised the standard of revolt in
Kekaha. Defeated, he fled in his canoes to Kau, where Kalaniopuu had
for some years maintained himself in independence of Alapainui. Joining
their forces, they marched northward, defeated and slew Keaweopala in
Kona, and Kalaniopuu, who was the grandson of Keawe and had a valid
claim to the sovereignty, was proclaimed moi of Hawaii.
It is probable that Keeaumoku's services were substantially rewarded by
Kalaniopuu; but in his early years he was turbulent and hot-tempered,
and in 1765 he found a pretext for hurling defiance at the king and
fortifying himself in the northern part of Kohala. Kalaniopuu promptly
placed himself at the head of an adequate force, took the fort by
assault, and crushed the rebellion with a single blow. But Keeaumoku
escaped over the pali alone, reached the beach, secured a canoe and
paddled out to sea. Night coming on and the skies being clouded,
he lost his way and nearly perished through thirst and hunger; but
he finally reached Lanai, where he found friends, and not long after
sailed for Maui in a well-equipped double canoe and a respectable
retinue of attendants. He landed at Lahaina, and the reader need not
be told that the distinguished stranger who so suddenly presented
himself at the court of Kahekili, as already mentioned, was Keeaumoku.
The occupation of the district of Hana by the king of Hawaii was
a source of irritation to Kahekili, and he welcomed Keeaumoku, not
more as an enemy of Kalaniopuu than as a chief who might be useful
to him in the war which he then meditated for the recovery of the
captured territory.
But Keeaumoku was not content to subsist upon the favor of Kahekili. In
his veins ran the blood of kings, and his pride rebelled against a
life of dependence, however attractive it might be made for him. But
he was without available lands or revenues, for his rebellion against
Kalaniopuu had deprived him of both, notwithstanding his inalienable
landed rights in South Kona, and he began to cast about for the means
of raising himself again to the dignity of a landed chief.
His eyes soon fell upon the comely Namahana, widow of Kamehamehanui. To
her belonged the fair and fertile lands of Waihee. But she was the
inheritance of Kahekili, whose purpose it was to accept her as a
wife at the end of her period of mourning. This must have been known
to Keeaumoku, who was thoroughly acquainted with royal customs of
his time; yet he paid such court to the sorrowing dowager, and so
sweetly mingled his protestations of love with her sighs of grief,
that she became his wife without consulting with the moi.
Kahekili was naturally enraged at the union, and was about to manifest
his displeasure in a manner dangerous to Keeaumoku, when Namahana
retired with her new husband to her estates at Waihee. Kahekili's first
impulse was to follow and slay them both; but as Namahana was popular
with the nobility, and Kahekili had not been in power long enough to
be quite sure of the fealty of the chiefs, he discreetly concluded
to leave to the future the punishment of the offending couple.
Taking up his residence at Waihee, Keeaumoku enlarged and beautified
his grounds and buildings, and established a petty court of princely
etiquette and appointments. He was fond of display, and soon attracted
to Waihee many of the more accomplished young chiefs of the island. The
mother and two of the brothers of Namahana attached themselves to the
household, and a number of Molokai chiefs, despoiled of their lands
by the king of Oahu, became his retainers. He had carefully trained
bands of musicians and dancers, and his entertainments were frequent
and bountiful.
In the midst of this semi-royal gayety and splendor Kahekili quietly
crossed the mountains and temporarily established his court at
Wailuku, but a few miles from Waihee. He had heard of Keeaumoku's
royal style of living, and desired to learn from personal observation
whether it was inspired by an innocent love of display or designs
more ambitious. As Keeaumoku had rebelled against two successive
Hawaiian sovereigns, and boldly seized the widow of a king in the
very household of her royal claimant and protector, Kahekili had
reason to regard him with suspicion, and a week's stay at Wailuku,
during which reserved courtesies had been exchanged between them,
convinced him that Keeaumoku was a dangerous subject. But how was he
to be dealt with? He had committed no act of treason, and an assault
upon him would not be sustained by the chiefs.
In this dilemma Kahekili resorted to strategy. He induced Kahanana,
a resolute warrior and subordinate land-holder of Waihee, to embroil
Keeaumoku in a difficulty with his own people. To this end Kahanana
complained--probably without cause--that he had been frequently
neglected by the servants of Keeaumoku in the distribution of fish
after fortunate catches, and urged his grievance with so good a showing
of sincerity that many of his friends stood prepared to espouse his
quarrel. This done, he armed himself for battle, and, the following
night, killed three of Keeaumoku's laborers. Being attacked in return,
he was at once supported by a party of warriors secretly detailed for
that purpose by Kahekili, and a general fight resulted, which lasted in
a desultory way for three or four days. In the end, however, Keeaumoku
and his party were overpowered and compelled to seek safety in flight.
Keeaumoku and Namahana, with her mother and two brothers, and a
considerable following of chiefs and retainers, escaped over the
Eka mountains and embarked for Molokai. But Kahekili was not content
with the escape of Keeaumoku from Maui. He resolved to destroy him,
and soon after invaded Molokai with a large force. Keeaumoku and his
allies met the invaders in war-canoes as they approached the shore. A
desperate sea-fight followed, which was continued long into the night
by torchlight; but Keeaumoku was again defeated, and with difficulty
escaped to Hana with Namahana and her relatives.
This placed Keeaumoku beyond the reach of Kahekili, for that district
of Maui was still under Hawaiian control; but in escaping from one
enemy he was compelled to throw himself upon the mercy of another. He
was hospitably received, however, by Mahihelelima, the governor
of the district, and was so far forgiven by Kalaniopuu as to be
permitted to remain under the protection of the fortress of Kauwiki,
where for some time, in the shaded valleys at the base of Haleakala,
he found a respite new to his turbulent life.