The king and queen of Kauai both dying a short time after the events
just before recorded, they left the sovereignty of the island to their
son, Kekalukaluokewa. They also left in his charge a magical bamboo
(ohe) called Kanikawi, and enjoined upon him a promise to seek out
and marry Laieikawai, of whom many reports had reached Kauai.
The new king ordered an immense fleet of canoes for his trip to Hawaii,
and sailed in the month of Mahoemua, or August. At Makahanaloa he saw
the rainbow over Keaau, and sailed thither. Waka foresaw his coming and
advised Laieikawai to marry him and become the queen of a whole island.
After waiting four days Laieikawai and her kahu, the hunchback, went
down to Keaau, and watched the king and his two favorite companions
sporting in the surf. They knew the king by his not carrying his own
surf-board when he landed. She returned to Paliuli and informed Waka
that she would accept him for a husband.
Waka then arranged that Kekalukaluokewa should go at sunrise the next
morning and play in the surf alone; that a dense fog should settle
down, under cover of which Laieikawai would join him in the surf;
that when the fog raised the two would be seen by all riding in
together on the same roller, and then they were to touch noses. A
fog would again envelop them, and then birds would bear the pair to
Paliuli. She was forbidden to speak to any one after leaving the house.
Now, it appears that Halaaniani, a young man of Puna, noted for his
debaucheries, had often seen Laieikawai at Keaau, and ardently longed
to possess her. Learning that she was about to marry the king of Kauai,
he implored his sister, Malio, to exert her magical powers in his
behalf. She consented, and by her direction they both went to sleep,
and when they awoke related to each other their dreams. She dreamed
that she saw a bird building a nest and leaving it in the possession
of another, which was a sure omen in favor of Halaaniani. Malio
declared that her magic powers would prevail over those of Waka,
and gave her brother minute instructions, which he strictly observed,
as will appear.
They went to the beach and saw Kekalukaluokewa swimming alone in the
surf. Soon the fog of Waka settled down on the land. A clap of thunder
was heard as Laieikawai reached the surf. A second peal resounded,
invoked by Malio. The fog lifted, and three persons instead of two
were seen in the surf. This was noted with surprise on shore.
When the first roller came the king said, "Let us go ashore," and
he rode in on the breaker with Laieikawai, while Halaaniani remained
behind. At that moment the king and his companion touched noses. Three
times they rode in on the waves, while Halaaniani, as directed by
his sister, remained outside among the rollers.
The fourth time Laieikawai asked the king why he desired to repeat the
sport so often. "Because," said he, "I am not used to the short surf;
I prefer to ride on the long rollers." The fifth was to be the last
time for the Kauai king and his promised bride.
As soon as the two started for the shore Halaaniani seized Laieikawai
by the feet and held her back, so that the surf-board slipped from
her grasp, and Kekalukaluokewa was borne to the shore without her. She
complained of the loss of her surf-board, and it was restored to her.
Halaaniani persuaded her to swim farther out to sea with him, telling
her not to look back, as he would let her know when they reached his
surf. After swimming for some time she remonstrated, but he induced
her to continue on with him. At last he told her to look back.
"Why," said she, in amazement, "the land is out of sight, and Kumukahi,
the sea-god, has come to stir the waves!"
"This is the surf of which I told you," he replied; "we will wait
and go in on the third roller. Do not in any case let go of your
surf-board."
Then he prayed to his patron deity, and the breakers began to
rise. As the third came thundering on, he exclaimed, "Pae kaua!" and,
mounting the roller, they started for the shore. Laieikawai was in
the overhanging arch of the wave, and, looking up, saw Halaaniani
poised with great skill on the crest. At that moment she began to
yield to the seductive fascination of Halaaniani.
As they came in, Waka supposed her companion to be Kekalukaluokewa,
and she sent down the birds in the fog; and when it cleared away
Laieikawai and Halaaniani were occupants of the feather-house at
Paliuli, where their union was consummated.
Waka wondered why her granddaughter did not come to her that night or
the next day, as had been promised, and the day following she went
to the house to learn if anything serious had happened. Laieikawai
and her husband were sleeping soundly. Waka was enraged, for the man
was not the one she had selected.
Waking her granddaughter and pointing to the man, she exclaimed,
"Who is this?"
"Kekalukaluokewa," was the answer.
"No," returned Waka; "this is Halaaniani, the brother of Malio!"
Angered at the deception, Waka declared that she would deprive
Laieikawai of her powers and privileges, and desired never to behold
her face again.
Abandoning Laieikawai, Waka resolved to assume the charge of her
twin-sister, Laielohelohe, and wed her to the king of Kauai. She had
been left, it will be remembered, with the priest of Kukaniloko, on
the island of Oahu. To this end Waka had a new house erected, and,
borrowing a double canoe from Kekalukaluokewa, sailed at once for Oahu.
Arriving at Kukaniloko, she offered a pig as a propitiation, and
explained her errand to Kapukaihaoa, who approved her plans and
delivered Laielohelohe into her charge.
After an absence of thirty-three days Waka returned to Keaau with
the sister of Laieikawai. At her command the fog gathered, and they
were secretly borne by birds to their new house at Paliuli. Within
three days she had a consultation with Kekalukaluokewa in relation
to his marriage with Laielohelohe. She directed him to build a large
kilu shed, and there assemble the people of the district, that the
ceremony might be celebrated with becoming pomp.
Meanwhile, Halaaniani had seen Laielohelohe, and determined to secure
her for himself. With this object he persuaded Laieikawai to go down
to Keaau with him for a few days of sea-bathing, leaving her faithful
attendants behind. Arriving there, he told her that he was about to
visit his sister, Malio, and if he did not return in two days she
might consider him dead.
On the twelfth day the five sisters went down to Keaau and joined
their mistress in wailing over her husband, whom she believed to be
dead. Soon after they all had dreams of Halaaniani with another woman,
and concluded to cease their mourning and return to Paliuli.
Halaaniani visited his sister and induced her to assist him in his
designs concerning Laielohelohe. She advised him to watch her for
four days, and report his observations. He did so, and reported that
her chief occupation was stringing lehua flowers; and he climbed a
tree to observe her, while his sister sounded the pulai, or ti-leaf
trumpet, five times, and again five times; but Laielohelohe did not
take the slightest notice of it.
The next morning they went there again, and he climbed a tree with
a mass of lehua blossoms, and threw them down before her, while his
sister played the hano, a sweet-toned wind instrument. This attracted
the attention of Laielohelohe, and, without seeing the musician,
she expressed her thanks.
The morning following they repeated these manoeuvres three times. Then
Laielohelohe spoke and said: "If the musician is a woman, let us
touch noses."
With this Malio showed herself, and proposed that she should touch
noses with her brother first. This angered her, and she ordered both
of them to leave.
Malio admitted her failure, but promised to resort to supernatural
agencies, and win Laielohelohe for her brother on her wedding-day,
as had been done with Laieikawai.
About this time Waka went down to communicate to Kekalukaluokewa her
programme for the marriage ceremonies, fixed for the day following. He
was to order the people and his court to assemble at the appointed
place, and at noon was to retire to his own house. She would then
cover the land with a thick mist, and the singing of birds would be
heard; first the quack of the alae and the chirruping of ewaewaiki, on
hearing which he would step without the house. Next he would hear the
singing of the oo, which would indicate that she was about to send to
him Laielohelohe. Then would be heard the notes of the iiwipolena, and
his bride would be near him. Lastly, he would hear the singing of the
ka'huli, and they would meet apart from the assemblage, when thunder
would peal, the earth would quake, and the people would tremble. Then
the two would be borne upward by birds, the mist would clear away,
and they would be seen resting upon the birds in glory.
Laieikawai and the five sisters were anxious to witness the coming
display, of which they had heard, and Kahalaomapuana engaged the moo
god, Kihanuilulumoku, to convey them thither at the appointed time.
Malio assured her brother again that her power would prevail over the
efforts of Waka, and the preliminaries of the ceremony began. At noon
Kekalukaluokewa, dressed as became the occasion, entered his house,
as had been arranged. He heard the singing of birds, came forth in the
fog, and awaited the coming of his bride. A clap of thunder followed,
when the fog lifted, and Laielohelohe and Halaaniani were seen rising
in the air on the wings of birds. Laieikawai and her attendants
witnessed the ascension, sitting on the tongue of the great moo.
Believing that he had again lost his bride, Kekalukaluokewa sought
Waka, to chide her for the failure. "She is not his yet," said Waka,
"for she has obeyed my command not to speak to or touch noses with
him"; and, to reassure the king, she offered to stake her life that
all would yet be well.
As they approached the place of assembly Waka again enveloped it
in fog, and immediately sent Kekalukaluokewa upward in the air on
the wings of birds. When the fog cleared away, Kekalukaluokewa and
Laielohelohe were beheld sitting together, upborne by birds, and the
multitude shouted, "Hoao na 'lii! e!" ("the chiefs are married!")
When Waka heard these acclamations she appeared before the congregation
and denounced Laieikawai in the most opprobrious terms. The latter
departed in shame and rage, and was carried by the moo, together with
the five sisters, to Olaa, where she took up her residence.
Halaaniani's misdemeanors finally brought him into great contempt,
and he was despised and condemned by all. The Kauai king returned
home with his bride, taking with him Waka. On their way they stopped
at Oahu to take on board the priest Kapukaihaoa, who became the prime
minister of Kauai.