Many years ago there lived on the Island of Tahiti several brothers,
all very gifted and powerful gods of that land. One was by name Paoa.
Now Tahitian customs were very like those of Hawaii at that time, in
that the Tahitians offered human sacrifices when a canoe or a heiau
was in process of construction. How the observance of this custom
caused the flight of Paoa to Hawaii, you shall see.
It so happened that one of the brothers was having a canoe built, and
they were all undecided as to whom should be offered in sacrifice. A
quarrel ensued. Paoa and the owner of the new canoe grew very bitter
towards each other over it. When the time came for the sacrifice
Paoa's only son was taken and offered to the flames.
Grief-stricken at the loss of his son and furious at the cruelty of
his brother, Paoa decided to leave it all and seek peace on some other
island. In preparation for the long journey by canoe he took only
three things with him: two kinds of fish--the aku and opelu--and some
pili grass.
Journeying northward he encountered a terrific storm which grew more
terrible as the days passed until it seemed the low canoe could no
longer breast the great mountains of angry water that bore down upon
it as though to drive it under and swallow it into the black depths.
[Illustration: Drawn by Will Herwig. Paradise Eng.