REFORMATION OF THE GOVERNMENT BY LONOIKAMAKAHIKI.—HE SAILS FOR
KAUAI.—LONOIKAMAKAHIKI DESERTED BY THE PEOPLE.
After the battle with Kamalalawalu at Waimea and the death of Hinau,
Lonoikamakahiki again suggested to sail for Kauai, so that he might
view Kahihikolo, the place where the trunkless koa tree was. For that
voyage Lonoikamakahiki made preparations to take along with him his
favorites, his warriors as companions and also his servants.
Kaikilani in the meantime was placed to rule the land and to care for
the people. All preparations having been made the king sailed for Kauai
arriving there with his entire retinue. Lonoikamakahiki went alone to
view the trunkless tree of Kahihikolo his entire retinue having
deserted him. There was a native, however, of the place by the name of
Kapaihiahilina who joined the king on his tour. The king while thus
journeying happened to look back to see where the rest of his people
were and saw only a solitary man following him in the rear. He was a
stranger with whom he had no acquaintance. Of the large retinue which
accompanied him from Hawaii not one was there, every man had deserted.
When the king observed Kapaihiahilina following him, he said not a word
to him but continued on with his journey without even a guide to
indicate the place he so much desired to see. When Lonoikamakahiki
again turned back Kapaihiahilina was still following him. At this stage
Lonoikamakahiki asked the man: “Where are you going?” Kapaihiahilina
replied: “I merely followed you, because I heard from your people who
were on their way back, that they had deserted you, and having sympathy
for you, I followed.”
Kapaihiahilina, upon being told that the king had been deserted, took a
calabash of poi and some fours of mud-fish, and went in search of the
king. It was Kapaihiahilina’s habit during the days he followed the
king to observe the etiquette due to royalty, that is to say, during
the early morning when the royal shadow was the longest,
Kapaihiahilina, aware there were only the two of them, did not cross
his shadow but always respected his royal dignity and position.
Lonoikamakahiki constantly observed Kapaihiahilina’s conduct as being
most respectful of royalty. One day in the course of their journey,
Kapaihiahilina, always to the rear of him at a respectable distance
both when walking and when at sleep, Lonoikamakahiki said to him: “Do
not hold me in sacredness because you are my own brother. I have
nothing dearer than yourself, therefore, where I sleep, there will you
sleep also. Do not hold me aloof, because all that is good has passed
and we are now traveling in the region of the gods.” In consequence of
this, the king’s wishes were observed, and they sat down together.
During their wanderings through the mountains of Kauai, in the depths
of the mountain recesses they became sorely in need of food and had to
subsist on the hala kaao. [307] They were in great need of clothing and
destitute of malo and had to use braided ferns in substitution thereof.
They wandered on in this manner until they arrived at the place which
Lonoikamakahiki was so desirous of seeing, which place was called
Kahihikolo, but still continued on until they reached the shore. During
these travels they were in the greatest distress from lack of food,
lack of clothing, lack of malo and also distress from the rains. There
was locked in the bosom of Lonoikamakahiki the thought always of how he
should some day reward Kapaihiahilina. On their return from their
mountain wanderings, Kapaihiahilina became a premier and a great
favorite. Whatever belonged to Lonoikamakahiki in large as well as
small things which had been left in charge of the men and the petty
chiefs, including also the lands, all were under the administration of
Kapaihiahilina. Before the eyes of Lonoikamakahiki no one else was
superior to Kapaihiahilina and he was supreme over the island of
Hawaii. Upon Lonoikamakahiki’s return to Hawaii after his sojourn in
the mountains, he took Kapaihiahilina with him to Hawaii and appointed
him his premier and held him as an esteemed favorite.
Wherever Lonoikamakahiki slept, there Kapaihiahilina slept also;
wherever he lived, there also would Kapaihiahilina reside. The emblem
of royal sacredness (puloulou) where his former favorites were not
permitted to tread, there would Kapaihiahilina be found. When
Lonoikamakahiki arrived on Hawaii with his companion the marshals and
the statesmen of Lonoikamakahiki observed that Kapaihiahilina’s
favoritism exceeded that of the king’s former favorites, and they
became embittered at the idea and were envious of him for the reason
that his former favorites never received such consideration.
On a certain day, Lonoikamakahiki assembled all of his nobility and
statesmen and declared that Kapaihiahilina was denominated the chief
personage of all Hawaii. But this was not agreeable to the chiefs’
views and the court of Lonoikamakahiki.