CHAPTER IV

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HOW AUKELENUIAIKU SAILED WITH HIS BROTHERS IN SEARCH OF LAND FOR THEM TO CONQUER.

After all the preparations for the sailing had been completed, Aukelenuiaiku asked of Ikumailani, the brother who had shown him some love: “Where is your ship sailing for?” “In search of land.” Aukelenuiaiku again asked: “And what is the matter with this land?” Ikumailani replied: “Our oldest brother is ashamed, because of your return. That is the reason why the ship is about to sail off in search of some land. After a [new] land is conquered through our strength, that will be our place to dwell.”

When Aukelenuiaiku heard the object of the sailing of the ship, he begged that he too be allowed to sail with them. His brother Ikumailani then said to him: “You cannot go with us, because we have no other reason of going away except on your own account. If you had died we would not be leaving Kuaihelani.” By this refusal on the part of his brother, Aukelenuiaiku said in kindly reply: “Say, don’t you know that it is a sad thing to go off to some strange land and die there. Your bones will be put away by a stranger, perhaps even by a friend, but not by a younger brother, one who has been born with you and who was from the same womb. I therefore beg of you that I too be allowed to sail with you, so that in case you my older brothers should die, then I will die with you. Then our names will come back in fame in the saying, ‘So-and-so have died with their younger brother.’ Then your names will not be spoken in disrespect.”

By these remarks we see how determined Aukelenuiaiku was in trying to follow his brothers, when he knew that all his troubles had come from these same men. With all this he still wished and insisted on going with them. If this is so, then we cannot blame the older brothers if they should kill him. In this request, that he be allowed to accompany them, however, we will see how he for a time managed to save his brothers from death, and how he came to have all the benefits foretold him by his lizard grandmother; and how all the advice she gave Aukelenuiaiku was faithfully kept to his salvation.

After Aukelenuiaiku had spoken to his kind brother, Ikumailani, this brother said to him: “You cannot gain your point from me. You must go to our nephew and tell him of your wish. If he gives his consent, then you will be able to go.” Aukelenuiaiku then asked him: “How am I to get him to listen to me?” “You go and call him by his name in this way: ‘Say, Kaumailunaoholaniku, ask me to come up on the ship with you so that we may play together. You cannot enjoy yourself with those old men. I am the proper companion that will be suited to you, because you are young and so am I.’” After these instructions had been imparted by his older brother, their father who was listening said: “My boy, don’t go with them, for you will be killed. When you are not safe living with me, what chance will you have when you accompany them? If you insist on going you will surely get killed, and your mother and I will not see you again.” Aukelenuiaiku answered: “I will not remain with you two. I am going sightseeing and to visit other lands in the sea; therefore I am going.”

After the above conversation, Aukelenuiaiku proceeded to the ship with Ikumailani his brother. When they arrived at the ship, his brother went aboard, leaving Aukelenuiaiku below on the landing. Aukelenuiaiku then called out to his nephew, and after telling him what he wanted, he was invited by the nephew to come aboard in the following words: “My uncle, come aboard of the vessel.” Upon receiving this invitation, Aukelenuiaiku climbed aboard, while his older brothers looked on, for they dared not deny their nephew his wish. The boy was their great favorite; whatever he said was law with them, and all the uncles obeyed his every word. This boy was raised under a very strict kapu; and if he ordered that a person be killed, that person is killed; if he ordered that a person be allowed to go free, that person goes off free. Therefore this boy’s person was sacred, and whatever he said was law; nothing was denied him, and no one dared say nay to him. They all obeyed him.

After Aukelenuiaiku had climbed aboard, he asked the boy to send someone for his club and box. When the boy heard this, he sent a couple of men after these things. After the men had returned with these things, the ship started off on its voyage from Kuaihelani. In the first four months of the voyage their food, meat and water, were exhausted and the men began to die of hunger and thirst, and the brothers were in great distress. When the brothers found that all their food was exhausted, they went down into the body of the ship and stayed there, while Aukelenuiaiku and the boy stayed above. After several days had gone by, the boy began to wonder at the disappearance of his father and uncles, so he went down into the ship to look for them. When he got to the bottom of the vessel he found his father and uncles lying weak from hunger. The boy then climbed onto the breast of his father, Kekamakahinuiaiku, the one with the violent temper, and who hated Aukelenuiaiku most of all. As the boy sat on his father’s chest, the father looked up and when he saw his son he said: “Yes, how pitiful! I have no regrets as far as we are concerned, for we have spent many days in this world; but it is you that I pity, for all the food, the meat and water are gone, and all that is left is two joints of sugar-cane.” The boy replied: “I am not distressed, for I am not in need of food, for my uncle has a certain leaf which we touch to our lips and our hunger is satisfied, and we stay without wanting any food for four months.” After talking with his father for a while, he returned to his uncle, Aukelenuiaiku, with tears in his eyes. When the uncle saw that the boy was crying, he asked him: “What are you weeping for? Why these tears that you are shedding?” The boy replied: “I am weeping for my father, Kekamakahinuiaiku, who is almost dead of hunger. When I reached him he was gasping for breath.”

Aukelenuiaiku then said to the boy: “My boy, you too would have died with your father and uncles in this ocean if I had not come along with you. I am hated by your father as his most bitter enemy, but according to our birth by our parents, I will not act as they have toward me. Therefore, my boy, here is the food, the meat, and the water in this club of ours (the name of this club was Kaiwakaapu); take it and open one end of the club, and the food, the meat, the kapa and everything else will come out of their own accord.” The boy then followed the direction of his uncle, Aukelenuiaiku, and all the things necessary for their comfort were furnished them. The father and uncles and those of the ship ate and were saved. Their faintness from hunger disappeared as well as their weakness.

After they were saved from death, the ship sailed on for another four months; but the food and water were so plentiful that they wasted a lot. But other things were also furnished them by the club of Aukelenuiaiku. At the end of the second four months and they had entered into the first day of the fifth month, Aukelenuiaiku told his older brothers as well as to the other men on board the ship, saying: “Tomorrow we will see land and shall go ashore the same day. The name of the land is Holaniku. The land contains many things that are good to eat: food, awa, sugar cane, bananas, coconuts and various other things.”

At the end of the first day and on the approach of the second, the day on which he had said they were going to arrive at Holaniku, very early that morning they first saw the peaks of the mountains, and by noon of that same day they reached the land. As soon as the ship touched land the men went ashore where they found food, water, meat, awa and various other things. They stayed on the land for four days and four nights, when they again boarded their ship and set sail. After sailing for four months, Aukelenuiaiku said to his brothers: “Tomorrow we will reach land.” When his brothers heard this, they said: “You are deceiving us.” But there was none of them who could deny the fact, for Aukelenuiaiku showed that he knew what he was talking about; so the sailing masters all admitted that Aukelenuiaiku was correct. But the brothers being bitter against Aukelenuiaiku, refused to believe him.

On the approach of the next day, the day Aukelenuiaiku had predicted they would see land, the voyagers saw land, the land of Kalakeenuiakane; and it took all that day and night until the morning of the next day before they reached shore. The land was ruled by a queen, called Namakaokahai.

When they touched land Aukelenuiaiku said to his brothers: “Let me have charge of the ship?” The brothers said: “Why don’t you build yourself a ship, then you can have all the say.” Aukelenuiaiku replied: “If I have charge of the ship we will all be saved, but if you insist on taking charge of it yourself we will all be killed, none will be saved.” The brothers replied to Aukelenuiaiku, saying: “Where did you learn to be strong and brave, so that you could have the right to tell us to hold our peace while you take charge of everything.” Aukelenuiaiku replied: “It would be quite right if it were to be a hand to hand fight, where you could meet your enemy face to face. There would be no doubt then, for you would surely win, but if the fight is to be otherwise, you will not win. This is the reason why I said that we will all be killed.” The brothers said: “You have nothing to say in the matter, anyhow. It is going to be as we wish it, and you must keep quiet.” When the brothers said this, Aukelenuiaiku did not make any reply.

As they were nearing the land, the queen, Namakaokahai, looked and saw a ship approaching the harbor. She then sent her brothers, the four birds, to fly to the ship and inquire the object of its coming. The names of these brothers of Namakaokahai, were Kanemoe, Kaneapua, Leapua and Kahaumana. The brothers then flew in their bird form and lit on the yards and asked: “What is the object of this ship coming here?” The brothers answered: “It is a ship to make war.” When the birds heard this they returned to Namakaokahai. When they arrived they were asked: “What is that ship here for?” “It is a ship to make war.” When Namakaokahai heard this, she came and stood on the outside of the house, and girded on her war pau while she held her war kahili in her hand.

Before Namakaokahai received her brothers’ report, Aukelenuiaiku said to them: “Say, where are you all? The birds are coming back and will again inquire of the object of our coming. When they arrive, you tell them that the ship is only on a voyage of sightseeing, and not a ship to make war.” While Aukelenuiaiku was still talking the birds arrived on the ship and again asked: “What is the object of the coming of this ship?” The brothers of Aukelenuiaiku replied: “It is a ship to make war.”

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