CHAPTER VIII

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HOW AUKELENUIAIKU WAS CARRIED OFF TO THE CLIFF BY HALULU.

Aukelenuiaiku saw that the light of the sun was hidden by the wings of the bird Halulu. After looking at the bird for some time he reached down and picked up his box which contained his god Lonoikoualii. While in the act of picking up the box, and his hands had just come in contact with it, his head was caught in the mouth of the bird Halulu and he was carried up to the cliff. In the side of this cliff was a cave which was the home of the bird. Aukelenuiaiku was carried up and left there. In the cave at this time were four men who had been carried there by the bird to serve as food. When Aukelenuiaiku was left at the cave they greeted him and took pity on him, for they knew that he would be killed by the bird Halulu. While the men were talking by themselves, Aukelenuiaiku asked them: “What are you talking about?” “We are expressing our regrets—for you are such a handsome fellow—for you will be killed and eaten up by the bird.” Aukelenuiaiku then asked the men: “How does the bird come to get its victims?” “The right wing comes in first and reaches out for two men, and after they are devoured the left wing will come in and take up two more men, then the beak will come down and devour them.” “Which two men will the bird come for first?” Two of the men replied: “We will be the first.” “Is the cave very deep?” “Yes, it is quite deep.” Aukelenuiaiku then instructed the men, saying: “You two go in as far as you can and remain there, so that when the wing reaches in for you two, I will cut it off here at the mouth of the cave, while these two will start the fire.”

While they were talking about killing the bird, in came the right wing of the bird and it began stretching further and further into the cave until it reached the two men, then it grabbed them. When the wing was about to be drawn to the body with the two men, they called out to Aukelenuiaiku: “Here we are on the wing of the bird.” When Aukelenuiaiku heard this he opened his box, took out the axe and began cutting the wing of the bird until it was severed. As soon as the right wing was cut the left wing reached into the cave, when Aukelenuiaiku cut that wing off also, and the men took it up and threw it into the fire. After the two wings had been cut off, the beak reached into the cave and that too was cut off, clean from the body.

After the bird Halulu was killed, he pulled a few feathers out of the bird’s head and threw them to the ground away from the cliff. These feathers that were pulled by Aukelenuiaiku flew until they fell in the very presence of Namakaokahai, where they were seen by her and recognized as the head feathers of the bird Halulu.

We will now take up the relationship between the bird and Namakaokahai, for they were connected. The bird Halulu was a cousin to Namakaokahai, the queen of the land of Kalakeenuiakane. When Namakaokahai saw that her cousin Halulu was dead she called for her brothers, Kanemoe, Leapua, Kahaumana and Kaneapua. When they came to her she said to them: “Here are Hinawaikoli, the feathers from the forehead of Halulu, who is dead. He has been killed.” When the brothers heard this, they said to Namakaokahai: “It is quite right that the bird should be killed, because he is an evil thing, he eats men.”

After the bird was killed, Aukelenuiaiku and the men cut it up and roasted some of the meat on the coals, and after the meat was cooked they sat down and had their meal. After their meal was finished, they began to study how to get down from the cliff. At this time there was another bird in the cave, the mate of Halulu, by the name of Kiwaha. This bird gave Aukelenuiaiku the means of getting down the cliff, by giving him a short-ended rainbow, [79] one with only three colors, yellow, red and green. By means of this rainbow they reached the bottom of the cliff. In thus getting away successfully, the four men were thankful to Aukelenuiaiku, for they knew that they were rescued from a terrible death, and so they were very grateful for the kindness shown them.

THE RETURN OF AUKELENUIAIKU TO THE BOTTOM WITH THE MEN.

When Aukelenuiaiku and the men reached the bottom [of the cliff], Kiwaha again took up the rainbow and placed it on the cliff. After this Aukelenuiaiku asked the men: “What do you want?” They each answered: “I want a piece of sugar-cane.” “I want a potato.” “I want a banana.” “I want a taro.” Aukelenuiaiku then said to them: “The sugar-cane is kapued for my son. If any one eats it he will die. So are the potatoes, the bananas and the taro. So I will advise each of you not to touch these things as we go on our way, else you will all die.” After giving them this advice they all started out. On the way, however, the men did not adhere to the advice given them by Aukelenuiaiku, for he who wanted the sugar-cane took a piece and ate it, so he died; the other three men also took up the things they craved for and they also died. Thus did the four men die, for not keeping the advice given them by Aukelenuiaiku.

After the death of the four men, Aukelenuiaiku continued on by himself until he reached the house. When the wife and the brothers-in-law saw Aukelenuiaiku, they all wept for joy and he was welcomed home. After this, Aukelenuiaiku and his wife lived on happily, each determined to love each other more and more. The wife had no other thoughts but of the comfort of her husband. They continued living this way for some time. Because of this great love for her husband, Namakaokahai gave over the kingdom to her husband, as well as everything else at her command; and she even gave him the command and the use of her supernatural bodies.

One day when Aukelenuiaiku entered the eating house, to have something to eat, while so doing, Namakaokahai secretly opened the box containing the god of Aukelenuiaiku. Looking in she saw the axe and the knife. She then took up the axe and ran her fingers over the edge, cutting her fingers so they bled. Namakaokahai then said: “How strange! here my husband has some very good things which he is hiding from me!” After looking over these things she closed the box and put it away. When Aukelenuiaiku finished his meal he returned and sat down. Namakaokahai then asked him, pretending not to have seen what was in the box, saying: “Say, what useful things did you bring with you when you came?” Aukelenuiaiku then picked up the box and opening it, he took out the axe and knife and gave them over to his wife, saying: “These two things which I have brought with me from the land of Kuaihelani are very good and useful. These two things together with my god are the three things of the greatest value.” The wife then asked him: “What are these things good for?” “The axe will cut a log of wood in two. The knife is also useful, for it can cut any tough thing you have.” When Namakaokahai heard this she said to her husband: “Say, your valuable things together with mine we will leave with our child.”

Further on in our story we will see the supernatural powers of Namakaokahai, and how it was impossible to kill her, although she was cut up with the axe; by which acts we will know that she was not human. After talking about the axe and knife, Namakaokahai said to her husband: “You proceed and cut me into pieces with the axe.” Aukelenuiaiku said: “How strange of you to ask me to do such a thing as to cut you up, my own wife! How can I do such a thing, for it will mean your death? Rather let me cut up some other person with this axe, or my opponent in some fight, not you, my own flesh.” The wife replied: “You might give this axe to someone else and thus deprive our child of such a useful thing. Therefore I want you to try it on me.” And because Namakaokahai insisted on it, the husband finally gave in, whereat she was much pleased. When this consent was given Namakaokahai stretched out her legs and Aukelenuiaiku severed them with the axe.

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