CHAPTER VI

.

KAIALEA’S TRIP TO WAIPIO AND HIS MEETING WITH KILA.

In due course of time after setting sail for Waipio, Kaialea and his men arrived at their destination. Just prior to their arrival, however, Kila issued an order throughout the length and breadth of the land, that no one should give any food away upon pain of death. If a landlord gave away food the land would be taken away from him, and so on down the line. As Kaialea and his men were approaching land Kila recognized his double canoe and immediately made up his mind that his brothers must be on it. When the canoe was beached, Kila saw his brother. In order, therefore, to make sure that the crime committed against him was really intentional, he ordered his officers to confiscate the canoe of Kaialea.

The day on which Kaialea arrived was one of the kapu days, when no canoes were allowed to be seen at sea, so when the people came and seized his canoe, Kaialea, took it for granted that it was because of his great crime in breaking the kapu, and he immediately remembered his mother’s as well as his brothers’ orders about not remaining too long on Hawaii, so he wondered how he was to fulfill their wish, for his canoe had been confiscated, which left him without means of getting back to Kauai. He also thought of the needs of the people at home and of their disappointment about his not coming back in the time allowed him.

After the canoe was taken over by the officers, Kaialea and his paddlers went along with some of the people of the place. While they were at the homes of the people who befriended them they heard that the food had been kapued by the order of Kila. This was not the name by which he was known in Waipio, however. On the next day some men were sent by Kila to come for Kaialea and take him to the king’s strong house. When Kaialea arrived in the presence of the king, he thought he recognized Kila, which made him think of death, because he reasoned within him: “I am going to be killed because we brought him here and deserted him.” But on being told that this person’s name was Lena he was greatly relieved.

While he was being held in the presence of the king, he was asked: “Where did you come from and what is your business here?” Kaialea replied: “I am from Kauai, and because of the famine brought about by the drought I was sent to come to Hawaii and get us some food. This is the only reason that has brought me here. I did not know that the canoe was to be confiscated.” Then Kila, otherwise known as Lena, asked: “Didn’t you come to this place some time ago?” Kaialea thought he would not tell the truth in answering this question for fear if he should answer that he had come to Hawaii before, he would be killed, because of the boy whom they had kidnapped and killed; so he decided to answer the question in the negative, saying: “I have not been to Hawaii before this.”

Before they thought of placing Kaialea in confinement, Kila had a talk with one of his friends and instructed him in the following manner: “When Kaialea is brought here I will proceed to question him, and in case he does not answer my questions properly then I will turn him over to you and you must then make a further examination of him.” So when Kaialea denied ever coming to Hawaii before this, Kila told his friend: “Say, you must attend to this fellow and question him further on this.” The friend after looking at Kaialea asked him: “Didn’t you come to Hawaii before this? Didn’t you take a boy from Waipio with you on that occasion?”

Upon hearing these questions put to him by Kila’s friend, Kaialea did not wish to speak of the deed committed by them, for he knew very well of the consequences of such deeds if known, so he denied having any knowledge of the thing, saying: “We have not been to this place before; this is the first time I have seen Waipio.” Because of this answer Kila came out with the question: “Who are your parents?” Again Kaialea resorted to falsehood and did not give the right names of his parents, for he knew by the questions put to him that if he told the truth he would be killed.

When Kila heard Kaialea give other than the true names to his parents he gave his officers the following orders: “Keep this man in confinement until tomorrow, then put him on the altar and sacrifice him. This is the very man that killed Kila and left their brother in mid-ocean. Don’t bind him with ropes, however, but let him have free access to the house until such time when I shall give further orders as to his death, when he shall indeed die.” In accordance with the king’s orders, Kaialea was taken to the kapu house and there placed in confinement, receiving good treatment and being supplied with all the food he wanted. But with all this good treatment he was not able to eat any of the food placed before him, being overcome with grief at the idea of his being put to death. It was not Kila’s wish, however, to sacrifice him, but rather to make Kaialea realize the gravity of the evil deed which they had committed against their own brother.

On the next day, the day when he was to be sacrificed, early that morning, while the prayers were being said, the note of a mud-hen was heard, when the priests all remarked: “Something is wrong; the man is saved, because something has happened to interrupt our recital of the prayer. It is too bad; we were almost at the end when everything would have been well.” During the morning the priests proceeded to inform the king of the interruption in the recital of their prayer, when Kila replied: “If the recital of your prayer has been interrupted, then the man must live; he shall not die today.” He then sent for his executioner and said: “Don’t put this man on the altar, but take him and place him in one of the other houses and take good care of him until such other time when I shall issue further orders as to his death.” So Kaialea was taken to one of the other outhouses of the king. But he did not give up the idea of being killed, because he had heard that he was to be sacrificed some day.

While Kaialea was in confinement, this time, Kila often came to ask him questions touching upon their evil deed. But Kaialea was very stubborn, so he was ordered to do all kinds of labor. A few days after this, Kila thought of his mother and aunt and the possibility of their meeting death through hunger, so he gave orders to some of his men to proceed to Kauai with food. But when these men started out they did not get as far as Kauai, they only went as far as Kaunakakai, Molokai, and there squandered all the food in adulterous living. After they had squandered all the food, they returned to Waipio and reported to Kila that they had delivered the food to his people in Kauai. Several trips were made by these same men with the purpose of going to Kauai, but they never once got that far, only going as far as Molokai in each case.

In the meantime the people on Kauai awaited Kaialea’s return. But after a long wait without hearing anything of him, Hooipoikamalanai and her sister sent a party of men to come and institute a search for him. On this voyage, the party arrived at Waipio, Hawaii. Upon their arrival they were asked why they had come, so they replied that they were in search of a chief, Kaialea by name. On learning the mission of the strangers, the Waipio people informed them that he had been condemned to be put to death. They further told the strangers that Kaialea was now in confinement in the temple, and it had been reported that he was to be sacrificed, but so far no one had seen him sacrificed, but it was possible that he had been put to death secretly. On the other hand he might have been thrown in a deep pit. [121]

When the searching party heard the word death repeated, they became anxious to see the paddlers who accompanied Kaialea. Upon being told where these men were living, the searching party immediately set out for the place and met them. This meeting greatly relieved Kaialea’s companions and they once more entertained hopes of again setting eyes on their people at Kauai.

When they came together the circumstances of their treatment were told the late comers in the following manner: “Kaialea is dead; he is in the temple of Pakaalana. The only time we saw him was when we landed. The canoe was at that time confiscated and he was taken away from us. We have remained in this way ever since, through the charity of the people here. We have not seen the chief since our arrival. We are now relieved, however, for you have come. But the food of Waipio has been kapued.”

When Kila heard that a canoe had arrived from Kauai, he sent some of his men to bring them to him; this was done. As soon as they came into his presence they were asked: “Where did you come from?” They replied: “We have come from Kauai.” “What is the object of your voyage here?” asked Kila. They replied: “We have come in search of our chief, Kaialea. His mother and aunt have waited for a long time for his return, and because he has overstayed the time allowed him to come, we were ordered to come and look for him. Upon our arrival here we were told that he is dead, so we are going home and tell his people that the chief is dead.”

In order to make sure of this, Kila ordered his officers to arrest the men and take them to the temple of Pakaalana. So they were taken by the officers as real prisoners and were placed in confinement in the same place where Kaialea was being kept. While this was being done, there was one man left, the man in charge of the canoe. When he heard what had happened to his companions, and that they had been carried off to be killed in the temple of Pakaalana, he hid himself in the house where they were being entertained. A short time after this he met Kaialea’s men and they decided to return secretly to Kauai. When they were ready to leave, Kaialea’s paddlers told the people who had befriended them about their going home to Kauai. Their friends, who really thought a great deal of them, asked them: “Why should you people go home?” The Kauai people answered: “We cannot stay. If we remain here we would be killed, for the king does not think kindly of us.” Their friends knew that that what they had said was quite true, so they gave their consent, being afraid of the troubles that might follow. On this same day the Waipio people pulled up some taro and loaded them uncooked onto the canoe that night, and the Kauai people set out on their return journey.

##