CHAPTER I.

Kuapakaa Prepares to Meet Keawenuiaumi in Search of Pakaa.—Canoe Fleet of Six District Chiefs, Recognized by Pakaa, Are Taunted by Kuapakaa as They Pass.—Keawenuiaumi Greeted with a Chant and Warned of Coming Storm Is Invited to Land.—On Advice of the Sailing Masters the King Sails on.

Kuapakaa was the own son of Pakaa, born to him while living in Molokai, of his wife, a high chiefess. The name of Kuapakaa was given to the boy after the father. As the boy grew up the father educated him in all the things pertaining to the office of an immediate servant under the king; and also in the different branches of learning of those days until his education was complete. After Kuapakaa had been educated in these things, they went to the shore to await the coming of Keawenuiaumi in his search of Pakaa.

In the trip out [to meet Keawenuiaumi], Pakaa’s paddle, Lapakahoe, [92] was taken by Kuapakaa, who took the important seat, the one in the stern, while Pakaa took the front seat. When they saw the canoes coming, Pakaa kept his eyes down, making believe that he was looking for uhu, [93] with his long hair let down over his eyes. They were in this position when the canoes came along; some with two men, some with three men and so on; some bearing the food and stewards, some the commanding officers, some the women and some the warriors.

When the canoes were approaching them, Kuapakaa asked of his father, Pakaa: “Where is the canoe containing my master?” Pakaa replied: “When the rays of the sun make their appearance, then the canoe bearing your master will come. The signs by which you will know his canoe are these: The sail is doubled down, so that his god could be seen, Kaili [94] by name, standing at its place. You will also see a high compartment in front in the middle of the raised platform; there your master sits; the sailing masters are directly behind him.”

While the two were conversing, the canoe of Keawenuiaumi was seen approaching with its sides glittering, being struck by the sun’s rays while the paddles of the rowers were bathed in light. When Kuapakaa saw the signs as described by his father, he said: “Here comes my master.” “Whereabouts?” “On the outside of us.” Pakaa said, “Hold up your paddle.” [95] When this was done, Lapakahoe who was standing up in the king’s canoe saw it and so reported to the king, saying: “Say, there is a small canoe floating there inside of us; some one is holding up a paddle.” Keawenuiaumi then said to the sailing masters: “Point the bow of the canoe for the small canoe; possibly it has a word for us.” The reason why the king said this was because while Pakaa had command of his canoe, it was his custom to make a call on any canoe that made signals of this kind; hence the king being accustomed with this, ordered that the canoe be directed for the small one. When the king’s canoe drew near, Pakaa asked of his son: “Where is the canoe of your master?” The boy replied: “It is here near us.” “Then question your master as to his reason of being here,” said Pakaa. Kuapakaa then called out:

Hold back there! Hold back! Be still there! Be still! Be calm there! Be calm! Gently there! Gently! The query, the question, whose the canoe?

“To Keawenuiaumi belongs the canoe.” The boy again asked: “A canoe and where is it going to?” “It is a canoe going in search of Pakaa.” “Search for Pakaa, what is Pakaa?” “A servant.” At this Kuapakaa turned and said to his father: “I thought you were a chief. I see that you are a servant. Well, what of that any way? Supposing you are a servant. I am a chief on my mother’s side and shall continue to be so as long as I live in Molokai.” Pakaa said to the boy: “Ask them again if he is a real servant.” Kuapakaa therefore asked: “Is he a real servant?” “No, he is not a real servant, but a backbone, [96] a holder of the kahili and bearer of the king’s calabash of ointment.” [97] By this answer the boy was satisfied that his father was, after all, of chiefly grade; so he said to his father: “Your rank as a chief and my mother’s position as a chiefess, make me a chief of some importance and I shall live as such, here in Molokai.”

The chiefs under Keawenuiaumi, they being the six district chiefs, were the first to come by. Before Kuapakaa spoke to the canoe of Keawenuiaumi, he first called each of the six chiefs by name, in their order, for Pakaa had already instructed his son in everything pertaining to them.

Wahilani’s was the first canoe, it being a beautifully made double one; Kuapakaa asked his father as to its owner. The father answered: “That is the canoe of Wahilani, the district chief of Kohala.” Kuapakaa then chanted: [98]

He is our chief of Kohala, Wahilani. He is not a chief by birth, he is a petty chief, One who played hide and seek in the sugar cane hills of Kohala. The fish of that land are the grasshoppers, On the leaf of the sugar cane, on the grass blade. It is a land without fish, And the food is the sweet potato, That is the fault found against the land. Wahilani is not a chief; Being a ruler of Kohala, He has been called a chief.

By these words of the boy, Wahilani was made very angry and so he made reply: “When did you ever know that, you deceitful boy?” With this Wahilani set off.

The second canoe was Ehu’s. Another beautiful double canoe came along, the one belonging to Ehu, the chief of Kona. On the approach of this canoe, Kuapakaa asked of his father: “Whose canoe is that?” “It is the canoe of Ehu, the chief of Kona.” Kuapakaa then chanted out:

Our chief of Kona, Ehu, is not a chief by birth; But as Keawenuiaumi went and lived in Kiholo, Ehu came down from the uplands with bundles of potatoes, And gave them to the king. Ehu then became an adopted son, And Keawenuiaumi gave him Kona, Therefore Ehu became a chief.

Because of this chant of Kuapakaa, Ehu became angry and said: “You are the most conceited boy I know of. Where did you ever know of me?” With this he sailed off in a rage.

The third canoe was Huaa’s. As this canoe approached Kuapakaa asked of his father: “Whose canoe is this?” “It is the canoe of Huaa, the chief of Kau.” Kuapakaa then chanted as follows:

Our chief of Kau, Huaa, He is not a chief [by birth], but a petty chief. He is a beater of the ilima of Kamaoa; By this way the people of that land get water to wash in, And it is the main fault of that land For I have lived there and know.

This angered Huaa and he too sailed off.

The fourth was the canoe of Hikinaakala. Another canoe approached, and the boy asked of Pakaa, and was told that it was the chief of Puna, Hikinaakala. [99] Kuapakaa then chanted:

Our chief of Puna, Hikinaakala, is not a chief [by birth]; He is like the prickly edges of the hala leaf; But since he became possessed of Puna, He is said to be a chief. He is not a chief.

This angered Hikinaakala and he sailed away.

The fifth canoe was that of Kulukulua. As it approached Kuapakaa again inquired of his father: “Whose canoe is this?” “That is the canoe of Kulukulua, [100] the chief of Hilo.” Kuapakaa then chanted as follows:

Our chief of Hilo, Kulukulua, is not a chief [by birth]; He is a snarer of the shrimps of Waiakea; After the snaring, He places the outside covering of the coconut on his ears. This is the fault of the land; But since he became possessed of Hilo, He is called a chief.

This angered Kulukulua and he sailed off.

The sixth was the canoe of Wanua. Upon its approach the boy asked of Pakaa as to its owner, and Pakaa replied: “It is Wanua, the chief of Hamakua.”

Our chief of Hamakua, Wanua. He is not a chief by birth; He is a snarer of the eels of Hamakua. The fingers with the bait are placed on the rocks, The small eels would then crawl between the fingers And the eels placed in the calabash. But since he became possessed of Hamakua He is called a chief. He is not a chief.

This chief also became angry and sailed off.

These chiefs all went on, and all angry with the boy, because he had told them that they were not chiefs by birth, and also for telling the faults relating to their respective districts.

(We will now take up the facts relating to the canoe of Keawenuiaumi, aforementioned, which the narrator said should be inserted later, and was therefore out of place; care, however, should be taken in its perusal by which it may be plainly seen that the six canoes bearing the district chiefs were the first to meet the canoe of Kuapakaa.)

It was Lapakahoe, [101] the younger brother of Pakaa, that replied to the question, that it was the canoe of Keawenuiaumi. At this reply Kuapakaa chanted as follows: [102]

When the canoe is pushed ahead, The cause of the storm is come. Like a slanting cliff, dark and black Is the top of the Aluli mountain, because of the storm, Like black raiment that is worn Is the face of the cliffs of Kawaikapu. Running as though seeking every crevice Is the water that comes. The mountains appear to be filled, The sound is heard in the heaven, The voice is echoed back, The voice of the weeping sea, Urging onward the rising sea. Like the clouds at Kikiopua Is the flying and swimming outrigger of Malelewaa. The burden is swung to the back, Kaula looks as though climbing from behind. The cliffs of Wailau are joined and plated one on top of another, They are joined and plated, On the top of Pueohulunui, The cliffs where the owls fly.

Kuapakaa then chanted of the storm:

Gently! Gently! Gently! Comes the rain, the wind, the storm, From Puulenalena, from Hilo, From Hokukano, from Waiolomea, From the raising of the paddle from under the buttock, At the thought, at the pebbles, At the cutting down of the iako, at Kainaliu, The iako at the rear, At the opening between the two sailing masters. Get up from your seats, Take out your paddles, Pull up the weight, Watch for the waves As they twist and rise, As the waves twist and beat On the outside of the canoe; The wave is become quiet at the bow, Swing the canoe around and let the wave pass between, The water on the outside meet at the opening, The wave is a welcome thing to a castaway. But here I am, O death! Death to you is the small wave, Death to you is the large wave, Death to you is the long wave, Death to you is the short wave, The follower of Kuloku, The roaring, the trembling, The oopu, [103] the lauloa, [104] The waves that open up, The waves that will perchance open up my canoe. It will swamp. Because of the swamping of the small canoe, The large canoe will also swamp. Bind the paddles together, For they will be the only burden of a swamped canoe; The small paddle, the large paddle, The long paddle, the short paddle; The small bailing cup, the large bailing cup, The long bailing cup, the short bailing cup, The coarse bailing cup, the thin bailing cup. After rescuing the several things from the swamped canoe, Comes the thought to refloat the canoe. That block of wood, this block of wood [the waves], That rope is drawn, this rope is drawn; Some will rush there, some will rush here, The large wave will rise, The small wave will break, The sticks at the bow will fly off, The sticks at the stern will fly off. The priest is at last separated [from the king], The connection is become of no value, on a day of peril, The sea separates them, the cold is intense, The uku is softened, that snub-nosed thing, Your reputation, ye sailing masters, Ye prophet and priest, is injured. Had the sailing masters seen the star You would have reached land.

Keawenuiaumi then inquired of his sailing masters, the priest and the prophet, as to their conclusion, in the matter of the coming storm, and to see if the predictions made by the boy were to come true, for the king was afraid. These men all assured the king that the words of the boy were void of the truth and were entirely false. By this assurance the king’s fear disappeared and he gave way to their advice, therefore the boy again chanted:

The eyes have been covered by the sea, They have failed to see the rows of isles. Death you will meet in the days of Ku, The days when the currents draw outward. As the currents draw outward, The open mouth of the shark will meet you, The mouth of the shark, The mouth of the wave, Will close over you and you die; You will then return to Hawaii in spirit. [105] You stubborn king, Come ashore, it is stormy, Had you come yesterday You would have arrived in safety.

Again Keawenuiaumi inquired of his canoe men as well as of the others, saying: “How about us? Shall we land as requested by the boy, for he says, if we continue we will return to Hawaii in spirit?” The sailing masters replied: “Who is going to land on such a fine day?”

The heavens are cloudless, The shrubs are without moisture, The clouds have returned to the mountains, The wind has returned to Kumukahi, The pointed clouds have returned to Awalua, The soft breezes are wafting over the waves, The canoes have gone, a raging surf has arisen, The canoes have gone to the windy cape, The sea and the water have returned to Manawainui, Whence is the storm to come as predicted by the boy?

At this, Lapakahoe asked of the boy: “Who gave you such knowledge?” The boy replied: “Such learning is common with the small boys of this land of Molokai.” [106] Lapakahoe said: “Such knowledge was not imparted to you from any one else, not even by Kahikiokamoku, [107] the king’s favorite friend; there are only two of us who have acquired such knowledge, myself and my elder brother, [108] Pakaa. We composed those lines in honor of our master Keawenuiaumi.” Lapakahoe then asked of the boy: “If you know the whereabouts of Pakaa above here, you must tell us.” “There is no such man here, but we have heard that he is living on Kaula” [replied the boy]. This ended Lapakahoe’s remarks and he thought that the information given by Keawenuiaumi, relating to Pakaa as living on Kaula, was the truth after all. This information was given in a dream.

The sailing masters then called out to the paddlers, those in front and in the rear, to go ahead; but Lapakahoe countermanded the order, for he was interested in the boy. When Pakaa saw that the canoe was preparing to leave, he requested the boy to continue chanting.

The pointed clouds have become fixed in the heaven, The pointed clouds grow quiet like one in pains before childbirth, Ere it comes raining heavily, without ceasing. The umbilicus of the rain is in the heaven, The streams will yet be swollen by the rain, The roar of thunder, the shock of the earthquake, The flashing of the lightning in the heaven. The light rain, the heavy rain, The prolonged rain, the short rain. The rain in the winter comes slanting, Taking the breath away, pressing down the hair, Parting the hair in the middle. One sleeps doubled up, one sleeps with the face up. When anger rises, the hand acts tardily. Trouble has overcome thee, stubborn master. See, ye sailing masters, it has come; Trouble will overtake you in mid ocean, You have gone out to sea and have become castaways, You are spoken of as castaways. You will cut out hooks from the teeth of sharks, And fasten them to the fish-line, the fish will bite, The paka eel, the ulua, [For] Kaulua is the month. Take good care of the favorite son, Else he will be washed away by the sea of Kaulua. Let the canoe therefore come ashore, There is food ashore, there is kapa, there is malo, Live out the stormy days and continue on your way when it becomes calm, Then you can sail away, my master. This is a stormy day; yesterday was the calm day.

Upon hearing this, Keawenuiaumi asked of his canoe men: “What about the words of the boy?” “He is a deceiving boy; there is no storm. Where are the clouds? Where are the pointed clouds? Where is the rain? Where is the wind? Where is the lightning? Where is the thunder, whereby we would know that the boy is telling the truth? This day will land us in Kaula and you shall see your servant Pakaa.”