The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai Part 14

To this jesting offer of the princess, Aiwohikupua readily gave his word of a.s.sent.

During the talk, Aiwohikupua gave to the princess this counsel.

"Although I belong to you, and this is well, yet let us not at once become lovers, not until I return from my journey about Hawaii; for I vowed before sailing hither to know no woman until I had made the circuit of Hawaii; after that I will do what you please as we have agreed. So I lay my command upon you before I go, to live in complete purity, not to consent to any others, not to do the least thing to disturb our compact; and when I return from sight-seeing, then the princess's stake shall be paid. If when I return you have not remained pure, not obeyed my commands, then there is an end of it."

Now, this was not Aiwohikupua's real intention. After laying his commands upon Hinaikamalama, they left Maui and went to Kapakai at Kohala.

The next day they left Kapakai and sailed along by Kauhola, and Aiwohikupua saw a crowd of men gathering mountainward of Kapaau.

Then Aiwohikupua ordered the boatmen to paddle insh.o.r.e, for he wanted to see why the crowd was gathering.

When they had come close in to the landing at Kauhola the chief asked why the crowd was gathering; then a native of the place said they were coming together for a boxing match.

At once Aiwohikupua trembled with eagerness to go and see the boxing match; they made the canoe fast, and Aiwohikupua, with his counsellor and the two steersmen, four in number, went ash.o.r.e.

When they came to Hinakahua, where the field was cleared for boxing, the crowd saw that the youth from Kauai surpa.s.sed in beauty all the natives of the place, and they raised a tumult.

After the excitement the boxing field again settled into order; then Aiwohikupua leaned against the trunk of a _milo_ tree to watch the attack begin.

As Aiwohikupua stood there, Cold-nose entered the open s.p.a.ce and stood in the midst to show himself off to the crowd, and he called out in a loud voice: "What man on that side will come and box?" But no one dared to come and stand before Cold-nose, for the fellow was the strongest boxer in Kohala.

As Cold-nose showed himself off he turned and saw Aiwohikupua and called out, "How are you, stranger? Will you have some fun?"

When Aiwohikupua heard the voice of Cold-nose calling him, he came forward and stood in front of the boxing field while he bound his red loin cloth[25] about him in the fashion of a chief's bodyguard, and he answered his opponent:

"O native born, you have asked me to have some fun with you, and this is what I ask of you: Take two on your side with you, three of you together, to satisfy the stranger."

When Cold-nose heard Aiwohikupua, he said, "You are the greatest boaster in the crowd![26] I am the best man here, and yet you talk of three from this side; and what are you compared to me?"

Answered Aiwohikupua, "I will not accept the challenge without others on your side, and what are you compared to me! Now, I promise you, I can turn this crowd into nothing with one hand."

At Aiwohikupua's words, one of Cold-nose's backers came up behind Aiwohikupua and said: "Here! do not speak to Cold-nose; he is the best man in Kohala; the heavy weights of Kohala can not master that man."[27]

Then Aiwohikupua turned and gave the man at his back a push, and he fell down dead.[28]

CHAPTER V

When all the players on the boxing field saw how strong Aiwohikupua was to kill the man with just a push;

Then Cold-nose's backers went to him and said: "Here, Cold-nose, I see pretty plainly now our side will never get the best of it; I am sure that the stranger will beat us, for you see how our man was killed by just a push from his hand; when he gives a real blow the man will fly into bits. Now, I advise you to dismiss the contestants and put an end to the game and stop challenging the stranger. So, you go up to the stranger and shake hands,[29] you two, and welcome him, to let the people see that the fight is altogether hushed up."

These words roused Cold-nose to hot wrath and he said: "Here! you backers of mine, don't be afraid, don't get frightened because that man of ours was killed by a push from his hand. Didn't I do the same thing here some days ago? Then what are you afraid of? And now I tell you if you fear the stranger, then hide your eyes in the blue sky. When you hear that Cold-nose has conquered, then remember my blow called _The-end-that-sang_, the fruit of the tree which you have never tasted, the master's stroke which you have never learned. By this sign I know that he will never get the better of me, the end of my girdle sang to-day."[30]

At these words of Cold-nose his supporters said, "Where are you! We say no more; there is nothing left to do; we are silent before the fruit of this tree of yours which you say we have never tasted, and you say, too, that the end of your girdle has sung; maybe you will win through your girdle!" Then his backers moved away from the crowd.

While Cold-nose was boasting to his backers how he would overcome Aiwohikupua, then Aiwohikupua moved up and c.o.c.ked his eye at Cold-nose, flapped with his arms against his side like a c.o.c.k getting ready to crow, and said to Cold-nose, "Here, Cold-nose! strike me right in the stomach, four time four blows!"

When Cold-nose heard Aiwohikupua's boasting challenge to strike, then he glanced around the crowd and saw someone holding a very little child; then said Cold-nose to Aiwohikupua, "I am not the man to strike you; that little youngster there, let him strike you and let him be your opponent."

These words enraged Aiwohikupua. Then a flush rose all over his body as if he had been dipped in the blood of a lamb.[31] He turned right to the crowd and said, "Who will dare to defy the Kauai boy, for I say to him, my G.o.d can give me victory over this man, and my G.o.d will deliver the head of this mighty one to be a plaything for my paddlers."

Then Aiwohikupua knelt down and prayed to his G.o.ds as follows: "O you Heavens, Lightning, and Rain, O Air, O Thunder and Earthquake! Look upon me this day, the only child of yours left upon this earth. Give this day all your strength unto your child; by your might turn aside his fists from smiting your child, and I beseech you to give me the head of Ihuanu into my hand to be a plaything for my paddlers, that all this a.s.sembly may see that I have power over this uncirc.u.mcised[32] one. Amen."[33]

At the close of this prayer Aiwohikupua stood up with confident face and asked Cold-nose, "Are you ready yet to strike me?"

Cold-nose answered, "I am not ready to strike you; you strike me first!"

When Cold-nose's master heard these words he went to Cold-nose's side and said, "You are foolish, my pupil. If he orders you forward again then deliver the strongest blow you can give, for when he gives you the order to strike he himself begins the fight." So Cold-nose was satisfied.

After this, Aiwohikupua again asked Cold-nose, "Are you ready yet to strike me? Strike my face, if you want to!"

Then Cold-nose instantly delivered a blow like the whiz of the wind at Aiwohikupua's face, but Aiwohikupua dodged and he missed it.

As the blow missed, Aiwohikupua instantly sent his blow, struck right on the chest and pierced to his back; then Aiwohikupua lifted the man on his arm and swung him to and fro before the crowd, and threw him outside the field, and Aiwohikupua overcame Cold-nose, and all who looked on shouted.

When Cold-nose was dead his supporters came to where he was lying, those who had warned him to end the fight, and cried, "Aha! Cold-nose, could the fruit we have never tasted save you? Will you fight a second time with that man of might?" These were the scornful words of his supporters.

As the host were crowding about the dead body of their champion and wailing, Aiwohikupua came and cut off Cold-nose's head with the man's own war club[34] and threw it contemptuously to his followers; thus was his prayer fulfilled. This ended, Aiwohikupua left the company, got aboard the canoe, and departed; and the report of the deed spread through Kohala, Hamakua, and all around Hawaii.

They sailed and touched at Honokaape at Waipio, then came off Paauhau and saw a cloud of dust rising landward. Aiwohikupua asked his counsellor, "Why is that crowd gathering on land? Perhaps it is a boxing match; let us go again to look on!"

His counsellor answered, "Break off that notion, for we are not taking this journey for boxing contests, but to seek a wife."

Said Aiwohikupua to his counsellor, "Call to the steersman to turn the canoe straight ash.o.r.e to hear what the crowd is for." The chief's wish was obeyed, they went alongside the cliff and asked the women gathering sh.e.l.lfish, "What is that crowd inland for?"

The women answered, "They are standing up to a boxing match, and whoever is the strongest, he will be sent to box with the Kauai man who fought here with Cold-nose and killed Cold-nose; that is what all the shouting is about."

So Aiwohikupua instantly gave orders to anchor the canoe, and Aiwohikupua landed with his counsellor and the two steersmen, and they went up to the boxing match; there they stood at a distance watching the people.

Then came one of the natives of the place to where they stood and Aiwohikupua asked what the people were doing, and the man answered as the women had said.

Aiwohikupua said to the man, "You go and say I am a fellow to have some fun with the boxers, but not with anyone who is not strong."

The man answered, "Haunaka is the only strong one in this crowd, and he is to be sent to Kohala to fight with the Kauai man."

Said Aiwohikupua, "Go ahead and tell Haunaka that we two will have some fun together."

When the man found Haunaka, and Haunaka heard these words, he clapped his hands, struck his chest, and stamped his feet, and beckoned to Aiwohikupua to come inside the field, and Aiwohikupua came, took off his cape,[35] and bound it about his waist.

When Aiwohikupua was on the field he said to Haunaka, "You can never hurt the Kauai boy; he is a choice branch of the tree that stands upon the steep."[36]

As Aiwohikupua was speaking a man called out from outside the crowd, who had seen Aiwohikupua fighting with Cold-nose, "O Haunaka and all of you gathered here, you will never outdo this man; his fist is like a spear!

Only one blow at Cold-nose and the fist went through to his back. This is the very man who killed Cold-nose."

Then Haunaka seized Aiwohikupua's hand and welcomed him, and the end of it was they made friends and the players mixed with the crowd, and they left the place; Aiwohikupua's party went with their friends and boarded the canoes, and went on and landed at Laupahoehoe.