The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai Part 28

When the grandmother came to them, they were both fast asleep, like new lovers, as if the nights were the time for waking.

As Laieikawai lay asleep, her grandmother looked and saw that the man sleeping with her grandchild was not the one she had chosen for her.

Then Waka wakened the grandchild, and when she awoke the grandmother asked, "Who is this?"

Answered the grandchild, "Kekalukaluokewa, of course."

Said the grandmother in a rage, "This is no Kekalukaluokewa; this is Halaaniani, the brother of Malio. Therefore, I give you my oath never to see your face again, my grandchild, from this time until I die, for you have disobeyed me. I thought to hide you away until you could care for me. But now, live with your husband for the future; keep your beauty, your supernatural power is yours no longer; that you must look for from your husband; work with your own hands; let your husband be your fortune and your pride."

After this Waka made ready to build another house like that she had built for Laieikawai. And by Waka's art the house was speedily completed.

When the house was ready, Waka went herself to meet Kekalukaluokewa in person, for her heart yearned with love for Kakalukaluokewa.

When Waka reached Kekalukaluokewa's place, she clasped his feet and said, with sorrowful heart: "Great is my grief and my love for you, O chief, for I desired you for my grandchild as the man to save these bones. I thought my grandchild was a good girl, not so! I saw her sleeping with Halaaniani, not the man I had chosen for her. Therefore, I come to beseech you to give me a canoe and men also, and I will go and get the foster child of Kapukaihaoa, Laielohelohe,[66] who is like Laieikawai, for they are twins."

And for this journey Kekalukaluokewa gave a double canoe with men and all the equipment.

Before Waka went after Laielohelohe she commanded Kekalukaluokewa as follows: "I shall be gone three times ten days and three days over, then I shall return. Keep watch, and if the mist rises on the ocean, then you will know that I am returning with your wife, then purify yourself for two days before the marriage."

According to her determination, Waka sailed to Oahu, where the canoes landed at Honouliuli and Waka saw the rainbow arching up at Wahiawa.

She took a little pig to sacrifice before Kapukaihaoa, the priest who took care of Laielohelohe, and went up thither.

Waka went up and reached Kukaniloko; she draw near the place where Laielohelohe was hidden, held the pig out to the priest and prayed, and came to the amen, then she let the pig go.

The priest asked, "Why do you bring me the pig? What can I do for you?"

Said Waka, "My foster child has sinned, she is not a good girl; I wished to have the chief of Kauai for her husband, but she would not listen to me, she became Halaaniani's; therefore, I come to take your foster child to be the wife of Kekalukaluokewa, the chief of Kauai. We two shall be provided for, he will preserve our bones in the days of our old age until we die, and when that chief is ours my foster child will be supplanted, and she will realize how she has sinned."

Said Kapukaihaoa, "The pig is well, therefore I give you my foster child to care for, and if you succeed well, and I hear of your prosperity, then I will come to seek you."

Then Waka entered with Kapukaihaoa the taboo place where Laielohelohe was hidden; Waka waited and the priest went still farther into the place and brought her to Waka, then Waka knelt before Laielohelohe and did her reverence.

On the day when Laielohelohe went on board the canoe, then the priest took his foster child's umbilical cord[66] and wore it about his neck.

But he did not sorrow for Laielohelohe, thinking how good fortune had come to her.

From the time Laielohelohe was taken on board, not one of the paddlers had the least glimpse of her until they came to Hawaii.

Kekalukaluokewa waited during the time appointed.

The next day, in the early morning, when the chief awoke from sleep, he saw the sign which Waka had promised, for there was the colored cloud on the ocean.

Kekalukaluokewa prepared for Laielohelohe's arrival, expecting to see her first at that time. Not so!

In the afternoon, when the double canoes came in sight, all the people crowded to the landing place to see the chief, thinking she would come ash.o.r.e and meet her husband.

When the canoe approached the sh.o.r.e, then fog and mist covered the land from Paliuli to the sea.

Then Laielohelohe and Waka were borne under cover of the mist on the birds to Paliuli, and Laielohelohe was placed in the house prepared for her and stayed there until Halaaniani took her.

Three days was Waka at Paliuli after returning from Oahu. Then she came down with Kekalukaluokewa for the marriage of the chiefs.

Then Waka came to Kekalukaluokewa and said, "Your wife has come, so prepare yourself in forty days; summon all the people to a.s.semble at the place where you two shall meet; make a _kilu_ shelter; there disgrace Laieikawai, that she may see what wrong she has done."

At the time when Waka took away her supernatural protection from Laieikawai, Aiwohikupua's sisters took counsel as to what they had better do; and they agreed upon what they should say to Laieikawai.

Kahalaomapuana came to Laieikawai, and she said: "We became your bodyguard while Waka still protected you; now she has removed her guardianship and left you. Therefore, as we agreed in former days, 'Adversity to one is adversity to all;' now that you are in trouble, we will share your trouble. As we will not forsake you, so do not you forsake us until our death; this is what we have agreed."

When Laieikawai heard these words her tears fell for love of her comrades, and she said, "I supposed you would forsake me when fortune was taken from me; not so! What does it matter! Should fortune come to me hereafter, then I will place you far above myself."

Halaaniani and Laieikawai lived as man and wife and Aiwohikupua's sisters acted as her servants.

Perhaps the fourth month of their union, one day at noon when Halaaniani opened the door and went outside the house, he saw Laielohelohe going out of her taboo house. Then once more longing seized Halaaniani.

He returned with his mind fixed upon doing a mischief to the girl, determined to get her and pollute her.

As he was at that time living on good terms with Laieikawai, Halaaniani sought some pretext for parting from Laieikawai in order to carry out his purpose.

That night Halaaniani deceived Laieikawai, saying, "Ever since we have lived up here, my delight in surf riding has never ceased; at noon the longing seizes me; it is the same every day; so I propose to-morrow we go down to Keaau surf riding, and return here."

The wife agreed.

Early in the morning Laieikawai sought her counsellors, the sisters of Aiwohikupua, and told them what the husband had proposed that night, and this pleased her counsellors.

Laieikawai said to them, "We two are going to the sea, as our husband wishes. You wait; do not be anxious if ten days pa.s.s and our husband has not had enough of the sport of surf riding; but if more than ten days pa.s.s, some evil has befallen us; then come to my help."

They departed and came to a place just above Keaau; then Halaaniani began to make trouble for Laieikawai, saying, "You go ahead to the coast and I will go up and see your sister-in-law, Malio, and return. And if you wait for me until day follows night, and night again that day, and, again the day succeeds the night, then you will know that I am dead; then marry another husband."

This proposal of her husband's did not please the wife, and she proposed their going up together, but the slippery fellow used all his cunning, and she was deceived.

Halaaniani left her. Laieikawai went on to Keaau, and at a place not close to Kekalukaluokewa, there she remained; and night fell, and the husband did not return; day came, and he did not return. She waited that day until night; it was no better; then she thought her husband was dead, and she began to pour out her grief.

CHAPTER XXIII

Very heavy hearted was Laieikawai at her husband's death, so she mourned ten days and two (twelve days) for love of him.

While Laieikawai mourned, her counsellors wondered, for Laieikawai had given them her charge before going to Keaau.

"Wait for me ten days, and should I not return," she had bidden them as told in Chapter XXII; so clearly she was in trouble.

And the time having pa.s.sed which Laieikawai charged her companions to wait, Aiwohikupua's sisters awoke early in the morning of the twelfth day and went to look after their comrade.

They went to Keaau, and as they approached and Laieikawai spied her counsellors she poured out her grief with wailing.