CHAPTER XV
Said Aiwohikupua, "How fortunate I am to have left my sisters on Hawaii, and so I shall attain my desire, for I have heard that my sisters are guardians to the one on whom I have set my heart."
Now, while all the chiefs were gathered at Wailua, then Aiwohikupua stood up and declared his intention in presence of the chiefs: "Where are you! I shall go again to Hawaii, I shall not fail of my desire; for my sisters are now guardians of her on whom I have set my heart."
At these words of Aiwohikupua, Hauailiki said, "You will not succeed, for I saw that the princess was taboo, and your sisters also put on reserved airs; one of them, indeed, was furious, the smallest of them; so my belief is you will not succeed, and if you go near you will get paid for it."
To Hauailiki's words Aiwohikupua paid no attention, for he was hopeful because of what he had heard of his sisters' guarding the princess.
After this he summoned the bravest of his fighting men, his bodyguard, all his chiefly array, and the chief arranged for paddlers; then he commanded the counsellor to make the canoes ready.
The counsellor chose the proper canoes for the trip, twenty double canoes, and twice forty single canoes, these for the chiefs and the bodyguard, and forty provision canoes for the chief's supplies; and as for the chief himself and his counsellor, they were on board of a triple canoe.
When everything was ready for such a journey they set out.
Many days they sailed. When they came to Kohala, for the first time the Kohala people recognized Aiwohikupua, a magician renowned all over the islands. And because the chief came in disguise to Kohala when he fought with Cold-nose, this was why they had not recognized him.
They left Kohala and went to Keaau. Just as they reached there,
Laieikawai and the sisters of Aiwohikupua returned to Paliuli.
When Laieikawai and her companions returned, on the day when
Aiwohikupua's party arrived, their grandmother had already foreseen
Aiwohikupua's arrival at Keaau.
Said Waka, "Aiwohikupua has come again to Keaau, so let the guard be watchful, look out for yourselves, do not go down to the sea, stay here on the mountain until Aiwohikupua returns to Kauai."
When the princess's head guard heard the grandmother's words, then Kahalaomapuana immediately ordered Kihanuilulumoku,[50] their god, to come near the home of the chief and prepare for battle.
As the princess's chief guard, she ordered her sisters to consult what would be the best way to act in behalf of the princess.
When they met and consulted what was best to be done, all agreed to what Kahalaomapuana, the princess's chief guard, proposed, as follows: "You, Mailehaiwale, if Aiwohikupua should come hither, and you two meet, drive him away, for you are the first guard; and if he should plead his cause force him away: and if he is very persistent, because he is a brother, resist him still more forcibly; and if he still insists then despatch one of the guardian birds to me, then we will all meet at the same place, and I myself will drive him away. If he threatens to harm us, then I will command our god, Kihanuilulumoku, who will destroy him."
After all the council had assented they stationed themselves at a distance from each other to guard the princess as before.
At dawn that night arrived Aiwohikupua with his counsellor. When they saw the taboo sign—the hollow post covered with white tapa—then they knew that the road to the princess's dwelling was taboo. But Aiwohikupua would not believe it taboo because of having heard that his sisters had the guardian power.
So they went right on and found another taboo sign like the first which they had found, for one sign was set up for each of the sisters.
After passing the fourth taboo sign, they approached at a distance the fifth sign; this was Kahalaomapuana's. This was the most terrible of all, and then it began to be light; but they could not see in the dark how terrible it was.
They left the sign, went a little way and met Mailehaiwale; overjoyed was Aiwohikupua to see his sister. At that instant Mailehaiwale cried, "Back, you two, this place is taboo."
Aiwohikupua supposed this was in sport; both again began to approach Mailehaiwale; again the guardian told them to go. "Back at once, you two! What business have you up here and who will befriend you?"
"What is this, my sister?" asked Aiwohikupua. "Are you not my friends here, and through you shall I not get my desire?"
Then Mailehaiwale sent one of her guardian birds to Kahalaomapuana; in less than no time the four met at the place guarded by Mailekaluhea, where they expected to meet Aiwohikupua.