It was only a dozen miles from Niulii to Waipio by water; but Kaanaana had not war canoes wherewith to fight Aa on the sea, neither had he canoes of any kind to carry a sufficient force of fighting men. Therefore, an attack on the coast side would have been madness; but the Saw-Teeth were impassable, and the trail around them was long and difficult.
“My Lord of Kohala,” inquired Aelani, “how many spearmen can you have at daylight to-morrow morning, with provisions to cross the mountains?”
“Not more than eight hundred,” replied Kaanaana. “But I will have five thousand on the fourth day.”
“Eight hundred to-morrow,” said Aelani, “are better than five thousand on the fourth day. If Aa depends on Kaaahu, Lord of Honokaa, he leans on a fern that will sway back and forth as the wind blows. Yet the ahupuaa of Honokaa is the nearest of the great lordships, and the only one from which Aa can muster many spears before the fourth day. We should strike before any of the great chiefs can come to his help from the south, for we are few at best, and only a small part of the kingdom.”
Kaanaana fell upon his knees and bowed his head to the ground. “Child of the gods,” he said, “shall I speak my manao?”
“Rise and speak!” exclaimed Aelani. “Thou art the greatest and wisest of my nobles. Thy moi will ever listen to thy manao.”
“My manao is that the great chiefs will not hasten from the south. They do not love Aa, and will stand aloof if they dare, or side with us if we seem the stronger. Moreover, Aa has twelve hundred fighting men at Waipio, and Kaaahu can bring him a thousand more before we can get there. Our way is over steep and difficult mountains, among sharp rocks and utter desolation, where mice would die of hunger and thirst, and even lizards cannot live. Our spearmen, exhausted with the journey, must fight men strong with rest and sleep. If we start to-morrow, we shall also be greatly outnumbered, and if we lose the battle not one of us will ever return. If we wait till the fourth day, and only one or two chiefs come against us from the south, we can meet Aa with equal numbers. Yet it shall be as the moi kane says. His word is as the word of Ku.”
“Kaanaana, Lord of Kohala,” said Aelani, “I thank thee for honest counsel, and I would also have the lesser chiefs freely speak their manao.”
Thereupon the lesser chiefs fell upon their knees and bowed their heads to the earth, and the foremost of them spoke for all and said: “The way is most difficult, and eight hundred spearmen are not many, yet what the Child of the Gods says that we will do, whether it be life or death. His word is as the word of Ku.”
Then Hiwa spoke, as was her right in the royal councils, being equal in birth and rank to the moi kane himself, although not in power. And she said: “The Lord of Kohala is the wisest and greatest of the nobles. He and the lesser chiefs have spoken well; but fear now dwells in the heart of Aa and in the hearts of his followers. My manao is to strike before it passeth away, that the hearts of the chiefs in the south may also become like white wax of cocoanuts, and that they may turn from him in the beginning.”