Although past sixty, the king still retained a goodly share of his earlier vigor, and, throwing Umi from his knees, angrily exclaimed:
“Audacious slave! how dare you!”
Umi rose to his feet, and, standing proudly before the king with folded arms, replied:
“The son of Liloa dare do anything!”
For a moment the king did not speak. He looked into the face of the undaunted young stranger, and noted that it was noble; and then his thoughts went back to Kealakaha, and to the fair young girl of better than common blood whom he had met there many years before while journeying to Waipio after consecrating the temple of Manini, and finally, almost as in a dream, to the pledge he had given and the tokens he had left with her. When all this came back to him he cast his eyes over the comely youth, and beheld his maro around the loins of Umi, and the ivory clasp of his necklace upon his breast. He could scarcely doubt, yet, as if he had recollected nothing, seen nothing, he calmly but kindly said:
“Young man, you claim to be my son. If so, tell me of your mother, and of the errand that brings you here.”
Umi bowed and answered: “My mother, O king, is Akahia-kuleana, of Kealakaha, and my years were twenty at the last ripening of the ohias. For the first time, four days ago, she told me I was the son of the king of Hawaii, and to take to him this maro and this ivory clasp, and he would not disown me. You are Liloa, the honored sovereign of Hawaii. I am Umi, the humble son of Akahia-kuleana. From the hands of my mother I have brought to you this maro and this ornament of bone. If I am your son, seat me beside you on the kapa; if not, order my body to the heiau as a sacrifice to the gods.”
There was a struggle in the breast of the king, and his eyes were bent upon the bold youth with an expression of pride and tenderness as he said:
“How did you gain admission here alone and unannounced?”
“By leaping over the wall of the pahale and beating down the spears of your guards,” replied Umi modestly.