CHARACTERS.
- Kalaniopuu, king of Hawaii.
- Kolale, wife of Kalaniopuu.
- Kiwalao, son of Kalaniopuu, and his successor.
- Liliha, wife of Kiwalao.
- Keopuolani, daughter of Kiwalao.
- Keoua, half-brother of Kiwalao.
- Keawemauhili, uncle of Kiwalao.
- Kamehameha I., successor of Kiwalao.
- Keeaumoku,
- brothers and chiefs of Hawaii.
- Kameeiamoku and
- Kamanawa,
- Kaahumanu, one of the wives of Kamehameha I.
- Kahekili, king of Maui.
- Kalanikupule, king of Oahu, son of Kahekili.
- Kaeo, king of Kauai.
- Kamakahelei, queen of Kauai.
- Imakakaloa, chief of Puna.
- Kalaimoku, a distinguished chief.
- Kakuhaupio, a counsellor of Kamehameha I.
- Kaiana, one of the captains of Kamehameha I.
- Kepupuohi, wife of Kaiana.
- Nahiolea, brother of Kaiana.
| Keeaumoku, |  | brothers and chiefs of Hawaii. |
| Kameeiamoku and | ||
| Kamanawa, |
KAIANA, THE LAST OF THE HAWAIIAN KNIGHTS.
KAMEHAMEHA, KAAHUMANU, CAPTAIN COOK, AND THE FINAL CONQUEST.
I.
Among the distinguished Hawaiian chiefs connected with the final conquest and consolidation of the group by Kamehameha the Great, and standing in the gray dawn of the close of the eighteenth century, when the islands were rediscovered by Captain Cook and tradition began to give place to recorded history, was Kaiana-a-Ahaula. He was one of Kamehameha’s greatest captains, and the events of his life, which closed with his death in the last battle of the conquest, embrace one of the most interesting periods in Hawaiian history. After giving to the conqueror his best energies for years, and faithfully assisting in cementing the foundations of his greatness, he turned against him on the very eve of final triumph, and perished in attempting to destroy by a single blow the power he had helped to create.
What was it that caused Kaiana to turn his spear in hopeless desperation against his victorious chief, to whom the gods and their prophets had promised everything? Had not Pele destroyed his enemies with fire and smoke? and had not Keaulumoku, the inspired bard of Naohaku, chanted the fadeless glory of his triumphs? The war-god of Liloa—the fateful Kaili—led the van of his conquering columns, and Kalaipahoa, the poison god of Molokai, was among the deities of his household. The high-priest Hewahewa, who traced his sacerdotal line back to Paao, was his mediator in the temples, and every voice from the anu was a note of encouragement and promise of victory. The great chiefs of Hawaii were his friends, and his war-canoes cruised almost unopposed throughout the eight Hawaiian seas. Musket and cannon had been added to his weapons of war, and white men had enlisted to some extent in his service. But, with all these advantages and assurances of success, Kaiana suddenly threw defiance in his face and became his open enemy.