[18] Kele honua, an instance of a noun placed after its adjective. The meaning of kele honua, literally, the miry soil, a deep taro patch. [↑]
CHAPTER XVIII
HIIAKA EMPLOYS THE ART OF MAGIC AS A MEANS OF DISGUISING HERSELF—SHE VOYAGES TO MOLOKA’I—MEETS THE MO’O KIKI-PUA
“Let us make haste to leave this place,” said Hiiaka. This was because she foresaw that she would be importuned to use her power to restore the dead king to life.
When these akuas, these spirits of necromancy, became convinced that they had been worsted in the fight and that the king was dead beyond all hope of recovery from them, they instructed the kahuna Kaua-kahi-ma-hiku-lani to desist from his useless incantations and to dispatch all his people in search of Hiiaka as the only one capable of reviving the king’s life.
While toiling up the ascent of the hill Pulehu, the two women saw in the distance a great multitude of people pursuing them. Wahine-oma’o, in alarm, exclaimed, “What in the world shall we do!” At once Hiiaka by the power of enchantment changed Wahine-oma’o into the shape of a little girl leading a dog, while she herself assumed the form of a bent old woman hobbling along with the aid of a stick; and as the multitude drew near they sat down by the wayside as if to rest.
The people in pursuit had seen and recognized Hiiaka and felt sure of soon overtaking her. But, on coming to the place, they found only a decrepit woman and a child leading a dog. They were taken aback and asked, “Where are the two young women who were traveling this way? Have you not seen them?”
“We have seen nothing of them,” was the answer.
When the people reported to the kahuna that they had found only an old woman and a girl with a dog in tow, he saw through the trick at once and exclaimed, “Those are the very persons I want. Go and bring them.”