By courtesy Paradise of the Pacific
LANDING OF WARRIORS
They landed wherever any little valley on the [[135]]rugged slope of Mt. Hale-a-ka-la—“House of the sun”—afforded soil sufficient to give life or foothold. They destroyed the villages and drove the terrified defenceless people up the lava cliffs to mountain hiding-places.
Early one morning a part of the king’s army landed at Maalaea Bay, near the spot where they had been defeated. The chiefs looked over the sandy isthmus lying between the two great Maui mountains—Mt. Hale-a-ka-la and Mt. Iao. On the other side of some sand hills in this isthmus lay Wai-luku, the home of the Maui king. The cry arose: “On to Wai-luku! On to Wai-luku!” No strong force had offered opposition so far in the invasion. It seemed fair to presume that they had completely surprised the Maui warriors.
Through the Wai-luku lands dashes a swiftly flowing stream of clear, cold water, breaking through the foothills of Mt. Iao. The banks of this stream had already been the scene of many a bloody battle, hence the name Wai-luku—“Water of destruction.”
It was nearly ten miles away—but that would be only a short morning’s race for the hardy chiefs.
The Alapa warriors shouted, “Let us drink of the waters of Wai-luku this day!” The king, surrounded by his bodyguard of royal chiefs, watched the splendid array of warriors as they hastened to surprise the Maui warriors. The king’s prophet chanted as they passed him: [[136]]
“Roll on, roll on, waves of Hawaii!
You are the surf waves.
The war god rides on the surf