Kauilani and Akua-pehu-ale.
After a time Lepe-a-moa’s mother gave birth to a fine boy, who was named Kauilani. He was born in the forest by the water-springs Kawaikini. On the day of his birth a great storm swept over the land. Rain fell in torrents and swept in red streams down the valleys, thunder rolled, lightning flashed, earthquakes shook the land, and rainbows arched his birthplace. This time, since a boy was born, he belonged to the family of the father. His grandparents were Lau-ka-ie-ie and Kani-a-ula.
They took the child and bathed him in a wonderful fountain called Wai-ui (Water-of-strength), which had the power of conferring rapid growth, [[212]]great strength, and remarkable beauty upon those who bathed therein. The child was taken frequently to this fountain, so that he grew rapidly and was soon a man with only the years of a boy. The two old people were kupuas having very great powers. They could appear as human beings or could assume wind bodies and fly like the wind from place to place. They could not give the boy a double body, but they could give him supernatural powers with his name Kauilani (The-divine-athlete). They bound around him their marvellous malo (loin cloth) called Paihiku.
When Keahua, the father, saw the boy, he said: “How is it that you have grown so fast and become a man so soon? Life is with you. Perhaps now you can help me. A quarrelsome friend sought war with me a long time ago and came near killing me; that is why we dwell in this mountain forest beyond his reach. Maybe you and my servants can destroy this enemy,” telling him also the character and dwelling-place of Akua-pehu-ale.
Kauilani said to his father, “If you adopt my plan, perhaps we may kill this Akua-pehu-ale.” The father agreed and asked what steps should be taken. He was then told to send his servants up into the mountain to cut down ahakea[1]-trees [[213]]and shape them into planks, then carry some of the sticks to the foot of the precipice near their home, and set them in the ground and to take the others to the sea and there set them up like stakes close together.
That night was made very dark by the sorcery of the young chief. All the people slept soundly. At midnight Kauilani went out into the darkness and called thus to his gods:
“O mountain! O sea! O South! O North! O all ye gods! Come to our aid! Inland at the foot of the pali is the ahakea; by the sea stands the ahakea, there by the beach of Hina. Multiply them with the wauke at the foot of the pali of Halelea and by the shore of Wailua. Bananas are ready for us this night. The bread-fruit and the sugar-cane are ours, O ye gods!”
Repeating this incantation, he went into his house and slept. In the morning the high chief, Keahua, went out and looked, and behold! the sticks planted below the precipice had taken root and sent out branches and intertwined until it spread an almost impenetrable thicket. There were also many groups of wauke-trees which had sprung up in the night. He called his wife, saying, “While we slept, this wonderful thing has transpired.”
Kauilani came out and asked his father to [[214]]call all the people and have them go out and cut the bark from the wauke-trees, beat it into kapa, and spread it out to dry. This was quickly done, and two large houses also built and finished the same day. A tabu of silence was claimed for the night while he again petitioned the gods.