Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/604

 256 Journal of American Folk-Lore.

Polynesian friends who have long been separated, and who pour forth the aloka which had filled their hearts during the period of separa- tion, the two turned to converse with each other and to enjoy them- selves.

Aiwohikupua did not tell the seer what was the real object of his voyage, but pretended that he was merely making the circuit of Hawaii. After a stay of a few hours he resumes his route, and in no long time, directed by the rainbow, reaches the dwelling of Laiei- kawai, which he finds far upland, and only to be approached by a long and difficult path. He is struck with astonishment to see that the house is covered with thatch, as were all houses of those days, but instead of the grass called piti, or the long and broad leaves of the pandanus, it is formed of the feathers of the bird named 00. Now these feathers were the riches of the land. Only chiefs of conse- quence could afford to have cloaks made of them. Such a cloak he had brought with him as a magnificent present that would serve to propitiate his lady love, and behold ! it must appear contemptible in her eyes, since the walls of her house were formed of the same ma- terial. It was as if a lover of our own days had provided himself with a bracelet of gold to present to his mistress, and had found that all the furniture of her house was of gold. He cannot think of offer- ing a thing that must in her eyes seem too paltry to produce a favor- able impression, and notwithstanding the remonstrances of his coun- sellor, determines to return to Kauai without attempting to obtain an interview. As they are coasting along Hawaii and near its north shore, he falls asleep, and is startled from his slumber by the loud outcries of his people ; when he wakens and demands the cause of the uproar, they point to a woman of exceeding beauty seated on a cliff overhanging the sea, and robed in a white cloak. He orders them to advance toward her. As they approached the shore, he learns from some fishermen that it is Poliahu, who has come down from the mountains. As he approaches, he beckons, inviting her to descend. She does so and steps on board his canoe. He then addresses her : " Oh, beautiful woman of the precipice, most fortu- nate am I in having met with you. Thus have I the happy chance of praying you to accept me as your spouse, and your servant, who executes all the commands you give him. I entreat you to come with me to Kauai." She replies : "Iara not from the precipice ; I am from the peak of the far-off mountain, which is always clad in white, as myself am. As for your desire that I should take you for my spouse, tell me, are not you the chief who stood up and swore by his god that you would never unite yourself with any woman of the islands from Hawaii to Kauai, but would seek a wife in foreign lands ? Are not you he who has entered into engagements with

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