

576 Fornander Collection of Haivaiian Folk-lore. 



were you saying to the men?" I was asking them that I be allowed passage on the 

 canoes to Kauai; but they told me that the canoes belonged to the king." Pueonuio- 

 kona then said: "You may take passage in one of them. Have you any baggage to 

 take along?" The boy answered: "No, except that I have a calabash of clothes." "Well, 

 get it and come here and we will sail." 



That night the boy retired ver}' early and at the crowing of the first cock he 

 got up. Taking his calabash he proceeded to the landing and took one of the canoes 

 that were lying there and set out for Kauai. The king, accompanied by his men, got 

 to the landing and waited for the boy until noon, but as he did not appear the canoes 

 were ordered to sail. When Kauai was seen, those with the king saw something float- 

 ing ahead of them, and when they drew nearer to the object they saw it was a canoe 

 with the boy in it. The king then called out to the boy: "I see that 3'ou came ahead 

 of us and we wasted our time waiting for 3'ou." "Yes, I thought that the king's canoes 

 were already overloaded with bulkj' things and with big men and large packages, so I 

 made up va.y mind to come ahead in the dark with the idea, however, of being overtaken 

 b}' 3'ou here in mid-ocean." A rope was then thrown to the boy which he made fast to 

 his canoe and he was towed on until they landed in Hanalei, Kauai. 



When the}' arrived at this place they met two of the king's canoes which had 

 been out fishing that night, loaded deep down with fish. At seeing this the boy asked 

 the king: "Oh king, let me have some fish." The king answered: "Take one of the 

 canoes of fish for you." The bo}', however, reached down and only took up two fish, 

 one was an oililepa' and the other a kikakapu.' The king then asked the boy: "Are 

 those the only fish you are going to take?" "These are all the fish I am going to take 

 as they are the kind that will cook quickly." 



Soon after this the boy left Hanalei and proceeded on his way, going by way of 

 Koolau until he arrived at Waiakalua where he rested. From this place he continued 

 on to Anahola; thence on to Kealia and then on to Wailua where Kalanialiiloa resided, 

 where was his bone fence, almost completed, built from human bones. When he arrived 

 at the place he looked and saw the bones of Halepaki his father; they were still fresh, 

 the bones not yet being bleached. At sight of this the bo}' bowed in sorrow and wept. 

 After his weeping he approached the flagstaff and pushed it down and put up the oili- 

 lepa, one of the fish brought along bj- him. He then next took the kapu stick and 

 pushed it down and put up in its place the other fish, the kikakapu. By this action of 

 the boy, it was meant as a challenge to the people that he was come to meet them in a 

 wrangling contest. When Kalanialiiloa and his instructors saw the action of the boy, 

 they knew at once that he was challenging them to a contest of wits, so a messenger 

 was dispatched to meet the bo}' showing the challenge was accepted. 



COMMENCEMENT OF THE CONTEST OF WITS. 



When the messenger arrived in the presence of the boy, he said to the boy: 

 "Young contestant, the chief invites you to come on iip." The boy replied: "Full- 

 grown contestant, the king invites you to come on down." At this answer the man did 



'The hokeo calabash was usually a long shaped gourd ^ Oililepa, file-fish {Osbeckia scrip/a). 



with an end opening for convenience of carrying the 'A'ikakapu, butterfly-fish i^Cluetodon oruatissimi(s). 



"kit", or articles of utility; one's handbag. 



