Rice — Hawaiian Legends 21 



island, Kaanaelike, was watching him secretly, admiring his beauty and 

 rejoicing over the coming of such a handsome creature. She had never 

 seen a man before. At last her curiosity led her to speak thus to the 

 stranger: "I grieve to see you eating food which is poisonous, food which 

 only birds should eat. We of this land eat only berries." These words 

 carried to Kaeweaoho the knowledge that all these fruits had not been 

 planted by the hand of man. 



When the queen asked the stranger whence he had come, he answered, 

 "I have long heard of the beauties of this land. Now I hear the music 

 of your voice. If I speak in the language of my land you will ridicule 

 me. I came from the sea where a cruel wave wrecked my canoe. Give 

 me food, for I am hungry." 



Kaanaelike led the way to her house from which she brought out 

 berries for the king to eat. The king told her that he could not eat raw 

 food, and asked her why she did not cook the fruit. The queen replied 

 that cooking was unknown to her and also to her parents, who were in 

 the mountains gathering berries. 



Kaeweaoho saw many dead trees nearby so he gathered the dry boughs 

 and after having made an imu he rubbed two dry sticks together as he had 

 seen his servants do in his far away island. He found it difficult to get 

 a spark of fire but at last he was successful. He then bent over the tiny 

 flame to strengthen it by blowing in it. Suddenly it blazed up and burnt 

 ofif his eyebrows. The first fire of the king was not a very successful one, 

 but he made another which proved to be a good one. After the king had 

 placed the food in the imu to cook, he went to fish. When he had caught 

 a few fish he came back and lying down beside the imu, fell asleep. 



The queen found him there and believing him dead, cried, "Why did 

 you labor so hard? You have killed yourself, my beautiful one." 



These words awakened the king, who hurriedly uncovered his imu. He 

 took out the taro and after peeling it ate the first food he had ever 

 cooked. Busy thoughts filled his mind, thoughts of how changed his life 

 was. As a king he had been born to every luxury. Now he was an out- 

 cast working to find food to keep his body alive. 



Soon he put aside these sad thoughts and called to Kaanaelike to come 

 and taste the cooked food. She feared it would poison her and that she 

 would never see her parents again, but the king told her it would make 

 her grow more beautiful. At last he persuaded her to try first the taro, 

 then the breadfruit. After a time Kaanaelike tasted the sweet potato, which 

 the king said would give her great strength and beauty. She was surprised 

 to find that no harm came to her. 



