96 Bernice P. Bishop Museum — Bulletin 



In fact Kana's only thought was to carry his prize home to his grand- 

 mother. As he passed the heiau of Niheu, Kana was seized and carried 

 into the heiau wliere he was tied to the main post. Leaving him there, 

 his captors carried the fish back to the pond. It had been out of water 

 so long that it was very weak. 



As Uli was working in her fields, the thought came to her that all was 

 not well with her grandson, Kana. So, not finding him at home, she 

 hurried to her other grandchildren. 



When Niheu saw her he asked, "Do you know who that boy is, who 

 tried to steal our fish? We have tied him up in the heiau for attempting 

 to carry off the chiefs' fish." 



Uli looked at the captive and at once saw that he was Kana. Turning 

 to Niheu she replied, "That boy is no thief. I le is your lord. You were 

 born as a child. He was born as a piece of rope. That is the reason 

 you did not know your brother." 



Then Uli told Kana to walk. At once all his ropes fell off, and in hi3 

 anger he began to tear down the heiau. Uli, fearing that the boy would 

 entirely destroy the sacred place, ordered him to return with her to their 

 mountain home. 



As soon as the brothers had recovered from their surprise over the 

 knowledge that Kana was living with their grandmother, Niheu told them 

 that he was going into the mountains to build canoes with which to go to 

 Molokai in search of his mother. 



In the mountains he looked for timber suitable for his canoe. He soon 

 found two wiliwili trees, seven feet in diameter. 



The following day he felled these trees with two mighty strokes of his 

 ax and commenced hewing them out. By evening he had almost finisbed 

 them, so he decided to return in the morning. 



Niheu was unable to sleep that night because he was very anxious about 

 his canoes. As soon as daylight came, he hurried to the place where he 

 was building them and was greatly astonished to find them standing up 

 and growing again. He left them and looked for other trees suitable for 

 canoes. 



Having found two koa trees, Niheu cut them down with two strokes 

 and, as on the previous day, almost finished the canoes by evening. .A-gain 

 he went home for the night. 



At daylight he returned to the spot where he had left his unfinished 

 canoes. He found these standing up and growing. The boy was very 

 angry and muttered to himself, "This is the work of my grandmother, Uli. 

 She wishes to bring my work to naught. She is a cruel woman to cast this 

 spell upon nie. I shall kill her." 



