Rice — Hazcaiiait Legends 103 



him. Niheu decided to talk with the king's messenger when he came with 

 orders for the people, and so called to the man, but he ran away. Niheu 

 followed and catching the poor fellow broke his back. 



After this little adventure Niheu returned to Hilo. There his grand- 

 mother greeted him with these words: "You have been up to mischief. 

 Your actions will bring trouble to us. Bring your brother to me before 

 the calamity befalls us." 



In the meantime Kahoalei had waited until midnight of the third night 

 for the return of his messenger. At that hour the messenger crawled 

 before his king, begging mercy and saying that he had been badly treated 

 by the grandson of Uli. 



Kahoalei was very angry and cried, "I shall punish Niheu. I shall take 

 from Hawaii the sun, the moon, and the stars. Only where I am, shall 

 there be light." 



After Uli had sent Niheu to find Kana, she fastened a rope to the door 

 of her house and then carried the rope to the sea, so that if the threatened 

 darkness befell the land, she could find her way to and from the ocean. 

 The people, seeing this, wondered what Uli was doing. 



As soon as Niheu found his brother he started for Hilo with Kana on 

 his back. They had gone only a short distance, when the sun was taken 

 from the heavens and they had to feel their way. Kana then stretched his 

 head about the clouds and so reached Uli's house. 



"So you have come," said his grandmother. "I sent for you because I 

 knew you were the only person who could recover the sun. Go now and 

 find it. It is hidden under the earth. Before you go, see if there is any 

 Hght in the sky. If there is, come and tell me." 



Kana stretched his body until he reached the sky, where he found light. 

 When he had reported this to Uli she said, "Take your brother with you 

 and go up as far as your body will take you. The place that you will touch 

 when you bend over will be Kahiki, and there you will find a spring. If 

 anyone asks you your name, say ,'I am yours and Uli's.' " 



With these instructions Kana started on his wonderful journey. When 

 they reached the heavens, Niheu was chilled through and through, and so 

 was left behind to die. Kana fell to Kahiki. The two old people there 

 were startled by the noise of his fall, and each tried to make the other find 

 what had fallen near them. 



At last the old woman went out and seeing a white object in the 

 spring tried to catch it with a stick. Failing to do this, she asked the 

 object what it was and was surprised to hear it answer, "I am yours and 

 Uh's." 



