118 Bcnticc P. Bishop Museum — Bulletin 



"Yes," said Makua, "iny prayer is short. Xo one lias taught me how 

 to pray, so that I can make a longer prayer. But I think my gods accept 

 my prayers. If they do not accept them because they are short, that is no 

 excuse for me to cease praying. As long as I live I shall pray to my 

 gods. I am now half way through my life, and I have prayed at all 

 times. Should I stop now, all my prayers would be lost, and I should 

 receive no blessing from my gods." 



"What blessing do you expect to receive from your gods for your 

 devotion?" asked the strangers. 



"I shall have enough to eat. All things will grow well on my farm 

 without too much hard work. All that I plant will bear abundantly for 

 my gods, and they in turn will grant me long life," said Makua. 



"Then why did your wife die, if the gods have power to grant long 

 life?" persisted the strangers. 



Hearing this question, Makua hung his head and tears dropped from 

 his eyes as he answered, "Because my wife died, one cannot say that the 

 gods have no power to grant long life. All men must go by the same 

 path, all from the old man to the child that cannot even creep." 



When the strangers heard this answer, they said, "You will not be 

 disappointed in the blessing you hope to receive from your gods, for we 

 see that you have great faith. Now prepare banana, a'va and sugar cane 

 for us. Before we eat, pray to your gods so that we may hear your 

 prayer and commit it to memory, and so learn to worship your gods." 



Makua was filled with joy to think that these men wanted to worship 

 his gods. So he quickly prepared the food, and as he placed it before 

 them, he prayed thus : 



Kane and Kanaloa. 



1 am eating with my strangers 

 The banana and the sugar cane. 



As the men ate, Makua asked tliem what they thought of his prayer. 



They repled, "There is nothing amiss in your prayer, for we know 

 your great faith and your good works. We believe your gods will approve 

 of your prayer as we do. What would be gained by our changing the 

 language of your prayer?" 



The strangers said that they must depart. One presented Makua with 

 a staff, saying, "This stafY I received from my ancestors. It is a great 

 help in the cultivation of land. Dig a hole with it and place a plant in the 

 hole and it will grow very fast. A potato will grow so large that no one 

 will be able to carry it." 



The other stranger said, "Mere is my present to you. This staff is an 

 heirloom from my ancestors. Its great property is to carry loads, lessen- 



