Rice — Haumian Legends 119 



ing their weight. You can carry with it many rows of potatoes without 

 feeling their weight in the least. But I warn you that when you go to the 

 sea to bathe, you should tell your son the uses and values of these staffs, 

 so that when you are absent he will care for them, and then your gods will 

 never lack for food. Your son will never grow tired at work and will 

 never be hungry." 



Makua seemed very doubtful about the truth of these wonderful words. 

 He said, "You seem to have the bodies of men. Where have you 

 received the power to endow these staffs with the supernatural powers 

 you say they possess?" 



One man replied, "You are right. We have no power. The power 

 came from our ancestors. Now to dispel your doubts about the properties 

 of the staffs, go, and with the digging stick, dig up all the azva in the 

 fields in front of you. Into each hole throw a slip of awa." 



Makua quickly did as he was told. The awa came from its hole as 

 though it were thrown from the ground. Makua could feel no resistance 

 as he dug. He kept on digging and planting until half of the field was 

 finished and he felt no weariness. 



Then Makua began to wonder how he could carry so many bundles of 

 azva, for one bundle was all he had been able to lift. He decided that it 

 would take four hundred people to carry all he had dug with this wonder- 

 ful staff. 



But the stranger urged him to keep on, saying, "How will you know 

 the value of the stick? Keep on until you have dug up the whole field or 

 I shall take the staff from you and you will only have been helped in the 

 planting of the azva." 



So Makua finished the whole field. Then the strangers pulled off from 

 the fence much kozmli or convolvulus plant and told Makua to throw 

 it over the azva. Makua did as he was told, throwing the vine over the 

 azva root and when he had reached the other side of the field he noticed 

 that the vine had grown over the azva and had gathered it all into two big 

 piles. Makua was amazed at this and as he stood looking at the piles 

 and thinking that the men had done the work, one called out to him, 

 "Come and get my lifting stick and see if my gift is of any value." 



Makua took the staff with grave doubts. He felt it could not lift so 

 great a burden. But he placed the ends of the stick in the piles of azva. 

 As he straightened himself to lift the load, he felt only the weight of the 

 staff, — none of the weight of the azva. Then he began to walk toward 

 the sea, but his feet hardly touched the earth and he felt almost as if he 

 were flying. So he lost sight of his guests and in a very short time he 



