Rice — Haimiian Legends 125 



These words were like a calabash of cool water poured over Makua's 

 head. They cooled all his troubled thoughts and took away the desire to 

 kill his son. He knew that the stranger spoke the truth and, taking his 

 son into the house, he said, "Aloha, my boy, you shall live. I have for- 

 gotten my desire to kill you. I know that I am forgiven by my gods." 



Then Makua prepared the food and as his guests sat down before it, 

 he prayed as the old men had taught him. Kanaloa teasingly asked who 

 had taught him to pray, and told him that his prayers were good. He 

 said the gods would try his faithfulness to them three times. 



Makua asked why he was to be tried three times and Kanaloa replied, 

 "Because there are three worlds where men who worship the gods will live. 

 First, this world that we are living on ; second, the world hidden from the 

 eyes of man, belonging to Kane-huna-moku, Hider-of-the-Island ; third, 

 the world where Kane lives and where he takes men good enough to 

 become gods." 



"Where do bad people go?" asked Makua. 



"First, such people go to a world where men have done neither good 

 nor evil and where they wait to be rescued ; second, to the world where 

 they see joy and sorrow ; third, to the world where they shall weep 

 because of the heat which lasts day and night," explained Kanaloa. 



"In what bodies shall men pass to these worlds?" inquired Makua. 



"In spirit bodies," answered Kane. 



Makua realized that he would be tried three times. We have seen him 

 tried twice — first, on his farm, then in suffering the sacrifice of his son. 

 There is yet one trial for him to endure. 



As the strangers left the house, one gave his malo-pua-kai to Makua, 

 saying, "This is my gift to you for your entertainment. Its value is that 

 it shall make you invisible to the eyes of man." 



The other gave Makua his sleeping tapa, saying, "This is my gift to 

 you. Its value is that it shall take away from your body the heat of the 

 sun." 



Makua was very happy to have received these new gifts. He said, 

 "This is the third time that I have entertained strangers. First, my gods. 

 Then, the old men who taught me how to pray and sacrifice to my gods. 

 Now these handsome men with the kapn of the chief." 



Now Makua lost all interest in going to his farm to work. He did not 

 have to plant as everything grew luxuriantly. He had plenty of taro, 

 sugar cane, and bananas. He told his son that their days of hard labor 

 were over, life would henceforth be easy for them. And so Makua 

 decided to go again to see the big fish. He tied the malo around his waist 



