KAUAI AND OAHU. 55 



The native games formerly practised were all more or less those of 

 hazard, which doubtless gave them their principal zest. 



The governor was kind enough, at my request, to have the game of 

 maika played. This was formerly a favourite amusement of the chiefs, 

 and consists in the art of rolling a stone of the above name. I had 

 heard many extraordinary accounts of the distance to which this could 

 be thrown or rolled, which was said to be sometimes upwards of a 

 mile. 



In some places they had trenches dug for this game upwards of a 

 mile in length, about three feet wide and two deep, with the bottom 

 level, smooth, and hard. The game is still practised, (although none of 

 the trenches remain,) on any level ground that may be suitable. In the 

 present instance, the governor selected the road in front of the house I 

 occupied. There was a large concourse of spectators, and several 

 men were chosen by the governor to throw. The maika is a piece of 

 hard lava, in the shape of a small wheel or roller, three inches in dia- 

 metei and an inch and a half thick, very smooth and highly polished. 

 The greatest distance to which they were thrown by the most expert 

 player, was four hundred and twenty yards. Many were extremely 

 aw r kward, and it was necessary for the spectators to stand well on the 

 side of the road for fear of accidents. All of them threw the maika 

 with much force, which was evident from its rebounding when it met 

 with any obstruction. The crowd, which amounted to three thousand 

 persons, were greatly amused. This was their great gambling game, 

 and such was its fascination, that property, wives, children, their arm 

 and leg bones after death, and even themselves while living, would be 

 staked on a single throw in the heathen time. 



They have another game, which I was told is now more in vogue 

 than it has been for some years. The revival of it is attributed by 

 some to the visit of the French frigate Artemise ; and certainly the 

 natives do not appear to feel themselves so much restricted in their 

 amusements as they did before that event. It is called buhenehene, 

 and consists in hiding a stone under several bundles of tapa, generally 

 five. He who conceals it sits on one side of the bundles, while those 

 playing occupy a place opposite to him. The bundles are usually of 

 different colours, and about the size of a pillow. Each player has a 

 stick three feet long, ornamented with a feather or cloth, with which 

 each in turn designates the bundle under which he thinks the stone is 

 hidden, by a blow. If the guess be correct, it counts one in his favour ; 

 if wrong, he who has concealed it gains one. He who first counts ten 

 wins the game. This game appears very simple, and one would be in- 

 clined to believe it all luck, until the game is witnessed; it is really 



