C12 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
land, he waded above his middle into the sea** 
and, regardless of the orders of Tamehameha, and 
the expostulations of the other chiefs, caught hold 
of the canoe as it approached the shore, and, 
either with his pahoa or a long knife, stabbed 
Keoua to the heart as he sat in the stem. He 
also murdered seven of his companions and 
friends, who came in the same canoe. In another 
canoe was Kaoreioku, his younger brother, and 
the father of Pauahi, one of the wives of Rihoriho, 
the late sovereign of the islands. Tamehameha 
gave strict orders to protect it, and their lives were 
spared. Tamehameha, and many of the chiefs, par¬ 
ticularly Keaveaheuru and Kamahoe, are reported 
to have regretted his death. Keeaumoku, however, 
justified his horrid act by saying, that if Keoua 
had been allowed to live, they should never have 
been secure. 
We had not travelled far before we reached 
Ninole, a small village on the sea-shore, cele¬ 
brated on account of a short pebbly beach called 
Koroa, the stones of which were reported to pos¬ 
sess very singular properties ; amongst others, that 
of propagating their species. The natives told us 
it was a wahi pana (place famous) for supplying 
the stones employed in making small adzes and 
hatchets, before they were acquainted with the 
use of iron; but particularly for furnishing the 
stones of which the gods were made, who presided 
over most of the games of Hawaii. Some powers 
of discrimination, they told us, were necessary to 
discover the stones which would answer to be 
deified. When selected, they were taken to the 
heiau, and there several ceremonies were per¬ 
formed over them. Afterwards, when dressed, 
and taken to the place where the games were 
