When their talk was ended, at the approach of day, they parted from the woman of the mountain and sailed and came to Hana and met Hinaikamalama.

CHAPTER VIII

When Aiwohikupua reached Hana, after parting with Poliahu at Kohala, his boat approached the canoe landing at Haneoo, where they had been before, where Hinaikamalama was living.

When Aiwohikupua reached the landing the canoe floated on the water; and as it floated there Hinaikamalama saw that it was Aiwohikupua’s canoe; joyful was she with the thought of their meeting; but still the boat floated gently on the water.

Hinaikamalama came thither where Aiwohikupua and his men floated.  Said the woman, “This is strange!  What is all this that the canoe is kept afloat?  Joyous was I at the sight of you, believing you were coming to land.  Not so!  Now, tell me, shall you float there until you leave?”

“Yes,” answered Aiwohikupua.

“You can not,” said the woman, “for I will order the executioner to hold you fast; you became mine at konane and our vows are spoken, and I have lived apart and undefiled until your return.”

“O princess, not so!” said Aiwohikupua.  “It is not to end our vow—­that still holds; but the time has not come for its fulfillment.  For I said to you, ’When I have sailed about Hawaii then the princess’s bet shall be paid;’ now, I went meaning to sail about Hawaii, but did not; still at Hilo I got a message from Kauai that the family was in trouble at home, so I turned back; I have stopped in here to tell you all this; and therefore, live apart, and on my next return our vow shall be fulfilled.”

At these words of Aiwohikupua the princess’s faith returned.

After this they left Hana and sailed and came to Oahu, and on the sea halfway between Oahu and Kauai he laid his command upon the oarsmen and the steersmen, as follows:  “Where are you?  I charge you, when you come to Kauai, do not say that you have been to Hawaii to seek a wife lest I be shamed; if this is heard about, it will be heard through you, and the penalty to anyone who tells of the journey to Hawaii, it is death, death to himself, death to his wife, death to all his friends; this is the debt he shall pay.”  This was the charge the chief laid upon the men who sailed with him to Hawaii.  Aiwohikupua reached Kauai at sunset and met his sisters.  Then he spoke thus to his sisters:  “Perhaps you wondered when I went on my journey, because I did not tell you my reason, not even the place where I was to go; and now I tell it to you in secret, my sisters, to you alone.  To Hawaii I disappeared to fetch Laieikawai for my wife, after hearing Kauakahialii’s story the day when his party returned here.  But when I came there I did not get sight of the woman’s face; I did not see Laieikawai, but my eyes beheld her house thatched with the yellow feathers of the oo bird, so I thought I could not win her and came back here unsuccessful.  And as I thought of my failure, then I thought of you sisters,[41] who have won my wishes for me in the days gone by; therefore I came for you to go to Hawaii, the very ones to win what I wish, and at dawn let us rise up and go.”  Then they were pleased with their brother’s words to them.