m I*f z.3 The Napoleon of the Pacific Kamehameha the Great The Napoleon of the Pacific Kamehameha the Great By HERBERT H. GOWEN, D.D., F. R. G. S. Professor of Oriental Languages and Literature Vniutr&uy of Washington Author of "The Paradise of the Pacific," "Hawaiian Idylls of Love and Death," etc. New York Chicago Fleming H. Revell Company London and Edinburgh Copyright, 19 19, by FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY New York: 158 Fifth Avenue Chicago": 17 North Wabash Ave. London : 21 Paternoster Square Edinburgh : 75 Princes Street To EDMOND STEPHEN MEANT friend and colleague Foreword JUST a century ago,— on May 8, 1819, — the greatest child of the Pacific, "from chaos until now," Kamehameha the First of Hawaii passed away, leaving to his children a legacy which they were unable to retain. The United States, which have providentially become the inheritors of his realm, are also made thereby the guai'dians of Kamehanieha's fame. It is in the hope that Amer icans will find some interest in the story of one who surely deserves his title of " the Great " that this book has been written. The author has drawn freely upon all the materials available. Particular use has been made of Fornander's " Polynesian Race," Alexander's " History of the Hawaiian People," King Kalakaua's " Legends and Myths of Hawaii," and some of the older histories such as those of Jarves and Dibble. The writings of the old missionaries, such as Ellis and Bingham, have also been of great service, and, of course, also the Voyages of the great navigators, such as Cook and Vancouver. I wish to acknowledge very gratefully the help which has been thus derived and without which the memoir could not have been written. Hekbebt H. Gowen. Contents I. Introduction II. The Birth and Boyhood of Kamehameha III. Kamehameha's First Taste of War IV. Preparing for the Struggle . V. The Battle of the Sand-Hills VI. The Prophecy of Keaulumoku VII. The Coming of the White Man VIII. The Second Visit of Cook IX. The Death of Captain Cook . X. The Patrimony of Kamehameha XI. Kahekili Subjugates Oahu XII. The Brief Reign and Tragic Death XIII. "The Bitter War" XIV. Kamehameha Marries Kaahumanu XV. Renewed War With Maui XVI. The Return of the White Man XVII. The Battle of the Iao Valley XVIII. Kamehameha Sends Ambassadors XIX. The Fire-Goddess Declares for Kamehameha XX. The Building of the Great Heiau XXI. Kahekili Forgets His Promise XXII. The Death of Keoua XXIII. Kamehameha King of Hawaii XXIV. The Visits of Vancouver XXV. Civil War in Oahu . 9 IMF.HA 16 • 24 • 34 • 41 • 49 • 55 • 69 • 87 ¦ 107 . 118 OF KlWALAC > 125 • •39 • . 147 • !54 • . 159 . ¦ i7» 176 MEHAMEHA 183 • 190 • . 198 . 202 . 210 • • 214 . # . 228 8 CONTENTS XXVI. The Last Struggle in Oahu . . . 240 XXVII. Kamehameha Establishes His Rule . 251 XXVIII. Social Organization Under the Monarchy . 257 XXIX. Sojourn in Hawaii from 1796 to 1802 . . 268 XXX. Kamehameha Stays at Lahaina . . . 274 XXXI. Return to Oahu ..... 279 XXXII. The Cession of Kauai ..... 284 XXXIII. Development of Trade and Its Effects . 289 XXXIV. Kamehameha's Last Tour . ... 296 XXXV. Foreign Complications .... 300 XXXVI. The Death of Kamehameha . . .306 Glossary of Hawaiian Terms . . .318 Index 321 INTRODUCTION "Anna virumque cano." HAWAII to-day attracts the tourist in search of health and pleasure rather than the historian on the trail of the past. Yet the sunshine of the present hour cannot forbid the shadow of the past from crossing its path. Sooner or later the visitor to Honolulu finds his way to the square between the Iolani Palace and the Aliiolani Jlale. Such at least were the dulcet syllables by which we once described the dwelling place of Hawaii's sovereign and the meeting place of her Parliament. But times have changed and names have changed with them. More prosaic titles fit more prosaic times. Yet, prominent in the square, just in front of the Legislative Buildings, is a monu ment which no change of time or name can rob of interest. For Monarch and Legislature, yes, alas, and People too, may pass only to bring into higher light the grandeur of him whose statue here keeps sentry guard. It is the chief who made Hawaii a kingdom, giving it such cohesion and stability that as a king dom it endured for just a century. Here stands Kamehameha I, " the lonely one " (as his name im plies), as he might have appeared in life in those 9 10 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC heroic days when the chiefs of Hawaii fought like " gods of war dispensing fate." I remember well the man whom the artist used as model and often had occasion, as he rowed me from Maui to Lanai, to admire his size and thews. But, before the statue, one thinks not of Kaopuiki but of Kamehameha. We see him, a man of gigantic mould, with furrowed and smileless countenance, as of one who spoke not but to command and com manded only to be obeyed. Spear in hand, feather helmet on head, and on his shoulders the feather cloak which took nine generations of kings to con struct, — we seem to see him, a " Mars armipotent " of whom Homer might have sung : "On him the war is bent, the darts are shed, And all their falchions wave about his head : Kepulsed he stands, nor from his stand retires, But with repeated shouts his army fires." A century and a quarter ago, in the year 1795, this man effected what, under the circumstances, seemed a task of insuperable difficulty, the union under one government of the Eight Islands of the Hawaiian archipelago. What the difficulties were and wherein consisted the greatness of the man who overcame them will appear as we proceed. Suffice it here to say that of his race there was none like him before, there has been none like him since. In all that shadowy time, from the dawn of island his tory to the establishment of intercourse with the western world, — the time of heroes nine feet high, who wielded spears ten yards long, heroes who fought with and received aid from gods, like the INTRODUCTION 11 warriors at Troy, — heroes such as Kiha of the magic conch, or Liloa or Umi or Lono, — there was none who did what Kamehameha did by the patient toil and dauntless courage of forty years of strife. Moreover, in all the time since, spite of the un exampled advance which has made of the old Hawaii a land of telephones and electric lights, of universal education and universal suffrage, no Hawaiian has arisen with a hundredth part of the manhood pos sessed and used, mainly for good, by this heroic savage. If the conquests of Kamehameha were inferior to those of the conquerors of fame, it was because he had not Alexander's or Caesar's scope. At least he fought till he had no more worlds to conquer, and what he conquered he held till the dynasty expired. He is sometimes called the " Napoleon of the Pa cific," and like Napoleon he had unswerving faith in his destiny and his power to sway it. For though the union of eight small islands into one kingdom may appear a small achievement, as a matter of fact it was anything but easy. The islands had each their traditions of preeminence, and their inter-relations were controlled by furious jealousies. Intercourse for many generations al most ceased except for war. Even two generations ago the natives of the windward and the leeward islands could be distinguished by their dialect and even to-day the K's and L's of Oahu are distinguish able from the T's and E's of Lanai. Able soldiers and statesmen before Kamehameha had attempted the consolidation of the race, but all alike had failed. Even the wise Vancouver tried to dissuade Kamehameha from what he believed to be a dis- 12 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC astrous and Utopian enterprise. But the savage followed his stars to fortune and prevailed. King Kalakaua, an unbiased witness, inasmuch as he inaugurated a new line of rulers, passes the following judgment on his illustrious prede cessor : " Kamehameha was a man of tremendous phys ical and intellectual strength. In any land and in any age he would have been a leader. The impress of his mind remains with his crude and vigorous laws, and wherever he stepped is seen an imperish able track. He was so strong of limb that ordinary men were but children in his grasp, and in council the wisest yielded to his judgment. He seems to have been born a man and to have had no boyhood. He was always sedate and thoughtful, and from his earliest years cared for no sport or pastime that was not manly. He had a harsh and rugged face, less given to smiles than frowns, but strongly marked with lines indicative of self-reliance and changeless purpose. He was barbarous, unforgiving and merciless to his enemies, but just, sagacious and con siderate in dealing with his subjects. He was more feared than loved and respected; but his strength of arm and force of character well fitted him for the supreme chieftaincy of the group, and he accom plished what no one else could have done in his day." The extract does no more than justice to Kame- hameha's powers of body and mind. Indeed, dis tinguished as he was for bravery in an age of valour, it is his intellectual quality which gives him en during place in history. We may put him beside Fabius Maximus for his INTRODUCTION 13 invincible patience. " Unus homo cunctando resti- tuit rem," was said of Hannibal's great conqueror and of the conqueror of Kalanikapule and la haute noblesse of all Hawaii it may be said that not less by waiting than by fighting did he make a kingdom out of chaos. Something of the Hawaiian indiffer ence to time perhaps enabled Kamehameha to take defeat so easily and to retire so contentedly, like another Cincinnatus, to his patrimonial fields at Waipio, but without doubt also he stablished him self in faith, waiting for the fullness of time, — a faith the very reverse of common in barbarous societies. None knew as Kamehameha knew so to bear de feat as to make each repulse a step to completer victory. He might well have adopted the words of Coligni : " In one respect I may claim superiority over Alexander, over Scipio, over Csesar. They won great battles, it is true. I have lost four great battles ; and yet I shew to the enemy a more formi dable front than ever." Moreover, he knew when to strike and then struck hard. Like Napoleon, he could hurl his force at a given point with celerity and precision, and, once he had formed his plan, he suffered no obstacle to limit its success. Then, once more, Kamehameha had a singular genius for discerning the proper instruments for his undertakings. Many great men have ruined their work, either by assuming too large a share personally or by selecting unsuitable instruments. In each case the work fails to outlive the worker, even if he himself see not the ruin. We say, " Such and such a successful ruler had the good fortune to 14 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC be surrounded by such and such a brilliant galaxy of statesmen." The good fortune in reality was in the good sense and the keen faculty which chose the instruments aright. We shall see that the throne of Kamehameha had for pillars of support men who might easily have become his rivals, and that among all the chiefs of his day none was discarded save such as Kaiana whose untrustworthiness made assistance more a menace than a mainstay. As it was, few kings ever had an abler council, more conspicuous for courage in battle or for skill in the arts of government than he whose service enlisted men like Kalanimoku, Kameeiamoku and Keeauinoku and the English men, Young and Davis. Kamehameha, too, lived long enough after he had crushed opposition to his rule to show that he un derstood the consolidation no less than the estab lishment of a monarchy. For twenty-five years he governed Hawaii with steadily increasing skill, piloting the new Union through every kind of em broilment with the nationals who sought adventure and profit in his realm. Like William the Conqueror, he purposed to govern justly what he had won cruelly. If he was overstern to suppress, he undoubtedly spared the country misery which a weaker policy would have brought in full flood. So, looking at our hero as man rather than monarch, we need not deny him the title " Great." He could win victories over himself as well as over others. Perhaps greater than any triumph over rival chiefs was that over his weaker self when he broke free from the trammels of the foreigner's fire- INTRODUCTION 15 water and bade his countrymen imitate him and be saved. But enough has been said in these introductory words to suggest that at the foot of the statue of Kamehameha we need not muse merely of a perish ing race, as Gibbon mused on the Decline and Fall of Borne hard by the Temple of Jupiter. Not merely to the antiquarian, searching amid the sad ruins of a remnant for the ashes of romance; not merely to the historian, seeking here and there in ancient archives for iterated illustrations of mean ing in the human story; not merely to the lover of adventure and stirring incidents of warfare ; but to the student of man as man, the story of the first Kamehameha should possess interest and instruc tion. For heroism is of no age and of no race. It com pels the sympathy of all; and if this little sketch fail to show in the life of the Hawaiian monarch that touch of nature which makes the whole world kin, that quality of manhood which obliterates dis tinction of East and West, assuredly it is not the tale but the telling of it which must be blamed. n THE BIRTH AND BOYHOOD OF KAMEHAMEHA "Wherefore Merlin took the child, And gave him to Sir Anton, an old knight And ancient friend of Vther; and his wife Nurs'd the young prince, and rear'd him with her own; And no man knew." THE normal state of Hawaii a century and a half ago was that of war, so it can hardly be regarded as of special omen that at the time of Kamehameha's birth great preparations were proceeding for a campaign against the island of Maui. Yet the circumstance was appropriate, as was also the weather ; for, strange as it may seem with our conception of Hawaii as a Paradise " where never breeze blows roughly," on the Novem ber night when Kamehameha first drew breath, not only was the air filled with the shouts of men pre paring for battle but louder and shriller still rose the voice of a storm which made the night forever famous in history and presaged to those skilled in weather lore the advent to this world of a hero greater than his fellows. It was at Halawa, near Kohala, in the extreme north of the island of Hawaii, the largest island of the group, that on this stormy night in the month Ikuiwa, or November, somewhere between a. d. 16 BIRTH AND BOYHOOD OF KAMEHAMEHA 17 1736 and 1740, probably nearer the former than the latter date, that the cry of a new-born babe obtruded itself upon this strange world filled with the shouts of armed men and the sound of thunder and the wrestling winds. Alapainui, king of Hawaii, was staying at Kohala at the time, engaged in preparing his canoes and superintending the massing of troops for an attack on the adjacent isle of Maui. With him were two young princes, Keoua, the accepted father of Kame hameha, and Kalaniopuu, who afterwards became Moi, or king, instead of Alapainui. "Accepted father," we say ; for, though Keoua, or to give him his full name, Kalanikupuakeoua, was generally taken to be the father of the newly born prince, by his wife, the high-born princess Kekuiapuiwa II, there are circumstances which imply a different parentage. Indeed, the mystery which surrounded the birth of Arthur, when, in the dismal night, " a night in which the bounds of heaven and earth were lost," the naked babe came riding down the flaming waves and was borne to Merlin's feet, surrounded also the arrival of the Hawaiian prince upon this mortal stage. As men disputed, saying, " Here is Uther's heir," with others crying : "Away with him! No king of ours ! A son of Gorlois he, Or else the child of Anton, and no king, Or else base-born!" so it was with Kamehameha. All through life, while commonly reputed to be the child of Keoua, there were those who pointed to more distinguished lineage and to a father who was no other than the 18 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC famous king of Maui, Kahekili, in after years the chiefest obstacle to that winning of the monarchy upon which Kamehameha had set his heart. Kahe kili was one of like mould with himself, quick in deed to recognize the prowess of the younger man and to foresee his future fame, but holding out grimly and successfully until death. But, it will be asked, what is the evidence for this extraordinary story, a story which implies that father and son were rivals for long years together, spite of the knowledge, on the father's side at least, of the relationship? Historically, perhaps, the evidence is no way con clusive, but such as it is it may be presented as follows. First, no ordinary reader of Hawaiian history can fail to note the remarkable similarity in the characters of Kahekili and the subject of our sketch, and the more than ordinary interest, sometimes amounting to the grimmest pleasure, with which the former watched Kamehameha's exploits. Secondly, that same night in which Kamehameha was born he was stolen away from his mother's side by a Kohala chief named Naeole. There was bitter wailing in the house of Keoua, and all night long search was made for the kidnappers and the infant. For some time the search was vain but, when at last Naeole was found in possession of the child, instead of being punished with death, the usual and legal penalty for such a crime, he gave some mysterious explanation which left him the Jcahu, or nurse, of the prince until he was five years old. Thus, from the very beginning, Keoua forfeited claim to the education of his reputed son, and there is reason to BIRTH AND BOYHOOD OF KAMEHAMEHA 19 believe that in the whole transaction Naeole was acting as the agent of Kahekili. Thirdly, more cogent perhaps is the fact that no sooner did the news of Kamehameha's birth reach the court of the king of Maui than that chief sent Kameeiamoku and Kamanawa, his two half- brothers, the twin sons of his father Kekaulike, to Hawaii with orders to act as Kamehameha's guard ians, — a step inexplicable unless dictated by pa rental interest. The service rendered by the two famous ambassadors for many subsequent years, in fact till Kamehameha had completed the union of the islands, is a remarkable testimony to the personal concern they felt with regard to him. For him they watched the course of events, for him they plotted, for him they fought. They roused him from apathy, encouraged him in defeat, followed him in victory, counselled him in difficulty, and afforded a lifelong and magnificent example of heroic constancy and unswerving faith. For these reasons, and perhaps most of all for the general concurrence on the point of the Hawaiian traditions, it is not fanciful to hold that Kame hameha was the son of Kahekili rather than of Keoua. It may be urged that Vancouver speaks of Kahekili in 1793 as a man about sixty years old, which would make him only three or four years older than his son. But the instances are numerous in which foreigners failed completely to estimate aright the age of natives, and we know from other sources that, at the time to which Vancouver re ferred, Kahekili was at least eighty and so twenty- three or four at the date of Kamehameha's birth. Let us remember too that we are dealing with a 20 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC society which used two words for " father," one de noting the real parent, the other the legal parent or husband of the mother. In any case, with a claim to two fathers, Kame hameha had an unusual supply of " nurses," and these evidently regarded themselves as charged with duties of special responsibility. For five years the child remained in the house of his kidnapper, Naeole. At the expiration of this term he was transferred to the court of Alapainui, there to be educated as befitted a prince of the high est rank. The change was probably coincident with the rites attendant upon a boy's promotion from the hale noa to the hale mua, that is, when he was sepa rated from the women, forbidden any longer to eat with them, and allowed for the future to eat kapu food, such as bananas, pork and squid. It was an important epoch in a boy's life. A hog was baked for the gods, its head cut off and laid upon the altar of Lono, and one ear deposited in the calabash sus pended around Lono's neck. After this bananas and cocoanuts were offered, and the child's father pro nounced a long invocation to the gods, partaking at the same time of a little of the consecrated food. Then the service concluded and a general feast was held on the sacrifice. From this time onwards the boy lived his life among the men. Though we are told that Kamehameha had no boyhood, we are sure from his subsequent career and his skill in all manly exercises that he loved the sports which constituted the training of an Hawai ian chief. We are, in fact, taken back to the at mosphere of the old Greek life when the budding warriors gathered BIRTH AND BOYHOOD OF KAMEHAMEHA 21 ' ' to hurl the distant dart, The quoit to toss, th' ponderous mace to wield, To Urge the race, to wrestle on the field. ' ' Alapainui assigned him for an instructor the fa mous warrior Kekuhaupio, a chief who accom panied his pupil through many moving adventures. And it was for adventures, especially those of war, that Kamehameha was trained. The games of his boyhood were not games such as konane, or draughts, only fit for old men past the use of war; or puhenehene, when men had only to sit in a circle and guess the whereabouts of a bit of stone hidden under a mat ; rather were they games which gave earnest of the danger and excitement of the battle-field. There were wrestling and foot-races, popular to youth in every land. There was mokumoku, or box ing, a sport governed by fixed rules and never fail ing to attract crowds of ardent partisans, though the combatants were often left dead upon the field. More characteristic of Hawaii was the sport called maika, in which a highly polished disk of stone or lava was bowled along a track sometimes half a mile in length. There was also the holua, a game in which a narrow sledge, fourteen or fifteen feet long, was used in sliding down a steep, smooth hillside. He who by strength or skill in maintaining his equi librium travelled the furthest was declared the vic tor. It was deemed a sport for the gods and one of the thrilling legends of Hawaii tells of the contest between Kahavali, the chief of Puna, and Pele, the volcano goddess, — a contest ending in a fearful lava-flow which devastated the island of Hawaii. 22 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Still another game was pahe. The pahe was a blunt kind of dart, from one to five feet long, made of heavy wood, which was hurled along a level floor some sixty yards long and between a certain num ber of upright pegs three or four inches apart. It was a laborious game under the hot sun of Hawaii; yet the boy Kamehameha might have been seen at the sport hour after hour, while the yells of the ex cited multitude and the beating of drums roused the excitement of the contestants to the highest pitch. But the prince of all sports was the surf-swim ming. It has always possessed a fascination for the natives of Polynesia, in spite of the danger from the sharks. Almost from the cradle the children are amphibious and early learn the use of the papa he nalu, or " wave-sliding board." This is generally a piece of plank, almost flat, five or six feet long and a foot wide, stained quite black, oiled after use and preserved with the greatest care. With this as the sole equipment, men, women and children go forth to ride the billows. The higher the sea, the better they like it. Swimming out from the shore, diving under the billows as they go, they watch the ap proach of the largest wave. Then, poising them selves on the topmost edge, paddling with hands and feet, they ride shorewards on the foaming crest, till just as the wave breaks on the rocks with the noise of thunder they slip from their board and dive back beneath the water. The greatest address was necessary to maintain a position on the wave, yet so expert were the swimmers that they could change their position as they rode and even stand upright on the surf -board, as on the very manes of the horses of the sea. Kamehameha was a great adept and BIRTH AND BOYHOOD OF KAMEHAMEHA 23 loved surf -swimming almost next to war. Even in his old age he maintained a reputation for skill in this daring and exhilarating exercise. Above all sports, however, Kamehameha loved the hard training of a man of war. He could have had no better military instructor than Kekuhaupio, one of the foremost warriors of the day. Under this teacher the young prince became expert not only in hurling spears at the smallest mark but, what was no less important, also in catching the darts which were hurled at him. So dexterous was he in this, that on one occasion Vancouver saw as many as eight spears thrown at the king at once. Three of these he caught, three more he warded off, and the remainder he escaped by quick motions of his body. In connection with the dedication of a temple it was customary in the evening for the king to go fishing, taking the idol with him, and, on his return, for a man to hurl a spear at him from the shore. Gener ally, of course, this was a sham; but in Kame hameha's case nothing but the reality was deemed satisfactory. The king, moreover, never failed to catch the spear. With exercises such as these both pupil and peda gogue were fully occupied, and if pupil rarely had more competent a teacher, teacher certainly never had more willing and precocious a scholar. in KAMEHAMEHA'S FIRST TASTE OF WAR "Continuo nova lux oculis effulsit, et arma Horrendum sonuere: tremunt in vertice cristae Sanguineae, clypeoque micantia fulgura mittit." IT was unnecessary for Kamehameha to play at war very long, for the real thing, with all its horror, soon appeared, with abundant prospect of long continuance, when the young chief attained his manhood. If we must make here a little excur sion into somewhat tedious details of Hawaiian his tory, let it be remembered in extenuation that it is necessary to establish the proper starting point for our hero's career. We have seen that, at the time of Kamehameha's birth, Alapainui' was engaged in an expedition against Maui. He took with him Keoua, the legal father of Kamehameha. But this time no fighting took place in Maui, for they found the old king Kekaulike, father of Kahekili, dead, and after see ing the dead king's bones safely concealed, accord ing to custom, in the Iao Valley, and witnessing the proclamation of his own nephew, Kamehamehanui, as king of Maui, Alapainui made peace, joined his forces to those of Maui and set off for the relief of Molokai, then holding out, as best it could, against the king of Oahu. Here, at least, was no lack of fighting, and a memorable and bloody battle took place near Ka- 24 KAMEHAMEHA'S FIRST TASTE OF WAR 25 wela. The Oahu troops, under their king, Kapiio- hokolani, made a fierce and obstinate resistance to the Hawaiian army, but in the end were routed with tremendous slaughter. The extent of the car nage may still be estimated when the strong north wind sweeps over the famous battle-field, and, lift ing up the mantle of sand, discloses bones bleached by a hundred and fifty years' alternate burial and exposure. Alapainui did not stay to annex Molokai, but, leaving the local chiefs in possession of their rights, sailed north to achieve if possible the conquest of Oahu. Here, however, his good fortune failed him. The chiefs of Oahu, now fighting for their native soil, held out against the invader till the arrival of a powerful ally in the person of Peleioholani, king of Kauai, an island still further to the north. Face to face with this adversary, Alapainui was glad to avail himself of the good offices of his two attendant chiefs, Kalaniopuu and Keoua, to arrange a meet ing with Peleioholani. At this meeting, alone and unarmed, the two kings concluded a peace recogniz ing each other's rights and spheres of influence. Soon after, Alapainui, baffled in his schemes, re turned with his fleet to Hawaii. The very next year, however, the two sovereigns met again, this time in full clash of arms. Peleio holani was the aggressor, for he had interfered in the affairs of Maui by inciting Kauhi to rebel against his half-brother, Kamehamehanui. Alapai nui at once went to the assistance of his nephew and desperate fighting raged for two days north of La- haina. Then at last Kauhi was defeated and, it is said, drowned by order of the conqueror. The two 26 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC kings met on the battle-field and agreed to draw off their respective forces to Kauai and Hawaii, leav ing Kamehamehanui in his rather insecure position as king of Maui. Molokai was left to Oahu and Alapainui returned to his home with no new posses sion added to his dominions as the fruit of victory. From this there was comparative peace for twelve or fourteen years, in fact till 1752, but the domestic history of Hawaii during this period is not without its bearings on the story of Kamehameha. In the above-mentioned wars of Alapainui the young chief had fleshed his maiden sword, and it was with reluctance that he returned to cultivate the arts of peace. Soon after his return, however, his father, Keoua, died. The cause of death is wrapped in mystery. Some say Alapainui had a hand in it, by the use of poison or by anaana (pray ing to death), which in many cases was much the same. The justice of the charge must remain unde termined. What is certain, however, is that the " nurses " of Kamehameha believed, or pretended to believe, that the life of their charge was in danger ; so they persuaded Kalaniopuu to attempt a second abduction. Kalaniopuu consented, sent a war-canoe round to an appointed place, and, accompanied by a few trusted followers, went himself by land to Piopio, to the house of the deceased Keoua. He found the customary wailing for the dead proceed ing and, taking advantage of the distraction of the mourners, endeavoured to remove the young Kame hameha. The purpose, however, was perceived and frustrated, and it turned out well for him that he had sent the war-canoe round to meet him, for the assembled chiefs regarded his attempt as an act of KAMEHAMEHA'S FIRST TASTE OF WAR 27 open rebellion and would undoubtedly have slain him had he fallen into their hands. Plunged into this war, it was easier for Kalani opuu to go through than to go back. Forces were gathered on both sides and a civil war commenced which did not cease till 1754, when Alapainui left his kingdom and his troubles to his son, Keaweo pala. Under these circumstances, the intermission was but brief, and as soon as the rites over the bones of Alapainui were completed the flame burst out again and blazed most furiously. Fuel was sup plied by a chief who afterwards became one of Kamehameha's most conspicuous supporters and counsellors, Keeaumoku, surnamed " The crab of the evening," a man who may with justice be called the " Warwick " or " Kingmaker " of Hawaii. The division of lands which followed on the death of a high chief was always a source of discord and on this occasion Keeaumoku was so dissatisfied with his share that he rose in open rebellion against Kea weopala. He was defeated, but soon after, joining his forces with those of Kalaniopuu, he entered the district of Kona and gave battle to the royal troops. The fight lasted several days, and indeed seemed likely only to end with the extinction of one or other of the opposing parties. As when Israel fought with Amalek Moses kept his arms extended in prayer until the defeat of the foe was assured, so in this battle the conflict was prolonged by the prayers of Kaakau, the priest of Keaweopala. Then by the advice of Kalaniopuu's priest, Kaakau was singled out and slain and from the moment of his fall victory inclined to the side of the rebels. Kea weopala was slain and Keeaumoku made his d6but 28 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC as Kingmaker by proclaiming on the field of battle Kalaniopuu as the sovereign of the island of Ha waii. The conqueror was of the ancient line of Pili and was of a warlike and restless disposition, but for a while he contented himself with the consolidation of his power, reorganizing the government, promoting agriculture, building canoes and collecting arms in readiness for wars which were still to come. Then, perhaps as much to give employment to the ardent spirits around him as to please himself, he began to plan in earnest the conquest of the east ern half of Maui. It was about 1759 that he sailed with a great fleet, landed in the Hana district and took possession of the country commanded by the famous fortress of Kauwiki. " Lofty Kauwiki," as the place is called in the Chant of Kualii, is a prominent hill overlooking the harbour of Hana and is memorable in legend as the residence of Hinaia- kamalama, the mother of Maui. Here, at the base of the great extinct volcano of Haleakala, " House of the Sun," Kalaniopuu found a natural fortress which, amid many fluctuations of fortune, he was able to hold for many years. It was taken at last by Kahekili, brother of Kamehamehanui, and, as we have assumed, father of Kamehameha, about 1782, by cutting off the water supply. The garrison, after desperate efforts to break through the lines of the besiegers, finally capitulated. In spite of this sub mission, they were slain and their bodies baked in the great oven, or imu loa, as sacrifices to the gods. But we are anticipating. The war of Kapalipilo, as the conquest of Hana by the Hawaiian army un der Kalaniopuu was called, continued till 1765, KAMEHAMEHA'S FIRST TASTE OF WAR 29 when Kamehamehanui, king of Maui, died suddenly at Wailuku. His bones were disposed of in the usual manner, the customary mourning was ob served, and Kahekili reigned in his stead, establish ing his court on the other side of the island at La- haina. Meanwhile, Keeaumoku, " the evening crab," had wearied of allegiance to Kalaniopuu, had rebelled and experienced defeat. Escaping from Hawaii, he arrived at Lahaina with a handsomely equipped war-canoe, just as Kahekili was holding his court. The coming of the stranger made quite a sensation in the court, for no more than the slightest glance was needed to recognize an alii. Tall and stately, about thirty years old, with hair and beard cropped close, his head bound round with yellow kapa, his feather mantle on his ample shoulders, malo round his loins, and palaoa, or ivory emblem of chiefhood, around his neck, his presence could scarcely fail to impress. Let us note this man well, for to him in after years Kamehameha owed not only his crown but also the best-loved of all his wives, the beautiful and romantic Kaahumanu. At the court of Kahekili, where the exiled chief after this defeat was now made welcome, lived the comely Namahana, widow of the late king Kame hamehanui. To her, in defiance of the royal eti quette and of the dictates of prudence, the courtly stranger paid his addresses. So well did he woo the illustrious widow that ere long, and without con sulting the king, Namahana gave Keeaumoku her hand and heart. Now in far more civilized communities than Ha- 30 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC waii such an act would have been construed as a step towards usurpation. We have a precedent in the Old Testament where Adonijah, the son of David, ventured to ask for Abishag, the Shunam- mite, as his wife. The request was immediately re garded and punished as treason. Even so appeared the unceremonious love-making of Keeaumoku to Kahekili. Moreover, the king had intended Nama hana to be his own wife and was only waiting for the proper period of mourning to terminate. Her haste, therefore, seemed to him the more indecent and Keeaumoku's offense the more rank. Thus, for the third time, " the Kingmaker " be came embroiled with his feudal superior and would very likely have expiated his temerity with his life had not Namahana fled with him to her own estates at Waihae. Here the queen-mother was popular enough to laugh at Kahekili, who, moreover, had not been long upon the throne and did not deem it prudent to disturb her peace . But the crafty chief was only biding his time, and when he heard that Keeaumoku was living in such regal style that his designs on the throne could no longer be misunderstood, he knew that a suitable opportunity for interference would not long be de layed. The occasion came without need for Kahe kili to show his hand, and he had only to take ad vantage of the jealousy of a neighbouring chief. This chief, Kahanana by name, he persuaded to at tack Keeaumoku, with the result that the offending lovers were forced to flee to Molokai. Once in Molo kai, Kahekili had no scruple as to following them, and at once invaded the island with a large host. Keeaumoku did his best to resist the attack, but in KAMEHAMEHA'S FIRST TASTE OF WAR 31 the sea fight which formed the most striking episode of the campaign he was defeated disastrously and once again sought refuge by flight. Between two enemies, once his friends but now the victims of his fickleness, he chose to throw himself upon the clem ency of Kalaniopuu, whose wrongs were not so re cent as those of Kahekili. The Hawaiian permitted him to be received courteously by Mahihelelima, the governor of Hana, and here, within the protecting walls of the fortress of Kauwiki, he remained. But with such ignoble peace the restless warrior was by no means content. He spent his days dream ing of campaigns to come. He made spears and built canoes. Like Alfred of England in the en forced idleness of the swineherd's hut, he fretted for action. So life went on till 1768, when courage re turned with opportunity. The opportunity was the presentation to him by Namahana of a daughter. In days to come this daughter was to exercise author ity in Hawaii such as no woman had ever wielded before. She was to become the wife of Kame hameha, the regent of the kingdom, the destroyer of the gods, the temples and the tabus. A century after men would look back to the happiest times the land had known and talk of them as the " days of Kaa- humanu." All this was as yet " on the knees of the gods," but the great things in store for the baby chief were predicted, it is said, by her being born with a yellow feather in her mouth. Much more was predicted not many years later by the aged seer Keaulumoku, who also encouraged the fickle father to attach him self definitely to the rising star of Kamehameha. Now at last we come upon events wherein the 32 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC name of Kamehameha figures as an active pai'tici- pant in the story of the time. In the year 1775 the war between Maui and Hawaii once more burst forth. Kalaniopuu still held Kauwiki, in the dis trict of Hana, and from this stronghold made irri tating and devastating sorties into the dominions of Kahekili, laying waste the fields of Kaupo and re ducing to misery the people who were totally unpre pared for such excursions. This expedition is known as the " Kalaehohoha " from the fact that the prisoners were beaten cruelly about the head with the war-clubs of the victors. Such conduct as this could ill be brooked by the pas sionate Kahekili, who was, metaphorically if not lit erally, as sore-headed as any of his subjects. Mus tering his forces he lost no time in avenging the in sult. With such fury and effect did he attack Kal aniopuu that the Hawaiians were utterly routed and but a bare remnant effected their escape to the friendly shelter of Kauwiki. The gloom of defeat was broken for Kalaniopuu by the valour of two men of whom honourable men tion is made in the legends of the time. These were Kekuhaupio and his pupil, Kame hameha, who before they were compelled to retire performed prodigies of valour. Kamehameha was the Ajax of the fight, and his towering bulk and un erring spear made a lasting impression on the minds of his adversaries. Among the notable feats of this day, so far the most memorable in his career, was the saving of his teacher from the hand of Kahekili. If it be true that this battle was potentially the " Sohrab and T&ustem" tragedy of the Pacific, father and son KAMEHAMEHA'S FIRST TASTE OF WAR 33 fighting together for the mastery, the gallantry of the son, all unconscious of his parentage, in de fense of Kekuhaupio, goes far towards shedding a gentler light upon the savage scene. IV PREPARING FOR THE STRUGGLE "There be thirty chosen prophets, The wisest of the land, Who always by Lars Porsena Both morn and evening stand." KALANIOPUU was so weakened by the re verse described in the last chapter that he determined to return to Hawaii, as the Titans returned to their mother earth, to repair his exhausted forces. This time he decided not to court failure by underestimating his enemies' strength, and all his chiefs, Kamehameha included, were kept busy throughout the year. Never before had such a mustering of troops and canoes been seen. Never had court been so completely transformed into a camp. At the head of the army, now reorganized and divided into brigades, was a regiment of life guards drawn from members of the royal family. Just below these were two fine brigades composed of nobles who had the right to eat at the king's table. Next came six army corps of the finest warriors of Hawaii, all perfectly drilled and splendidly armed. Such a force did not spell defeat, but to make as surance doubly sure and to satisfy both priests and people, Kalaniopuu availed himself of resources spiritual as well as material. In the first place, 34 PREPARING FOR THE STRUGGLE 35 Holoae, the priest who in an earlier battle had cir cumvented the incantations of Kaaukau, was set to work with his fellow divines to use all spells in his possession for the discomfiture of Maui. As Balak, king of Moab, sent for Balaam to work the ruin of Israel, so sent Kalaniopuu for Holoae to overcome by sorcery the might of Maui. In addition he exerted himself to put in good re pair the temples of the gods. He was determined that no slighted deity should take advantage of the impending campaign to avenge a neglected shrine. So, to the great satisfaction of the kahunas, the heiaus at Kahaluu and at Kailua, in the Kona dis trict, were thoroughly restored. One god received special attention and, as this deity in years to come played no unimportant part as the war-god of Kamehameha, we may as well make his acquaintance at once. This was Ku-Jcaili-moku, sufficiently designated as Kaili, a veritable Moloch, the favourite war-god of the Hawaiian kings from the days of Liloa, in a. d. 1460, and possibly long before. Kaili was a wooden or wickerwork idol, covered with red feathers, with eyes of mother-of- pearl, and a wide, gaping mouth rendered hideous with rows of sharks' teeth. His shrieks, it is said, could be heard above the din of battle and the imagi nation of the Hawaiians rose to the belief that Kaili might be seen riding above the sea of death, like a bloodthirsty demon of the war. Had all these preparations been confined to the side of Kalaniopuu doubtless the course of history in the islands had been materially deflected, but Kahekili met the friendly attentions of his neigh bours with preparations not inferior to their own. 36 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Not to be outdone spiritually, he in turn looked about for a Balaam to curse his foes and from Oahu obtained the services of a priest who was at least the equal of Holoae. This was a notable wizard, named Kaleopuupuu, the ex-high priest of Peleioholani. Since the death of that chief the priest had been out of employment, but he now appeared to be the very man needed to curse the invaders. Of most distin guished lineage, since he was descended from the foreign priests who were brought to Oahu by Pau- makua seven hundred years before, this formidable sorcerer easily persuaded Kahekili to imitate Kal aniopuu by putting in order all the heiaus in his jurisdiction. He was assured in return that the Hawaiians would be snared like fishes in a net. " When Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war " ; with such kings as Kalaniopuu and Kahekili and such priests as Holoae and Kaleopuupuu, it was certain that the struggle to ensue would be worthy to be recorded in the annals of the land. While the canoes of Kalaniopuu are proceeding with their prows towards Maui let us take advan tage of the opportunity to describe briefly some of the more conspicuous features of Hawaiian war fare. In the calendar, the months from January to June were the legal war months, but so far as ap pears, the chiefs were not over-scrupulous about ex tending their operations into the closed season. When a war was planned, the first thing was to send out heralds, or lunapais, to summon the chiefs to meet their overlord. Every chief brought with him his tenants, and every tenant his weapons, a sup ply of candle-nuts for torches, calabashes of water PREPARING FOR THE STRUGGLE 37 and stores of dried fish or other provisions. Occa sionally, another officer, known as uluoki, was des patched a little later to hunt up stragglers and slackers, arrest them, slit their ears and bring them back ignoniiniously to the camp with a rope around their loins. There was, however, seldom need to em ploy the uluoki, since the alacrity of the Hawaiian for war rarely needed any spur. The lunapai trav elled with such speed that he was able, so it is said, to complete the circuit of the island of Hawaii, a distance of three hundred miles, over mountains and gorges, with the delays necessary for him to de liver his summons, in the space of eight or nine days. A war might be either a war of courtesy or a war of devastation. In the former case, the hostile chiefs were formally challenged and all details, such as place of landing and field of battle, arranged beforehand ; in the latter case, it was obviously im portant to keep all plans as secret as possible and to give the foe no advantage. When the war conches sounded thousands of men flocked together from areas whence only hundreds could be drawn to-day. The priests then consulted the auguries and, if these were found auspicious, the preparations went on apace. For the most part the warriors went into battle naked but for the malo around the loins, or perhaps with a piece of kapa, or native cloth, bound about the head. They bore for weapons the long spear, or pololo, sixteen or twenty feet long, and used to hurl at the yet distant foe ; the javelin, or ihe, made of kauila wood, six or eight feet long, and used at close quarters ; the laau palau, or halbert, used either for thrusting or strik- 38 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC ing^ the pahoa, or knife, a formidable weapon sharp ened at each end, the handle being in the middle ; the war club of hard wood, used by skillful hands with fearful effect; the sling, made from human hair or the fibre of the cocoanut, from which stones of a pound weight could be discharged with won derful accuracy; the battle-axe, made of lava from the summit of Maunakea or Haleakala ; and daggers of great variety of size and shape, edged perhaps with bits of flint or, worse still, with sharks' teeth. Bows and arrows were only used in sport, for the purpose of killing mice or birds. Shields and pro tective armour of any kind were scorned by these warriors, who trusted to dexterity of hand and agility of body to evade the darts of the enemy. The troops were headed by their chiefs, who were distinguishable from the rest not only by their greater stature but by the ivory clasp, and the hel met and cloak of yellow feathers. The arrangement of the army varied with the nature of the ground and with the plan of the commander. As a rule, there was a centre, commanded by the king in per son, and right and left wings, officered by the high est and ablest chiefs. In the forefront went the priests, bearing the gods, whom they invoked with prayers and cantillations loud and long, while other priests concerned themselves with the enemy, using the bitterest sneers, insults and provocations to the fight. As with all primitive peoples, the " taunt- song " was an important prelude to the actual fight ing, and a battle of invective raged until the voices of the kahunas ceased from hoarseness, or until the impatience of the excited warriors refused any longer to be restrained. PREPARING FOR THE STRUGGLE 39 The battle was generally in the open field, some times, as has been already said, by mutual arrange ment. Strategy was seldom practiced, and the am bush was regarded as an act of detestable treachery. When the priests at length ceased their grimaces and yells in front of the enemy, the slingers ad vanced, and a deadly hail of stones and spears com menced. The first victim was called lehua and the exultant victor would tear from the corpse a lock of hair and raise it aloft with shouts of " He oho" " A frontlet." The whole host would respond " He oho, He oho." Then, as Achilles dragged the slain Hec tor round the walls of Troy, the Hawaiian con queror would drag his heana to the heiau, or temple, to be sacrificed as an ulukoko, i. e., " increasing blood." Similarly, the second sacrifice was maka- wai, "face of water," and the third helua oni, " sand-dug." No quarter was given or expected. Even those who escaped from the battle-field were hunted down and beaten to death, or baked alive in the huge ovens made for the purpose. The slain were muti lated and left unburied, but in the case of chiefs the teeth and bones were collected by the victors as trophies, as highly esteemed as the scalps of an In dian brave. Some chiefs carried about with them in their baggage the bones of the alii whom they had killed in battle. Behind the army followed the women, with food and water to refresh the hungry and thirsty com batants. Not infrequently they also took part in the fray, fighting beside their brothers and hus bands and sharing all the risks of combat. When the last champions of idolatry fought against 40 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Kamehameha II, Manona, the wife of Kekuokalani, transformed herself from a camp follower into a warrior, and in the end, with a bullet through her forehead, fell lifeless upon the corpse of her hus band. A truce was arranged, when desired, through a messenger who bore a branch of ki, or ti, plant, and was universally respected. If a more durable armi stice was required, the leaders met in the temple and wove together a wreath from branches of the fragrant maile. When the wreath was finished ier- alds were sent out to announce the news over the countryside. Such was the general conduct of war at the time of which we speak. More we shall learn as we pro ceed, but these few details will enable us to follow the account of the great battle of the Sand-hills which marks the year 1778 and brings into more conspicuous place the military prowess of Kame hameha. THE BATTLE OF THE SAND-HILLS "So roll the billoivs to th' Icarian shore, From east and south when winds begin to roar, Burst their dark mansions in the clouds, and sweep The whitening surface of the ruffled deep. And as on corn when western gusts descend, Before the blast the lofty harvests bend: Thus o'er the field the moving host appears, With nodding plumes and groves of waving spears." THE island of Maui is shaped like a lady's bust, with the face turned towards the west and slightly inclined to the south. The face is represented by the mountain mass of Eke, rising to its culminating point where the ear should be, and from that point sending out valleys in every direction like the radii of a circle. Chief among these valleys is the famous Iao Valley, which runs from the ear of the bust to the neck. The other portion, corresponding to the breast and shoulder, is entirely occupied by the great extinct volcano of Haleakala, the largest crater in the world. It is difficult to convey any idea of this enormous cone of lava, once the peculiar chosen home of Pele and all her kindred deities, now the gathering place of their ghosts in chariots of driv ing mist and cloud. The " House of the Sun " rises to a height of 10,000 feet, clothed with dense thick ets of tangled shrubs and creepers. To the climber who has attained the topmost ridge five islands of the archipelago are visible below, through streamers of cloud, while beneath his feet on the one side 41 42 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC yawns the awful abyss where once Pele and her companions tilted at one another with lances of fire, and rode the fiery surges as mortals ride the surf of the sea. Seven miles across is the now desolate and empty cup, while the steep sides of black volcanic sand stretch downward to a depth of at least two thousand feet. Boiling through the Koolau gap pour the leagued battalions of cloud spectres, some times filling the crater till nothing but a mist cal dron lies before the eyes and the light of the sun is blotted out. But when they chase one another forth again, flying to the south through the gap of Kaupo, you may see, like ant-hills, the sixteen cones of sand, of which the least is some six hundred feet in height. Now imagine yourself somewhere on the slope of this terrific mountain, at Makawao, for instance, and you may have as fine a view of the battle of the Sand-hills as could anywhere be obtained. But we must go back for a moment to our illus tration of the bust. Eke, as we have said, makes a shapely head; Haleakala the bust itself, with the point of the breast just below Makena. Between the two is a neck of lower land, with Kahului Bay forming the nape of the neck and Maalaea Bay the hollow of the throat. The isthmus is a belt of sand hills, across which, when the trade-winds blow, you can watch the sand-pillars march like twisted col umns from some Moorish palace moving along in weird procession. Near the back of the neck at the opening of the Iao Valley is the town of Wailuku, where in this year 1776, at the time of Kalaniopuu's invasion, Kahekili was holding court. Resuming our station on the slopes of Haleakala, THE BATTLE OF THE SAND HILLS 43 and fixing the position of the court of the king of Maui, we may cast our eyes along the contour of the throat and breast of the island and see the coast suddenly become alive with the canoes and warriors of Kalaniopuu. They lined the whole shore, some landing at Makena, some proceeding to points further north. So sudden and so general was the incursion that no resistance was thought of by the poor fisher-folk and peasantry of the district of Honoaula. But the wily Kahekili was by no means asleep, though it was early in the morning when the Ha- waiians effected their landing. Kalaniopuu, eager to follow up his initial success and deceived by the apparent inaction of the foe, listened to the war-cry of his warriors, " On to Wailuku ! " and resolved to gratify their ardour. Possibly the enemy was to be caught napping and the funnel mouth of the Iao Valley occupied without opposition. Success in this would mean the destruction of Kahekili's army. So Kalaniopuu selected from his nine brigades one which he deemed invincible. It was the famous Alapa regiment, eight hundred men, of whom every one was a noble familiar for deeds of daring to the College of Heralds. As this band of heroes marched swiftly across the isthmus, over what is now the Waikapu common, they would have made from our vantage point a dazzling sight, eight hundred war riors, all of equal height, with weapons of equal length, feather cloaks streaming in the wind, plumed helmets flashing back the rays of the morn ing sun, and dusky bodies gleaming among the scanty vegetation of the sand-hills. Not even on the plains of Troy was ever witnessed a braver sight. 44 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Still they marched, encountering no opposition, and it was not till they reached the very outskirts of Wailuku that they discovered Kahekili's readiness to receive them. Then the astute old warrior fell upon the Alapa brigade with troops from every quar ter, and, with neither power nor desire to flee, the Hawaiians prepared to sell their lives as dearly as possible. Well may the historians speak of this as the Balaclava of Hawaii, but it was more costly than the original which gave the English Light Brigade undying fame. For only two men got back to the canoes to tell the news to Kalaniopuu. Of the rest the victors caught but one alive to sacrifice at the heiau, and even he disappointed his captors by dy ing of his wounds. There was bitter wailing in the Hawaiian camp. Seldom had such a galaxy of heroes thronged the dim halls of Milu as on the day when the " Eight Hundred" fell, with their faces to the foe. Yet when the dismal news was brought to Kalaniopuu at Kiheipukua by the two survivors, with that power of swift decision for which he was noted, he at once called together a council of his highest chiefs. Whether Kamehameha was invited to this council or not it is impossible to ascertain. Probably he was there, for he was now nearly forty years old and already experienced in war. Among those who were present to our knowledge were several whose names loom large as Kamehameha's friends and counsel lors. There was the tutor, Kekuhaupio, who was son-in-law to the priest Holoae ; Keawemauhili, the king's half brother, famous afterwards in the story of Kamehameha both as enemy and ally; the two THE BATTLE OF THE SAND-HILLS 45 half brothers of Kahekili, Kameeiamoku and Kama- nawa, who had come to Hawaii as Kamehameha's nurses ; Naeole, who had kidnapped our hero on the night of his birth ; and many others, including many of Kalaniopuu's sons and relatives. It was not doubtful that the alternatives were a speedy retreat or a rapid advance of the entire army. Naturally enough, the general opinion was that Kalaniopuu should move upon Wailuku at once and overpower the Maui king by force of numbers. So once again the Waikapu common was covered with soldiers, and once again the cry " On to Wai luku!" was heard on every side. This time, how ever, Kahekili changed his tactics. Large reinforce ments had just arrived from Oahu, under their king Kahanana, and with these distributed among the sand-hills, and his own force near the Waikapu stream, the Maui chief did not hesitate to engage the enraged warriors of Hawaii. Once more the battle raged over the plain. Chiefs scoured the field in search of fitting antagonists and around them fought their retainers in compact masses. Promi nent in the melee were the savage features and the stentorian voice of Kamehameha. "In arms intrepid, with the first he fought, Faced every foe and every danger sought ; His winged lanee, resistless as the wind, Obeys each motion of the master's mind; Restless it flies, impatient to be free, And meditates the distant enemy." But even valour such as his (and the legends are full of prodigious acts of bravery performed) was 46 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC unavailing in the invader's cause this day. Kahe- kili's men were fighting, not for plunder but for home and native land, and they fought as men who would not own defeat. Yet it seemed as little likely that their opponents would yield, as they strove to avenge the destruction of the Alapa brigade. So the stubborn fight went on, till the plain from the Kealia salt marsh almost to Wailuku was covered with hillocks of slain and each army was ready to faint with exhaustion. "So fought each host, with thirst of glory fired, And crowds on crowds triumphantly expired." At last, as night closed in, Kalaniopuu's enfeebled remnant fled coastward and the victors had lost so many warriors that they had neither heart nor strength for any lengthened pursuit. But Kalaniopuu knew well enough that the res pite was but temporary, so once more the council was summoned, this time to consider measures for terminating the now hopeless contest. The first idea was to send Kalaniopuu's wife, Kalola, who had the advantage of being also Kahekili's sister, and might be supposed to have influence with her brother. But the lady firmly declined, urging that as the war was one of devastation and not of cour tesy her life would scarcely be safe. She was, how ever, willing to suggest other emissaries and her authority as a high chief was such that at last the king agreed to send his son and heir, Kiwalao, ac companied by the two royal half brothers, Kameeia- moku and Kamanawa. We may be sure that it was with; much trepidation and many forebodings that the three chiefs, attended THE BATTLE OF THE SAND-HILLS 47 by the heralds, passed through the outposts of the Maui army and approached the dwelling of Kahe kili. The etiquette of access to a high chief was at any time complicated and rigid, and it would be par ticularly so in the case of a defeated invader. For the slightest offense of the kind death was the pen alty. It was death to cross the king's shadow; death to enter the inclosure unbidden ; death to re main standing even when the king's name was men tioned in a song. However, the three ambassadors were respect fully received at the gate by the soldiers, who pros trated themselves after the Hawaiian manner. They were then allowed to enter the inclosure, Kiwalao wearing the ivory clasp and all other insignia of his rank, while the two attendant chiefs bore his kahili, or feather standard, and his spittoon calabash. What would be their reception? Would the verdict be life or death? It must have been great relief, not only to the envoys but also to the spectators, when Kahekili, who, Hawaiian fashion, knowing no mean between strenuous activity and lazy self-indulgence, was ly ing stretched upon a couch of kapa, turned over on his back face upward. The diviners and all others who stood near knew this to be a sign of clemency, for the Hawaiian chiefs were unwilling, like mod ern judges, to waste time and breath in elaborate summing up of evidence and were wont to declare the royal decision by some not too violent change of position. " Iluna ke alo," — " face upwards," was as infallible a sign of grace as the opposite position, " Halo ke alo," was of inexorable wrath. Even so, but with more display of enthusiasm, the Roman in 48 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC the amphitheatre declared his royal will by turning back the thumb. Whether Kiwalao anticipated this action or no, he had at least learned a good lesson from past Hawaiian history. He remembered, doubtless, the story of Umi, the peasant prince of Hawaii, and how, desirous of forcing his father Liloa to recog nize his kinship, he adopted the risky device of over leaping the royal inclosure, fighting his way through the guards and flinging himself uncere moniously into the lap of the dozing monarch. It was a kill-or-cure method, and in Umi's case it worked a cure, restoring him to the status of a king's son. Possibly Kiwalao bethought himself of this ancient precedent, for on entering the house he went straight to Kahekili's couch, sat down in the royal lap, and commenced the customary salutation and wailing. For Hawaiians use their blood-curd ling " auwe " not only to give vent to grief, but also to express pleasure at the meeting of friends. Doubtless both grief and pleasure were mingled in Kiwalao's case, but, until his safety was assured, the prevailing emotion was that of anxiety. That the king's favour was secured was soon ap parent. Kahekili's half brothers began negotiations by crawling on their knees to the victor's feet. Then, since Kiwalao's rank precluded him from speaking before Kahekili, the latter stated his de mands. Terms of peace were arranged and a day or so later ratified at a meeting between the two kings. Then, humbled and ashamed, a poorer but, we may hope, a wiser man, Kalaniopuu sailed with his discredited armada back to Hawaii. VI THE PROPHECY OF KEAULUMOKU "Amid the strings his finger strayed, And an uncertain warbling made, And oft he shook his hoary head. But when he caught the measure wild, The old man raised his face and smiled; And lighted up his faded eye With all a poet's ecstasy! In varying cadence soft or strong, He swept the sounding chords along." ONE would have supposed that by this time Kalaniopuu would have lost all stomach for fighting, or at least would have left Kahekili in peace. But so deeply did the sense of defeat rankle and so vehement was the desire to re pair his damaged prestige that next year he is again upon the war-path and once more in Maui, ravaging the country from Kaupo to Lahaina. With this ex pedition, however, we do not need to trouble our selves, since, although Kamehameha took an active part in it, we do not hear of any individual exploit. Suffice it to say that on the whole the balance of vic tory still inclined to the defenders, and that Kal aniopuu's genius had still to look ahead for the re trieving of fortune. However, from the skirmishes and raids of this year 1777, one event emerges which, small in itself, 49 50 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC was not without its bearing on the future fortunes of the islands. It may have been sm'prising to the reader that all through this sanguinary duel between the kings of Maui and Hawaii the chief Keeaumoku had taken no part, on the one side or the other. Both kings had been his friends; one he had assisted to his throne; and now both had become his enemies. What was his reason for inaction? Was he lying in wait till the rivals were mutually exhausted? Was he hoping to pay off old scores against them both? Was he taking time to find out which com batant was the better man? Or are we to suppose that Kahekili, like Achilles, was sulking in his tent and despairing of any further glory to be won? But one day, when the army of Kalaniopuu was occupying the lovely beach and cocoanut groves of Lahaina, there came from the camp across the mountains to Hana a very welcome visitor. He was in appearance a man of venerable age, a very Merlin to look at, though not really much over sixty years old. His body was bent towards the earth, though when he raised his head his piercing black eyes shone like coals of fire through the masses of white hair and beard which swept his breast and shoulders. The visitor was no other than the famous seer, Keaulumoku, whom we have already encountered as a prophet of good things to Kaahumanu, the beauti ful daughter of Keeaumoku. Keaulumoku was fa mous as a wizard in every island of the group. There was no knowledge hidden from him, and his lightest utterances were listened to and treasured up as oracles of the gods. He was a native of Ha- THE PROPHECY OF KEAULUMOKU 51 waii, born at Naohaku, in the Hamakua district, and here, on the rocky north coast, at the base of Maunakea, he had spent his youth more in commu nion with Nature than in intercourse with man. For him the voices of the winds and waves were no inarticulate utterances and the stars spake with silent eloquence of the course of coming events and the fate of men. For some years, however, he had been an exile from his native island, in the house of Kahanana, king of Oahu, as court poet. When Kahanana be came the ally of Kahekili Keaulumoku accompanied him to Maui and figured as a kind of Tyrtseus in the campaign of the sand-hills. His muse, however, was not the sole property of Oahu or Maui, for when Kahanana transferred his support to Kalanio puu Keaulumoku followed suit and remained in the service of his native island even after the king of Oahu had returned home. This is the explanation of Keaulumoku's presence at Lahaina with the warriors of Kalaniopuu and of his visit to renew the acquaintance of Keeaumoku. There is something of pathos in this meeting be tween the soldier and the bard. Just as Job's friends, sitting over against him in his adversity, wept but spoke no words of commonplace commis eration, so Keaulumoku sat over against the fallen warrior and wailed to himself of the change of for tune which had thrust the blood-drinking spear into a corner to rot and forced the chief of old renown to deem himself no longer of use. Then the wailing ceased and there stepped forth from the women's apartment a lady, still beautiful, though no longer young, leading by the hand a 52 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC bright-eyed little girl. The lady was Namahana, the wife whose marriage with Keeaumoku had caused so much jealousy and suspicion in the heart of Kahekili. The child was her daughter, Kaahu manu. Kaahumanu was born to inspire love, and the circumstances of her little life had already en deared her to her parents in no common measure. She was, as they said, " he keike ia no ka wa ilihune o na makua o maua," " the child of the time of her father's and mother's poverty." Twice already in her infancy she had escaped drowning. Once, wrapped in a roll of white kapa, she was laid asleep in the pola of the double canoe, while her parents coasted the bay of Kealakekua. Still fast asleep, she fell into the sea, and it was only when the long roll of kapa floating on the waves attracted the at tention of the rowers that the baby was missed. Then they rowed back and drew her out of the water just in time. On another occasion, following with baby feet her mother along the beach, she was just passing round the prow of a canoe when a huge wave came and carried her away. She was barely rescued by the strong swimming of a cousin, even while the people on the shore were wailing, " Dead is the daughter of Keeaumoku." At this beautiful child of destiny the sage gazed musmgly and promised that next morning he should have dreams to relate concerning her. So it came to pass, for before returning to Lahaina Keaulumoku chanted of the glimpses given him in the visions of the night of the future of Kaahumanu, the future wife of a king of great renown. Keeaumoku was naturally pleased, but at the same time disposed to think that information with THE PROPHECY OF KEAULUMOKU 58 regard to his own future would be more immedi ately to the point than the horoscope of a girl of ten. " And is her father's name to be heard no more? " cried the chief, impatient with slow-footed destiny. " Here in Hana am I stranded, like an old canoe. Must I live a woman's life and die here for gotten before my death?" "Nay!" replied the prophet, " much have you accomplished in the past, O slayer and maker of kings, but the past is but a shadow of the future. Your greatest work is still to come. Then at last you will pass in peace." More still the wizard told him, — how he should be the servant of a mighty warrior yet to appear, one who at present was beyond his guess, but whom at the right moment he would unhesitatingly recog nize. Further he would not enlighten him. It was enough that Keeaumoku was soon to reappear in the council chamber and on the battle-field. Then would be his opportunity to scrutinize the faces of the chiefs to discover him under whom it was des tined he should serve. More than once he might be disappointed, but the true hero would be pointed out by the spirit of Lono. Patience he had learned already, both in Hawaii and in Maui. Let him still be patient for a while and his reward was sure. With this advice the " Evening Crab " had to be content. Vague as it was, the prophecy could not be other than cheering to the man exiled from poli tics and war these long and eventful years. It was, moreover, a prediction calculated to bring about its own fulfillment ; it took him back to courts where heroes were to be seen and appraised. We may be sure then that it was with more cheerful mien that Keeaumoku bade farewell to Keaulumoku and 54 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC watched the venerable figure making his slow way back over the mountains to Lahaina. Meanwhile, there was much need for patience, for there were years still to elapse ere the prophecy might be fulfilled. Kamehameha's personality, though by no means unf elt, was not yet dominant in the councils of his peers. It might be feared that, for a man who had reached the age of forty without recognizing the main mission of his life, destiny had already slumbered too long. But precocity is not always promise. True maturity comes slowly and the fruit of life is in proportion to its discipline. There is no generator of power equal to endurance. Moses waited through forty years of shepherd life in Midian before he was chosen to be Israel's leader and lawgiver; Muhammad waited through long years of unrenown as the camel-driver of Mecca be fore he received his commission as prophet. In like manner, the " divinity that shapes our ends " was preparing Kamehameha through some inglorious years for the achievement of his task. Moreover, an event was about to come to pass which, dwarfing all intestine struggle, was to be come an outstanding factor in the education of Kamehameha. Hawaii was about to be unveiled before the outside world through the arrival in 1778 of Captain James Cook. vn THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN "What a door for scoundrel scum I opened to the West, through which the lust, Tillany, violence, avarice of your {lands) Pour'd in on all those happy, naked isles." THOUGH the sole credit for the discovery of Hawaii is generally awarded to Captain Cook, there is reasonable ground for the belief that the islands had been reached by Euro peans long before the days of the great British navigator. Hawaiian tradition declares that in the reign of Kealiiokaloa, the son of Umi, a vessel ar rived off the islands, commanded by a white man, who was accompanied by his sister. The ship was dashed to pieces on the reef and most of the crew perished, but the captain and his sister escaped safe to the shore. Here they were kindly treated and in due course intermarried with the natives, becoming the ancestors of certain chiefs. So David Malo tells us in his history and For- nander calculates that the event took place some where between 1525 and 1528. From foreign sources we have evidence that the ship belonged to a small Spanish squadron, commanded by Saavedra, which was on its way to the Moluccas. 55 56 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC This, however, could hardly be deemed a dis covery, since no news of it was communicated to the outside world and the shipwrecked pair were hardly in a situation to claim credit for their find. But a few years later, in 1555, there is very good evidence that a Spanish sailor, Juan Gaetano, sail ing in the same course as Saavedra, really discov ered the group. This is supported by the archives of the Colonial Office of Spain. The question arises, did Cook know of this dis covery? It is possible, because thirty-seven years before Anson had captured a Spanish ship, on whose chart islands had recently been marked in ink in the same latitude and longitude as Hawaii. But apparently Cook believed himself the origi nal discoverer, since he argues that had the Spanish known of the group they could hardly have failed to occupy them, and he says the natives showed such surprise at the ships aud firearms of the English that it is highly improbable they had seen such things before. At any rate Cook may fairly claim to have been the first to break the shell of Hawaiian seclusion and let in the light upon one of the most interesting of peoples. If we blame him, as we must, for negli gence as a philanthropist, we must give him his full meed of praise as an explorer, a geographer, and an exceedingly accurate observer of manners and cus toms. Captain Cook had completed his second circum navigation of the globe and had received commis sion to command the Resolution for a third voy age on February 9, 1776. With him was the Dis covery, under Captain Clerke, and the object of the THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 57 expedition was to discover a northern passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic. After nearly two years' voyaging Cook left Bola- bola, in the Society Islands, on December 8, 1777, for the northwest coast of America. On December 25th he discovered and named Christmas Island, which he left on January 2, 1778, and thence taking a northerly course sighted, on January 18th, land which proved to be the island of Oahu. He did not land, but soon after came to another member of the group, Kauai, which he calls Atooi, getting at the same time a glimpse of Niihau. This was the first time English eyes had looked upon the Hawaiian islands, and Cook soon perceived he had made no mean discovery. As he approached the southeastern coast of Kauai he beheld a party of native fishermen, and, holding out some brass medals on bits of string, with some pieces of iron, he was gratified to see that they understood the art of barter. They at once came off in boats, bringing fish, cocoanuts and bananas, which they proceeded to exchange for iron. Iron, he learned, both then and later, was most precious in the native eyes, on account of its usefulness for tools and weapons. It is not strictly true that they had no previous knowl edge of iron, since its value was at once recognized, and Cook noticed among their weapons one made of a piece of iron hoop and another resembling the end of a sword-blade fixed in a wooden handle. The former may have drifted to the islands on a cask, while the latter might possibly have been the sub ject of the legend of the Iron Knife. This famous story relates that a Japanese junk was once wrecked on the island shores and in pos- 68 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC session of the captain was found a bright sharp knife, which the ignorant islanders believed to pos sess miraculous properties. For a long time it was the terror of the warriors, but at length in a battle near Wailuku it was lost and no one knew what had become of it. Then Waahia, a prophetess of Ha waii, restored it to the light and gave it, on certain romantic conditions, to the king of Kauai. It is quite possible that it was there when Cook arrived and that it was this he saw in the hands of one of the chiefs. There is a chant, ascribed to Waahia, which runs as follows : "0 the long knife of the stranger, Of the stranger from other lands, Of the stranger with sparkling eyes, Of the stranger with a white face! 0 long knife of Lono, the gift of Lono ; It flashes like fire in the sun ; Its edge is sharper than stone, Sharper than the hard stone of Hualalai ; The spear touches it and breaks, The strong warrior sees it and dies! Where is the long knife of the stranger? Where is the sacred gift of Lono?" The natives refused to come on board the ships, but, to Cook's surprise, he was able to understand their language, which he calls "a dialect of the Otaheitan." This fact is important, as it renders all the more inexcusable some of Cook's conduct which might otherwise have been set down to igno rance of the people and their intentions. As the ships proceeded along the leeward side of the island there was great excitement, the people crowding to the shore and the hills to see the THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 59 strange monsters of ships and their no less strange inhabitants. Never, says Conk, had any people any where shown such extreme astonishment at the sight of the ships. In a few days the natives gained more confidence and several were persuaded to come aboard. When, a little later still, a party was sent ashore to obtain water, the crowd showed an all too lively interest in the proceedings. They pressed on the sailors so that they could hardly move, taking everything upon which they could lay their hands and casting glances of envy at the cutlasses. In fact, they so impeded the work that at last it was thought nec essary to fire, and one man was unfortunately killed. After this the islanders felt it the part of discretion to stand a little more aloof. This sacrifice of life may, or may not, have been necessary, but the stay at Kauai was marred by a far more grievous wrong to the people than the kill ing of a man or two. This was the introduction among the islanders of a revolting and contagious disease. Cook was enlightened above the generality of commanders in matters relating to the health of his sailors and had received the Copley Medal for a treatise on the subject read before the Royal Society in 1776. His own orders, moreover, were well cal culated to sustain his own honour and that of his country. When he ordered the watering party ashore he refused to allow more than one man to accompany the officer out of the boats, in order, as he says, " that I might do everything in my power to prevent the importation of a fatal disease into this island, which I knew some of our men laboured under, and which unfortunately had been already 60 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC communicated by us to other islands in these seas. With the same view, I ordered all female visitors to be excluded from the ships ... I wished to pre vent all connection which might, too probably, con vey an irreparable injury to themselves and through their means to the whole nation." These admirable orders were certainly not re garded. The same night that Cook anchored off Waimea, a council was held at the house of Kama- kahalei, a high chiefess, to decide upon the welcome to be given to the strangers. Some proposed to seize and plunder the vessels and slay the crews ; others, following unconsciously the advice of Balaam to Balak, suggested sending the women to the ships with presents of fruits and vegetables. This sinis ter counsel was followed, and it has been a gener ally accepted tradition in the islands that that night Lelemahoalani, the daughter of Kamakahalei, was the guest of Cook. We need not, however, rely exclusively upon na tive testimony, for the sequel shows only too tragic ally that Cook's orders were not enforced, with the result, as Fornander states, of " death and inde scribable misery for the poor Hawaiians." "No wonder," he adds, "that the memory of Captain Cook is not cherished among them." All this time the opinion had been gaining ground in the island that Cook was no mortal visitant, but an incarnation of the divine Lono, one of the per sons of the Hawaiian trinity. Lono, so the tradi tion ran, had in the misty past adventured with death but had failed. Then he had gone down to the abode of " the great woman of the night " to sleep in the halls of the dead. Yet, as in the kindred THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 61 legends of Osiris, Tammuz and Balder, it was be lieved that he would return again and when, on the afternoon of January 20, 1778, there stepped ashore on the beach of Waimea this tall stranger " with the white, shining face " and with a glittering sword In his hand, attended by men whose weapons spoke in thunder and poured forth flames of fire, the whole concourse fell flat on their faces before Lono, as the West Indian islanders before Columbus. It was not till Cook bade them rise that they ventured to look up ; then they hurried away to fetch hogs and plan tains, which they presented as to a god, while the long-haired priests chanted the liturgical songs in honour of Lono. Cook gave presents to the islanders in return and next morning trading by barter went on quite ami cably, the natives being eager to obtain a few nails or a scrap of iron in exchange for vegetables, fowls and pigs. They even assisted the sailors in filling and rolling the water-casks from the ship and were amazed and delighted to see the quantity of iron which the boats contained. To get this they were ready to offer articles of immense value. The skins of the iwapolena, a beautiful scarlet bird, were freely bartered and not a few of the famous feather cloaks and helmets changed hands on this occasion. Here is Cook's description of the transaction : " Among the various articles which they brought to barter we were particularly struck with a sort of cloak and cap, which even in more polished coun tries might be esteemed elegant. These cloaks are nearly of the shape and size of the short ones worn by the men in Spain and by the women in England, tied loosely before and reaching to the middle of the 62 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC back. The ground of them is a network with the most beautiful red and yellow feathers so closely fixed upon it that the surface, both in point of smoothness and glossiness, resembles the richest velvet. The method of varying the mixture is very different, some of them having triangular spaces of red and yellow alternately, others a sort of crescent ; while some are entirely red, except that they had a broad yellow border. The brilliant colour of the feathers in those cloaks that were new had a very fine effect. The natives at first refused to part with one of these cloaks for anything that we offered in exchange, demanding no less a price than one of our muskets; they afterwards, however, suffered us to purchase some of them for very large nails. Those of the best sort were scarce, and it is probable that they are used only on particular occasions. The caps are made in the form of a helmet, with the mid dle part, or crest, frequently of a hand's breadth. They fit very close upon the head and have notches to admit the ears. They consist of twigs and osiers, covered with network, into which feathers are wrought, as upon the cloaks, but somewhat closer and more diversified ; the major part being red, with some yellow, green or black stripes on the sides." The purchase of one of these cloaks, each the la bour of a hundred people for a year, for a few large nails, is enough to make the blood run cold. Very few of these famous relics of barbarism are now in existence. The terrible destruction of bird life, which was necessary to obtain the requisite feath ers, could not possibly continue without exhausting the supply. The destruction was all the greater since but one feather was taken from each bird. The THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 63 coveted plumes of golden yellow and scarlet were found on the bodies of a tribe of honcysuckers, which included the oo, the mamo, the iiwi and the akakane. These were caught on branches smeared with papala gum, and, as each little victim was strangled before the feather was extracted, the slaughter was prodigious. Regular hunting parties were organized by the chiefs and sent into the inte rior to obtain supplies of feathers. While Cook was on shore he managed, in com pany with the ship's surgeon and artist, to pay a visit to an heiau, or temple, some distance up the valley, and on this and subsequent occasions he seems to have formed a decided opinion on the question of cannibalism. Seeing a man with a small parcel fastened with a string to his fish-hook, he asked what it was and was told that it was human flesh. Another native stand ing by was asked whether it was customary for them to eat the enemies slain in battle and immediately replied in the affirmative. A few days later, on his return from Kauai, Cook says that a native who was refused admission on board asked whether the white men intended to kill and eat him, and another told the sailors that if they were killed on shore no one would scruple about eating them. This evidence Cook considered sufficient to prove the existence of cannibalism in the islands. Yet it is extremely doubtful whether the evidence is conclusive. Of course, native feeling at present strongly resents the imputation. King Kalakaua writes : " Although barbarous to the extent to which a brave, warm-hearted and hospitable people were capable of becoming, every social, political and re- 64 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC ligious circumstance preserved by tradition tends to show that at no period of their history did the Poly nesians proper — or the Hawaiian branch of the race at least — practice cannibalism." Any other evidence such as exists may be stated as follows : 1. In offering a human sacrifice it was the cus tom for the officiating priest to pluck out the left eye of the victim and make pretense of eating it. This, say some, is evidently the relic of some old cannibalistic rite. 2. After Cook was killed, his heart was eaten by three children who happened to be on the beach at the time. But native assertion is positive and unanimous to the effect that the children on this occasion thought they were eating the flesh of a dog. 3. Accounts have come down to us of cannibal bands who inhabited parts of Oahu and Kauai. Such were the " Cannibals of Halemanu," com manded by the notorious Kalo in the seventeenth century. But, once again, these are always spoken of as foreign man-eaters, or as a remnant of the pre- Polynesian population whose extermination was a matter of lively satisfaction to the chiefs and people. Perhaps a fair summing up is that of the Rev. S. Dibble, in his " History of the Sandwich Islands," published in 1843, to the effect that, whatever in stances may have been alleged, " the practice was not common, and it is due to the Hawaiians to say that those few instances that did exist were looked upon by most of the people with horror and detesta tion." On January 22d, a rain-storm, such as is now THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 65 called a Kona, came on, and Cook's vessels were driven from their anchorage. Running down to Niihau, they stayed there a few days and Captain Clerke made the acquaintance of a high chief who, with his wife, came out to the Discovery. The stay was used, on the one hand, to collect water and jtro- visions, and on the other, to land some animals and seeds for the benefit of the islanders. Three goats, a boar and a sow of English breed were taken ashore and the seeds of melons, pumpkins and onions. The stormy weather continued and for two nights Lieu tenant Gore was detained on shore, with twenty men, much to the anxiety of those on board. But they were most hospitably treated and used the op portunity to see something more of the customs of the natives. On their return they reported that there were no running streams, that fresh water was scarce, that the houses were scattered, and the popu lation of the island not more than five hundred. The customs of the people were cleanly and decent, the men and women ate apart, and the latter appeared to live in companies by themselves. Light at night was obtained by using the oily nuts of the kukui tree strung together to make torches. On February 2d Cook's first visit to the islands came to an end for, the anchor of the Discovery hav ing started, the ship drifted so far that it was con sidered advisable to continue the voyage northward without completing the provisioning of the ships. There was, however, sufficient for two months with Captain Clerke, and Cook himself had enough for several weeks, so they sailed away. Thus was ac complished the discovery of the Hawaiian group. Cook called them the Sandwich Islands, in honour 66 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC of his friend and patron the Earl of Sandwich, who was then First Lord of the Admiralty. During this visit five islands are mentioned, Kauai, Oahu, Lehua, Kaula, or Bird Island, and Niihau. Cook estimated the population of Kauai as not less than 30,000, a startling number when it is recalled that to-day the whole native population of the group is less than this. But, as has been already noted, Cook left behind him diseases hitherto unknown, which spread through the islands like the flames of hell and worked deadlier havoc than their intestine feuds and savage wars. Native wonder and perplexity were not dissi pated by the departure. Thirty years previously it is said that one of King Peleioholani's canoes had sighted just such another ship as Cook's, but it was too far off to make much impression. Now, how ever, the winged monsters came near enough for them to explore the mystery. David Malo, the na tive historian, well expresses the simple wonder of the people as follows : " It is at Waimea, on Kauai, that Lono first ar rived. He arrived in the month of January in the year of our Lord 1778. Kaneoneo and Keawe were the chiefs of Kauai at that time. He arrived in the night at Waimea, and when daylight came, the na tives ashore perceived the wonderful thing that had arrived and they expressed their astonishment with great exclamations. One said to another, ' What is that great thing with branches? ' Others said, ' It is a forest that has slid down into the sea/ and the gabble and the noise was great. Then the chiefs ordered some natives to go in a canoe and observe THE COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 67 and examine well that wonderful thing. They went and when they came to the ship they saw the iron that was attached to the outside of the ship and they were greatly rejoiced at the quantity of iron. Be cause the iron was known before that time from wood with iron (on it) that had formerly drifted ashore, but it was in small quantity, and here was plenty. And they entered on board, and they saw the people with white foreheads, bright eyes, loose garments, corner-shaped heads, and unintelligible speech." The same writer goes on to tell how at first the sailors were mistaken for women, because their heads were so like the women's heads of the period. Also of the attempt of the chiefs to seize some of the iron and of the death of one who was " killed by a ball from a squirt gun." Then of the fear which came over the people when they saw the guns flash ing and the rockets ascending, and how they thought Cook was certainly a god and called him Lono- makua. The priests especially espoused this theory and the priest Kuoho said that the ship in the har bour was the temple of Lono, with the ladders of Keolewa, and the steps to the altar. Afterwards this priest had his doubts about Cook's divinity and declared by means of the sacred cup that the vis itors were not gods but foreigners from the same land whence had come Kaekae and Kukanoloa. But the scepticism of Kuoho was overcome by the faith of the multitude that the gods had indeed come down to them in the likeness of men and that their eyes had verily beheld the divine " Lono of the flash ing face." As soon as Cook had departed, messengers were 68 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC sent from Kauai to Oahu to acquaint their less for tunate neighbours with the story of the wonderful apparition. King Kahahana listened in silence, but his high priest burst forth with the declaration, " These people are foreigners from Hiikua, from Melemele, from Uliuli, from Keokeo. They are surely the people that will come and settle in the land." Others called to mind the prediction of the old prophet Kekiopilo, who had proclaimed, " The foreigners shall come here, — white people, — and as for their dogs, men shall ride upon them ; they shall bring dogs with very long ears." So the news spread through Oahu, and thence passed on to Maui, the messengers crying as they went, " The men are white ; their skin is loose and folding; their heads are angular; fire and smoke issue from their mouths ; they have openings in the side of their bodies into which they thrust their hands, and draw out iron, beads, nails and other treasures. This is the way they speak, — a hikapa- lale, hikapalale, hioluai, oalaki, walawalaki, poha, etc." Kalaniopuu, king of Hawaii, accompanied by Kamehameha and the other chiefs, was at Hana when the news reached him, and the Maui warriors shared in the general excitement. But none guessed to what important events in the history of the land the unexpected visit would lead. VIII THE SECOND VISIT OF COOK "The gentle islands, and the genial soil, The friendly hearts, the feast without a toil, . . . Could these have charms for rudest sea-boys, driven Before the mast by every wind of heaven?" COOK spent the summer of 1778 exploring the Alaska coast and Bearing Strait, until the gathering of the Arctic ice warned him to seek a more southern latitude for the winter months. It is not strange that the Sandwich Islands occurred to him as a fitting and congenial rendez vous, where his ships might remain until the winter was far enough gone to enable them to arrive at Petropaulowski, in Kamchatka, by the middle of May. So Sanganoodha harbour was left behind October 26th and after a stormy voyage the welcome discov ery of the island peaks was made on November 25th. This time it was Maui which was first approached, and Cook learned how imperfect had been his dis covery the previous winter. Then he had made the acquaintance of but five of the smaller islands, now he saw before him the towering height of Haleakala, "House of the Sun," with its huge crater rising high above the clouds. However, that same tremendous surf which some times now rises mountain high along the coral reef made the weathering of the coast at this point im possible ; so, ranging to the westward, and beating 69 70 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC to windward, round the eastern coast of Maui, Cook passed on towards Wailua, where Kalaniopuu of Hawaii was, as we have seen, at the time encamped. On the way the canoes paid constant visits to the ships and some trading was accomplished, but the captains would not permit at this time an indis criminate trade. The traffic was restricted to barter for provisions and was carried on through officers appointed for the purpose. Under these conditions the ships were supplied with plenty of cuttle-fish, then, as now, a much prized article of food among the natives, and the fishermen got their meed of nails and iron. It would be interesting to have a full account of Cook's visit to the court of Kalaniopuu, but few de tails have been preserved. The king, attended by several chiefs, among whom Kamehameha is men tioned, paid a visit to the ships, and our hero with characteristic bravery stayed with some of his at tendants a whole night on board the Resolution. All the native accounts concur in relating this ad venture, even when omitting reference to the visit of Kalaniopuu. It was, indeed, no small act of dar ing when one remembers that the white men were strangers and regarded on all sides with supersti tious awe. Cook, moreover, was not at anchor, for, having in the evening sighted Hawaii, he sailed thither in the night. When morning dawned, there fore, and the natives on shore perceived that the winged monsters had disappeared, great was the wailing and lamentation. Kamehameha, they be lieved, had been abducted, and in such esteem was he, held that Kalaniopuu at once sent a canoe, manned with picked men, to overtake the ships and THE SECOND VISIT OF COOK 71 bring him back. This heroic measure, however, was not required, for, to the great joy of the populace, Kamehameha himself soon came back in the large double canoe which Cook had taken in tow. It was Kamehameha's first experience of the white man, and Cook evidently observed him closely, recognizing in him a man of mark. The Hawaiian, too, it is evident, used his keen powers to good purpose, and found the strangers neither gods nor devils, but men who might possibly prove useful to him in his designs. It may be impossible altogether to acquit Kamehameha of complicity later on in the murder of Cook, but it would be equally impossible to deny that he, above every other Hawaiian, rightly estimated the strength and weakness of the foreigners. Treacherous to them he rarely was; friendliness was his general attitude. He read the characters of white men as he read those of his own race and discriminated between bad and good, using the former and rejecting the latter. Had all his successors possessed the same faculty, the monarchy of Hawaii might have con tinued till now. Cook, having got rid of his adventurous visitors, continued his voyage to Hawaii and at length ap proached Kukuipahu, in North Kohala, where the ships lay off and on for some time trading for pro visions. The sailors were surprised to see the sum mits of the mountains (doubtless Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa) covered with snow, but the snow was a long way off, and no more congenial watering-place could possibly have been found. Here provisions were obtainable in plenty, including sugar-cane, but Cook nearly raised a mutiny by making beer from 72 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC sugar-cane and serving it out to his crew instead of grog. He may have been right in declaring that it was wholesome and pleasant, or they may have been right in pronouncing it injurious to their health; but the fact remains that their conservative in stincts would none of it and they left not the old love of grog for the new love of sugar-cane beer. Their practical verdict was that attributed to Nebu chadnezzar when, as a compulsory vegetarian, he declared "as he ate the unaccustomed food, It may be wholesome, but it is not good." At Kukuipahu crowds of people went off in their canoes to see the vessels, and, seeing the sailors sit ting on deck, some smoking and some eating water melons, a fruit hitherto unknown to them, they re turned with the news, " The men are indeed divine ; they eat the flesh of men and fire proceeds out of their mouths." Many a tourist, since then, has amply avenged the ignorance of the terror-stricken aborigines. The Englishmen, however, had a better opinion of the natives, for, although not regarding them as divine, they declared, " We met with less reserve and suspicion in our intercourse with the people of this island than we had ever experienced among any tribe of savages. They frequently sent up into the ship the articles they meant to barter and after wards came in themselves to traffic on the quarter deck. The inhabitants of Otaheite, whom we have so often visited, have not that confidence in our in tegrity. Whence it may be inferred that those of Owhyhee are more faithful in their dealings than THE SECOND VISIT OF COOK 73 the Otalieitans. It is but justice to observe that they never attempted to overreach us in exchanges, nor to commit a single theft." This is high praise and some part of it had evi dently to be retracted after further experience, but still Cook's estimate of the Hawaiians must stand to the credit of the people who slew him. At length, on January 17, 1779, at eleven in the morning, the ships arrived in the bay which Cook has made forever historical, Kealakekua, " the land ing of the god," — a name commemorating the ar- ri val of the man with the shining white face, whom the natives too optimistically mistook for Lono, their divine champion and expected Messiah. Kealakfekua Bay is situated in the district of South Kona, along the western coast of Hawaii, running inland about a mile and bounded by two points of land about a mile and a half apart. To the north is the village of Kaawaloa and to the south, amid a stately grove of cocoanut palms, the more considerable village of Napoopoo. Between them is a high rocky cliff, inaccessible from the seashore. Beyond the coast the land rises gradually, display ing large patches of cultivated land and groves of feathery palms. Dropped here and there among these are, or rather were, in Cook's time, the habita tions of a numerous population. Cook was immensely struck with the scene as he dropped anchor about a quarter of a mile from shore. " In the course of our voyages," says his ac count, " we had nowhere seen such vast numbers of people assembled in one place. Besides those who visited us in canoes, all the shore was covered with spectators and hundreds were swimming about the 74 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC ships like shoals of fish." They swarmed over the deck, sides and rigging of the ships, singing and shouting and making the most extravagant ges tures, while those who were unable to scramble on board amused themselves all day long in swimming round and round the vessels. Before the Discovery had been long at anchor, so many natives were hanging on one side trying to gain entrance that the ship heeled over considerably and it was found ad visable to obtain the help of the chiefs in clearing the vessel of its incumbrances. Kalaniopuu, as has been said, was away in Maui and the authority was left with two chiefs called Palea and Kanina. The former seems to have been a man of generous and estimable character and one to whom the visitors owed not a little during their stay. Next morning this generosity was conspicu ously displayed when Captain King, with a guard of eight marines, landed for the purpose of erecting an observatory, so that those employed on shore ob taining water might be overlooked and protected. A suitable spot was found, and Palea at once secured it for the working party, even offering to demolish some buildings which obstructed the view. Finally a potato field was selected instead and most readily granted by the owner. The priests secured it against intrusion by placing a kapu on the enclosure. This was effected by setting up the pululou, or kapu- stick, at the entrance, — a proceeding which was even too effectual, since from that time no canoes would land near them, no natives would enter the enclosure, and all the presents in the world were powerless to induce the women to approach them. This, however, was by no means the case on board THE SECOND VISIT OF COOK 75 ship, for while the shore party was hard at work, salting hogs and filling water casks, unvisited or only peeped at from over the fence, the sailors on board had scarcely room to perform their duties. Two or three hundred women at once were some times sent over the sides of the ship into the water, where they sported about like mermaids until they were once more admitted. Under the circumstances it is natural to believe that the men on shore thought fortune very unequal. But near the observatory great doings were ere long to be transacted. Not far from the enclosure was a grove of cocoanut palms which, surrounding a pond of fresh water, seemed made to provide a place of religious retirement. Here, in huts around the pond, was an habitation of priests of Lono, and close by was the heiau of Lono himself, where the idols stood and the sacrifices were offered. It will help us to understand what subsequently took place if we try to get some idea of what a typical Hawaiian heiau was like. Though varying greatly in size and solidity, a heiau was not infrequently a building of great ex tent and of considerable strength. There was, first of all, an enclosing wall, often of stones solidly built together. In the case of Mookini the stones were brought from a distance of nine miles, passed from hand to hand by an army of fifteen thousand men. The walls of this particular enclosure are standing to the present day and have a total length of 817 feet, with a height of twenty feet and a breadth of eight feet at the top. It can thus be imagined that no small amount of labour was involved in the con struction of such an edifice. Very often, however, 76 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC the walls were a simple stockade of wood, gener ally decorated at intervals with idols. Round the walls of the famous heiau of Pakaalani there were no less than a hundred gods stuck on poles like the heads of traitors on London Bridge. At the entrance was a kind of cross called the pea, which had the force of a tabu-stick, directing atten tion to the sacredness of the place. Within the outer wall were many houses dedicated to various purposes. One was the Hale o Papa, a special tem ple for female deities who were worshipped on cer tain occasions by the high chiefesses, though as a rule women were altogether excluded from the heiaus. Then there were the drum houses, the house where the prayers were recited, the house where the offerings were cooked, the houses of the priests, generally at the north end, and, about the centre of the terrace, the residence of the king. The central space formed an inner court at the gate of which was the altar, a kind of scaffolding, on which the sacrifices were placed and left to putrify in the sun. And at the very centre was the oracle, a high scaffold of wickerwork, about four feet square, within which the priest concealed himself to declare the will of the gods when some high chief came to consult them. In the case of temples dedicated to Lono, all the buildings within the enclosure had to be of lama wood, thatched with ti, but in other temples, e. g., those dedicated to Kane, they were of ohia, thatched with uki. The Hale o Lono, which stood hard by the observatory erected by the sailors, had, however, some features of its own, since it belonged to that ancient class of heiaus which were built before the THE SECOND VISIT OF COOK 77 last migrations from the south. It was, according to Captain King, a square, solid pile of stones, about forty yards long, twenty broad, and fourteen high, with the top flat and well paved. Around the edge was a Avooden rail, ornamented with the skulls of men slain in battle, or sacrificed at the altar, and in the centre a ruined wooden building which an swered the purposes of a shrine. The idols were arranged at the gateway and in a semicircle inside the enclosure, and the scaffolding which formed the altar was about twenty feet high. Such was the heiau of Lono, known as Hikiau, the ruins of which may still be seen overlooking Keala- kekua Bay, and here it was that Cook found the firmest believers in his divinity. To this belief the priests held most tenaciously. Whether they were deceived to the end or whether having once com mitted themselves to a theory, they were unwilling to discredit their prophetic gift, we cannot say. Certain it is that, having espoused the cause of Cook as the cause of Lono, they never swerved in their loyalty, even when he died. Believing then in the divine guest, the priests lost no time in doing him honour. The first overture was made by Koa, who went off to the ship and, upon being led to the cabin, wrapped some red cloth round Cook's shoulders, offered him a small pig, and pronounced a long prayer or discourse. Koa, •whom some historians seem to have confused with the high priest Kau, was a prominent man who had been introduced to Cook by Palea. From that time he constituted himself the Captain's special at tendant, though in time, as his attachment did not seem altogether disinterested, the white men con- 78 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC eluded that they had had enough of him and sent him off. He seems to have made considerable profit out of the visitors, and his notions concerning the Eighth Commandment were undeveloped. This character could hardly have been given to Kau, or his grandson Kailikea, or indeed any of the priests, who supplied the ships most generously with canoes full of hogs and vegetables and received nothing in return. "Nor was the most distant hint ever given," says the English account, "that any com pensation was expected. Their manner of confer ring favours appeared more like the discharge of a religious duty than to result from mere liberality." That Cook was aware of the religious nature of the homage rendered to him sheds an unfortunate light upon the subsequent proceedings. Had he in voluntarily been made the object of adoration, much might have been said in excuse. But this cannot be alleged, for Cook had had ample experience of the superstitions of these simple children of Nature and on this occasion even expected that the manner of his reception would be singular, taking with him Mr. Webber to make a drawing of the anticipated ceremony. But, as in most cases of the kind, those who allow themselves to be enthroned as deities in voke a speedy Nemesis, and when the eyes of the multitude are opened to the defects of the would-be divinity there remains none so poor to do him rever ence. So Cook landed and was led to the heiau Hikiau, to be solemnly installed as an incarnation of Lono. He was met at the entrance by the high priest Kailikea, who, chanting a long hymn to Lono, led him round the enclosure from image to image, stopping before the central one, possibly that of THE SECOND VISIT OF COOK 79 Lono himself, to present the Captain with some putrid hog, sugar-cane, cocoanut and bread-fruit, all of which lay upon a table before the idol. Then the priest led to the aforementioned scaffolding and together they proceeded to climb, not without con siderable risk of the structure coming down with them in a most undivine descent. But to the top they got at last, and there aloft, though far less at ease than at the top of his mainmast, Cook had to submit to be swathed about with red cloth and to receive the offering of a hog. This ordeal over, they descended, only to have a considerable part of the ceremony repeated. The arrival of Lono in person seems to have been considered extremely humiliat ing to the other divinities, for the priest, as he passed round the temple, derided all the images ex cept the central one in no measured terms, literally snapping his fingers in their faces. Before the image of Lono, however, he prostrated himself and caused Cook to do the same. Then came more offer ings of fruit and pig, of which by this time Cook considered he had had enough, and a sort of litur gical service was carried on between Kailikea and the people, of which the Englishman was the object. Fornander has preserved for us one chant used on this occasion, of which a part may be rendered as follows : ' ' 0 Lono in Heaven ! You of the many shapes ! "The long cloud, the short cloud, the cloud just peep ing (over the horizon), The wide-spreading cloud, the contracted cloud in the heaven, From Uliuli, from Melemele, from Kahiki, ) THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC From Ulunui, from Hakalauai, From the country of Lono, in the upper regions, in the high heavens, In proper order, in the famous order of Laka. O Lalohana . . . here is the sacrifice, here is thb offering. Preserve the chief, preserve the worshippers, Establish the day of light on the floating earth. Amen." When this had gone on for some time, the feast began. The natives set about cutting up the baked hog and Kailikea began to rub the Captain over the face and body with some chewed cocoanut wrapped in a cloth. Then while Koa fed Cook with mouth- f uls of putrid hog, Palea performed the same kindly office for Captain King. They could not eat much even though their zealous attendants chewed it for them, and they rather ungraciously hastened the end of the ceremony. From this time onward whenever Captain Cook appeared on shore he was invariably attended by one of these priests, who, going before, compelled all in his path to prostrate themselves. Even when on the water, passing between the ship and the shore, if a canoe was encountered, the natives immediately left off paddling and lay down on their faces until he had passed. Wherever he went, says the historian Jarves, " he moved among them an earthly deity, ob served, feared and worshipped." With the observatory protected by the spiritual authority of the priests, with the ships daily sup plied with everything of the best the island could afford, and with chiefs and priests vying with one another to do honour to their commander, the THE SECOND VISIT OF COOK 81 Englishman's good luck must have seemed se cure. Thus it was with no little surprise that when Sunday, January 24th, dawned, they found no canoes in the neighbourhood of the ships, all the natives apparently confined to their houses, and all intercourse interdicted. The absence might possibly have been endured, but the non-arrival of the usual supply of vegetables was certainly incon venient. What could be the matter? Had they of fended the natives, or had some new idea taken pos session of their simple brains? It was nothing else than the arrival of Kalanio puu, king of Hawaii, with his suite, from the island of Maui, and the king's first act was to put a kapu on the bay, so that no canoe dared to ripple the quiet waters. Now this institution of kapu, or tabu, is of such importance in the history of the time that a few words may not be out of place. It is one of the old est of Polynesian institutions, going back to the old est of the legendary chiefs. The puloulou, or tabu- stick, is said to have been introduced by Paao, a priest who came from Samoa about the twelfth cen tury, and it is still preserved in the national arms. Kapus, permanent or temporary, affected every in cident and every relation of life. Certain places, such as bathing places, paths, streams, springs, and even hills were kapu at the will of chief or priest. Certain foods were kapu, at least for some months of the year, and a close season for particular species was easily maintained in this way. Certain days, especially the days devoted to the worship of par ticular gods, were kapu, and the greatest strin gency was observed on these occasions. Sometimes 82 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC perfect silence had to be kept ; the dogs were muz zled, and even the fowls placed under calabashes to keep them from cackling. A Puritan Sunday was nothing to such days as the caprice of the Hawaiian kings could inflict on their people ; only no one pre tended to think the la kapu, or tabu-day, the happi est day of the week. Nor in the inexorable opera tion of kapu was there any place aux dames. The ladies, indeed, fared very badly. They were not al lowed to eat with the men ; their food could not even be cooked in the same oven; it was death to enter the husband's dining-room; and certain kinds of food, such as pork, bananas, cocoanuts and turtles, were forever denied to the palates of the fair sex. All this, and the fact that kapu was by no means a dead letter, entailing the penalty of death for trivial offenses as recently as 1820, will show that the institution was a most potent factor in the so cial life of Hawaii. It was their substitute for moral law, and although exercised capriciously and barbarously, yet on the whole answered the purpose of law, restraining and disciplining the appetites of the people and enabling the chiefs to control, ac cording to their judgment, the wild and lawless pas sions of the people. Now when Cook arrived at Kealakekua Bay the festival of the New Year was proceeding, conse quently it was a kapu time. The priests, however, took a. very practical view of the case and consid ered that, since the festival was in honour of Lono, and Lono himself was present, it would be absurd to allow ritual rigidity to prevent them from show ing him honour. So the kapu was relaxed, as we have seen, and free intercourse permitted, till the THE SECOND VISIT OF COOK 83 arrival of Kalaniopuu reestablished the customary ban. Of course, Cook disliked very much the change from a regime of daily fresh vegetables to one of none at all and did not take his involuntary fast at all kindly. He even endeavoured to force the natives to come off against the will of their chiefs. How ever, the tension was soon relaxed, for next day sup plies were to be had as usual, and, furthermore, he received a private visit from the great chief who had for the moment overshadowed him in the regard of the people. Kalaniopuu came off attended by only one canoe, which contained his wife and family (to be correct, we should say, one wife and one family), and stayed on the ship till 10 p. M. This was merely the prelude to the state visit paid on the fol lowing day, Tuesday, January 26th, when the king and his court came off in great pomp in three large canoes. First came the great state barge bearing Kalaniopuu and his high chiefs. Among these was Kamehameha, — " Maihamaiha," Cook calls him, — " whom at first we had some difficulty in recollect ing, his hair being plastered over with a dirty brown paste and powder, which was no mean heightening to the most savage face I ever beheld." In the next canoe came the chief priest Kau with the idols. These were displayed on kapa of red, and are described by Cook as consisting of gigantic fig ures or busts of wickerwork, curiously ornamented with feathers of a great variety of colours. " Their eyes were large pearl oysters, with a black nut" (probably a kukui nut) "placed in the centre, a double row of the fangs of dogs was fixed in each of 84 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC their mouths, which as well as the rest of their fea tures appeared strangely distorted." The priests, as they advanced, were chanting their sacred hymns with great solemnity, hymns probably in honour of their visitor, the supposed Lono. Bringing up the rear came the third canoe, piled high with vege tables and hogs, — doubtless the most welcome cargo of all in the eyes of the sailors. The canoes paddled a while round the ships, but their occupants made no sign of coming on board. On the contrary, they headed towards the shore in the direction of the ob servatory. Cook at once understood the king's wish to be received on shore, and accordingly landed to welcome his exalted visitors. No sooner had they entered the tent than Kalaniopuu rose up and threw over the Captain's shoulders the rich feather cloak that he had himself been wearing, placed a feather helmet on his head and a curiously wrought fan in his hand. Five or six other cloaks were laid at the Commodore's feet. This presentation was only the prelude to the ceremony which followed. Kalaniopuu's attendants brought the visitors four hogs, some bread-fruit, cocoanuts and sugar-cane. Then followed the cus tomary exchange of names between the host and his guest, one of the strongest possible pledges of friendship. Next came the procession of the priests, headed by Kau, who wrapped Cook in a piece of red cloth and then began the liturgical service, the chiefs making the responses. In return for this reception Cook proceeded with Kalaniopuu, whom he describes as an infirm and emaciated old man, to make the royal visit on board the Resolution. It was probably on this occasion THE SECOND VISIT OF COOK 85 that Kamehameha distinguished himself by stand ing up for the integrity of Hawaiian caste. The chief Palea, who was on very friendly terms with the white men, was on board when the royal party stepped on deck and, although a man of no mean consequence, was, in Kamehameha's opinion, no fit company for the king. So our hero at once kicked him ignominiously overboard. It is only fair to add that Palea was wont to serve his own inferiors in precisely the same manner. Some days after, when one of the lesser chiefs who was friendly with the officers was invited to remain to dinner, Palea came on the scene, manifested the utmost indignation, seized the offender by the hair and would have thrown him overboard had it not been for the inter ference of Cook. It was all the officers could do to effect a compromise whereby the newcomer was per mitted to stay, sitting upon the floor, doubtless to his greater comfort. In consideration of the presents he had received Cook could not do less than bestow presents in re turn ; he surely did not outdo his hosts, making the king the proud possessor of a cutlass and a linen shirt. Yet doubtless his Majesty, strutting up and down the deck, thought a linen shirt easily the equivalent of a feather cloak. During all this time not a canoe, other than the royal barge, was to be seen upon the bay; the natives on shore either remained in their huts or kept themselves prostrate on the beach. Cook made good use of his newly won favour to obtain from the king some relaxation of the kapu, at least so far as to permit the provisioning of the ships. " For what reason we could not learn," says King, one prohibi- 86 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC tion, however, continued in force, — no women were allowed to visit the ships. But Fornander has upon this point the following significant note: "The reason was not far to search. While the fame of Cook had spread throughout the group, the disease connected with arrival at Kauai had also spread; and when Kalaniopuu, on his return from Maui, found the women received by hundreds at a time on board the ships, he took the only course left him, though, alas, too late to restrict the evil. It is somewhat remarkable that on his arrival at Hawaii, neither Cook nor King made the slightest mention of having taken any similar precautions against the spreading of the disease, which he says he took to Kauai. And when it was left to the sovereign of the island to protect his people, as best he could, his act, instead of awakening reflection and suggesting the cause, became a subject of wonder. Neither Cook nor King seem to have felt the quiet rebuke implied by the tabu being laid on the women." This eventful day concluded with a feast on shore and an exhibition of boxing and wrestling, in which the natives, even those of advanced years, proved themselves no mean antagonists. Then came an exhibition of fireworks from the ships which filled the natives with amazement and awe. They believed that the foreigners had legions of flying spirits at their command. But had Cook's men only gone to the great crater of Kilauea, the natives could have shown them fireworks, the work of Pele herself, to which their own display was tame and pale. The secret of these the volcano goddess kept in her own hands. IX THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN COOK "The gods are just and of our pleasant vices Make instruments to slay us." WHITE men and natives had now mingled so freely together that, before proceeding further, it will be interesting to hear their opinions, now qualified by experience, one of the other. From Cook's side we learn : " The behaviour of the natives was so civil and inoffensive that all ap prehensions of danger were totally vanished. The officers ventured frequently up the country, either singly or in small parties, and sometimes continued out the whole night. To relate all the instances of generosity and civility which we experienced upon these occasions would require volumes. In all places the people flocked about us, anxious to afford every assistance in their power, and appeared highly gratified if we condescended to accept of their services. A variety of innocent arts were practiced to attract our notice or to delay our de parture." Among these innocent arts would appear to have been included the habit of stealing, and although Cook's discovery of the innocent islanders under neath the ship drawing out the nails of the vessel with flints was certainly calculated to delay his 87 88 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC departure, it would seem that the gentle attention was only repaid by small shot fired at the offenders. No harm was done, however, since the culprits easily evaded the shot by diving. What, on the other hand, was the opinion of the natives as to their guests? To tell the truth, spite of Cook's impression to the contrary, they had be gun to be a little tired. The lavish contributions necessary to keep their divine guests from starving had become irksome, and the land was being eaten up. Moreover, the seamen had, in return for much consideration on the part of the natives, shown no reciprocal feeling. The most sacred kapus were broken without scruple, and the conduct of the white men was so abandoned as to disgust even the heathen. There remained only the superstitious awe which surrounded them. Should this depart, the scarecrow would no longer be respected, and the birds would peck at it, as at one another. It so happened that an occasion was not long in coming such as would sensibly diminish this super stitions reverence. It came through our common enemy or friend, Death, who respects neither king nor peasant, neither white nor black. On January 28th one of the seamen, William Watman, died and was buried in the enclosure with both Christian and pagan rites. For three nights the Hawaiians sur rounded the grave, sacrificing hogs and singing prayers and hymns. But, though they thus paid honour to the dead, they could not henceforth think so highly of those whom they had hitherto thought of as sharing the immortality of Kane, Ku and Lono. It was awkward, too, for this reason, that two or THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN COOK 89 three days later the faith of the natives was sorely tried by an act on the part of Cook, the injustice of Avhich may well serve to palliate the later conduct of the Hawaiians. On February 2d Cook wanted fuel for the ships and concluded to ask for the rail round the temple, an article of whose sacred character there could not have been a shadow of doubt. Mr. King, we are told, had his doubts about the decency of the over ture, but was apparently misled by the seeming willingness of the priests to grant the request, and their refusal to accept the two or three hatchets which were offered in exchange. It is obvious, how ever, as Fornander points out, how they felt. They would not sell the possessions of the gods for any price whatever, but, if Lono asked this or that as a gift, though they might be pained to give, yet they would give freely, not only their rail, but the heiau itself, and themselves with it, as an offering to the deity they served. In the end, the men carried off, not only the fence, but the twelve idols which were within, and it is pitiful to read that the high priest, who had been the white man's consistent friend, had to come meekly to Cook to beg back at least the central image. No wonder, after this, that affrays took place with growing frequency. Some quarrel in the course of barter, some discovery or accusation of theft, was of daily occurrence, and there was no doubt that the temper of the men on both sides was getting worse. As for King Kalaniopuu, he was importunate to know the date of Cook's departure, perhaps already dreading what actually took place. He supposed 90 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC the ships had come from some famine-stricken country, and that the strangers had visited his domain only to fill their bellies, a conclusion which, Cook's account remarks, " was natural enough, con sidering the meagre appearance of some of our crew, and the voracity with which we devoured their fresh provisions." Still by now the men had become quite sleek with good living, and the king thought it was time for them to go on a little further. This was probably the real reason for Kalaniopuu's in quiry as to the time of departure, though the white men were vain enough to imagine it was solely to have time to prepare a suitable farewell. This belief, too, was not without some ground of fact, though we are irresistibly reminded of the readiness with which the Egyptians contributed to the levy made upon them by the children of Israel, when they heard that these troublesome sojourners were about to remove across the Red Sea into the wilderness. On February 3d there was a farewell party given at the house of Kau, the chief priest, and the visitors opened their eyes wide with amazement when, on entering, they saw the heaps of good things brought together by the people. There were piles of cloth, abundance of precious red and yellow feathers, fastened with fibre of cocoanut husks, a large herd of hogs, and a great store of fruits and vegetables. The eager lust of possession was a little disap pointed when it was learned that this was tribute brought for the king, but when the king came, he selected a third of the booty for himself and pre sented the remainder to the white men, who were still able to marvel at the generosity of the gift. THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN COOK 91 Captain King remarks, " We Avere astonished at the value and magnitude of this present, which far sur passed anything of the kind we had seen at either the Friendly or the Society Islands." It was, however, in the strictest sense a " good riddance " present. " Egypt was glad at their de parting, for they were afraid of them." Now the preparations for departure began to be hastened. The largest hogs were salted for sea-store, the re mainder divided among the crew, the observatory removed on board, and the kapu taken from the place. The natives, Avhose curiosity had so long been restrained, now relieved their pent-up feelings in one mad rush over the recently sacred ground, in the hope of finding some valuables accidentally left behind. Of the members of the expedition itself, there was but one they wished left behind ; this was Captain King, who had won their confidence and esteem to an extraordinary degree. He received overtures of the most flattering kind, and when he declared that Captain Cook (whom they supposed to be his father ) would not permit it, they said they could carry him to the mountains and hide him there till the ships had sailed. " But the Captain will not sail without me," protested the officer. Learning this, the king and the high priest went as a formal delegation to Cook to request that he would leave his son behind. The Commodore could not give them a positive refusal, so he pacified them by saying that while he could not part with his officer at present, he would return next year and would then endeavour to oblige them. The morning of February 4th dawned on an im mense crowd of natives in their canoes, assembled 92 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC to see the departure of the Resolution and Dis covery, and as the two vessels sailed out from the bay, escorted by thousands of dusky warriors, there was joy all along the coast of Hawaii. The chiefs were at last rid of their exacting and embarrassing guests, and could attend once more to their own affairs. But their jubilancy was short-lived. The ships bad not proceeded further than Kawaihae, when they encountered a violent gale of wind, in which the foremast was sprung, so that it became abso lutely necessary to return to port for repairs. Consequently, just a week after their triumphant departure, the ships once more made their appear ance in Kealakekua Bay. There was no great jubilation this time. On the contrary an ominous silence prevailed, faces were glum and betokened no warmth of welcome. A visit from Lono every day in the week was too much for his too materially- minded worshippers. Besides there was another reason. The Hawaiian men had become jealous of the white men, seeing that their women were so enamoured of the strangers as to lose all taste for the familiar charms of their own countrymen. Cook was greatly surprised at his lack of recep tion, and as there was not a canoe to be seen on the waters of the bay, he sent a boat ashore to inquire the cause. The answer was returned that Kala niopuu had departed from the neighbourhood and had left the bay under kapu. This was very dis concerting, but Cook was not easily discouraged. Towards night a few canoes came off with pro visions, induced by loAre of gain, which, for once, exceeded their respect for law. But the behaviour THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN COOK 98 showed plainly that the former friendship was at an end. Only one class remained faithful, namely, the priests. Whether they still retained their be lief in the incarnation of Lono, or whether, once having committed themselves, they did not care to appear discredited, we cannot tell. The fact re mains that they still continued loyal as ever, as loyal they remained until the end. If Cook had been on the lookout for omens, there was still another circumstance which might have at tracted notice. In the barter which was presently reestablished, the chief objects demanded were the iron daggers which the Captain had caused to be made for trading purposes. Could he have looked ahead a few days, Cook might have seen in this the stealthy step of an oncoming Nemesis, for, as the eagle in the fable received its death wound from an arrow winged with its own feather, so it was from one of his own iron daggers that Cook received the wound from which he died. However, in the need of repairing the damaged mast and sails, there was little time to make re flections or to look for omens. The astronomical instruments had once more to be taken down, the observatory set up, and once more the spot was tabued by the priests. Next day, Kalaniopuu returned and visited the ships, showing no sign of ill-wUl, which, if he felt, he very effectually concealed. Still, even the loyalty of the priests and the liberality of the king could not prevent the outbreak of an unfriendly spirit on the part of the natives. It would be tedious to relate all the details which culminated in the murder of Captain Cook, but the causes of the 94 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACD7IC sad event may be made sufficiently clear if we con dense the various narratives which have come down to us from English and Hawaiian sources. On the one hand we have Captain King's continuation of Cook's journal, and on the other hand we have Sheldon Dibble's account from native authorities in his " History of the Sandwich Islands." It is this latter account which Fornander incorporates into his history as the most trustworthy report of the affair ; as it contradicts King's account in no mate rial point and supplements it by information col lected from the high chiefs present at the time, it may safely be relied upon as giving us an authentic piece of history. Cook had had no more faithful friend among the chiefs than Palea, yet it was Palea who was the innocent cause of the first serious affray. A theft of some kind or other had taken place from the ships, and a boat's crew had been despatched to discover and punish the thieves. Engaged in this work, the officer in charge seized a canoe which happened to belong to Palea. The chief protested his innocence and claimed his boat, but as the of ficer persisted in detaining it, a scuffle took place in the course of which Palea was knocked on the head with an oar and stunned. The natives avenged his fall with such a shower of stones that the sailors were compelled to swim off to a neighbouring rock and would certainly have fared badly but for Palea coming to himself and interposing to protect his assailants. He commanded the crowd to cease from violence, recalled the sailors to their pinnace and assured them he would use his utmost endeavours to recover all that had been stolen. Palea's men, THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN COOK 95 however, were not so generous and, perhaps because they had been punished for an imaginary crime, the same night they managed to steal one of the boats belonging to the Discovery. This they took some distance up the coast and broke in pieces. Had Cook been a wiser man he might have used the good will of the chiefs and priests in such a way as to protect himself from these annoyances, but he determined now to repress thievery with a high hand by adopting a plan he had often found to succeed in the South Seas. This was to obtain possession, by stratagem, of the king or one of the principal aliis, and hold them as hostages until the theft was expiated. To succeed in this bold scheme it was necessary to put the whole bay under block ade, so, with boats, properly armed and manned, stationed across the harbour to intercept any canoes which might attempt to break through, Cook and King left the ship for the shore, the former with Mr. Phillips and nine marines in the pinnace, the latter with a guard in a small boat. On landing, King was at once despatched to the dwellings of the priests to explain the meaning of the blockade. He found them exceedingly alarmed at what can only be described, in Dibble's words, as an act of " con summate folly and outrageous tyranny," but he re assured them as well as he could and told them that no harm should come to Kalaniopuu. Meanwhile, Captain Cook had bent his steps towards the resi dence of the king, whom he awakened and found not unwilling to accompany him. Indeed all might yet have been well had it not been for the suspicions of Kalaniopuu's wife, who, like Caesar's wife of old, predicted evil and besought her husband to stay at 96 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC home. The king's two sons were already in the pinnace when this lady, whose name was Kane- kapolei, came on the scene and refused to permit the king's abduction. Then came two of the high chiefs who, taking hold of the king, compelled him to sit down. Thus he remained, a picture of abject misery, willing to trust the honour of the white men, but restrained by force, while all around a hostile population was gathering Avho viewed the boats in the bay, and still more the demonstration on shore, as threatening the lives of the king and his chiefs. At last Cook perceived that he would have to re turn foiled, and there was even then no reason why he should not have safely withdrawn from his peril ous position, had not another undue circumstance changed the aspect of affairs gravely for the worse. The natives could hardly have been expected to understand the meaning of the blockade, and it was natural that some canoes should attempt to enter. They were fired upon and in one canoe Kahinu, the brother of Palea, was killed. His companion in the boat was our old friend Kekuhaupio, the warrior and Kamehameha's tutor. Hastening ashore he reached the excited throng just as Cook was giving up as futile the abduction. Palea also, grieved at the death of his brother, leaped up and, spear in hand, stood before Cook, vowing vengeance. The Commodore, now genuinely alarmed, fired upon him with his pistol, which, fortunately or unfortunately, did not go off, or, if it did, the small shot failed to penetrate the war-mat of the chief. Then followed a scene of indescribable confusion. The women and children were hastily sent off to the THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN COOK 97 mountains, while an immense multitude of men, with their war-mats donned, their spears and daggers threateningly brandished, seemed almost to spring from the ground. Yells of rage rent the air and immediately after a volley of stones fell around the Captain. One of them struck him, but he retaliated by shooting his assailant dead. Then he struck another chief, Kanaina, with his sword, but the Hawaiian, a man of great strength, seized Cook, not to kill him, — for so far the natives did not believe him mortal, — but to hold him in his strong grasp. Cook struggled to free himself, and slipped in the attempt, groaning as he fell. The groan sealed his fate. It proclaimed to the natives that the white man shared the infirmities of mor tals. " He groans, — he is not a god! " cried the disenchanted islanders, not unwilling to dethrone their idol. Then they slew him. With one of his own iron daggers, the toys he had introduced among them, they stabbed him in the back as he turned to give a command to the men in the boat. The knife passed through his body, and he, before whom the simple islanders had so lately prostrated them selves in fear, fell forward on his face and expired. Thus perished the brave but wilful Captain to whose explorations the world owes so much and to whom Hawaii too owes much, though perhaps not so much that is good. While the murder was going on it must not be supposed that the sailors in the pinnace were idle. They poured a deadly fire into the heart of the crowd, and the natives held up their leaf mats vainly to defend themselves. Thinking that it was the fire that slew their comrades, they dipped their 98 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC mats in the sea to keep them wet. Phillips on the shore drew his sword, slew the chief who had stabbed his commander, then plunged into the sea and swam to the pinnace. Then Lieutenant Gore, from the Resolution, perceiving with his glass that something untoward was happening, fired a volley of round shot amid the crowd with such terrible result that there was a sudden stampede to the hills. The natives, how ever, carried with them the body of their victim and there, in accordance with immemorial custom, they burned the flesh and secured the bones as the per manent trophy of a great deliverance. From what subsequently transpired it would seem that the body was taken to a small heiau where the regular funeral rites were observed. As a sign of rever ence, the bones were made up into an unihipili, i. e., tied up with red feathers, deified and, some at least, laid up in the temple of Lono on the eastern side of Hawaii. Here they received religious veneration as late as 1819 when idolatry was abolished. Yet, unless these bones, like the bones of certain saints in Europe, were miraculously multiplied, it is diffi cult to accept every incident of the story. For a considerable quantity of bones were returned at various times to the ships ; the skull was kept by the warrior Kekuhaupio; other chiefs claimed other parts of the skeleton; and Kamehameha's son and successor took a few more bones with him to Eng land as a suitable present to Cook's bereaved widow. Kamehameha received as his share the hair of the murdered man, while his heart and liver were eaten by some children on the beach in mistake for the viscera of a dog. The limb bones of the marines THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN COOK 99 who were slain at the same time as Cook were divided among the chiefs. It is necessary for a moment to return to Captain King's party which, from its position on the other side of the bay, Avas horrified by hearing the sound of the guns and the yells of the crowd. King's heart misgave him, especially as he knew that Cook's long familiarity with the natives inclined him to care lessness and rashness. Moreover, he was mortified to feel that his assurance to the natives should ap pear belied, still more so when Captain Clerke, per ceiving the party surrounded and imagining them in danger, fired his big guns at the islanders. Hap pily no one was killed, but a cocoanut tree, struck by a cannon ball and broken in two, remained a con vincing proof of the power of the white man's guns. King did all he could to reestablish confidence, at the same time endeavouring to discourage the belief in Cook's death which had already commenced to gain ground. Then he went off to confer with Cap tain Clerke and his departure was the signal for further fighting. A determined attack was made on the stockade, the natives assaulting it in the most persistent manner. One native especially extorted the admiration of the defenders. After the first re pulse he returned, facing the fire of the whole party, to carry off a wounded comrade. He received a wound which compelled him to drop the body and retreat, but after a few minutes he returned, only to receive a second wound which forced him to retreat again. Almost directly after, faint as he was with loss of blood, he reappeared and for the third time seized the body of his friend. It is to the credit of British sailors that their generous admiration 100 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC prompted them to cease firing and the noble savage succeeded in bearing off the body, only, however, to fall dead within his own lines. It was now judged prudent to bring off to the Resolution, the foremast, tents, sails and instru ments, and at the same time to send such a force of boats towards the shore as would be sufficient to overawe the excited and desperate natives and com pel them to restore the Captain's body. Mr. King was entrusted with this difficult and delicate task and, after some signs of renewal of hostilities, he was enabled to get near enough to display a white flag and request a parley. The overture was an swered by the chief Koa, not the most trustworthy specimen of the race, who swam off and received the white men's terms. Koa promised to report to the chiefs and declared that the body of Cook should be returned. He then leaped into the water and swam ashore. Yet there were manifest signs of intended treachery, for the people showed great anxiety for King to land, and when they could not succeed tried to decoy his boat among the rocks with the evident intention of wrecking it. At last, just as the officers were beginning to tire of waiting for Koa's return, a chief approached, who was in all probability Kame hameha himself, and reported that he came from Kalaniopuu and that the bones, which had been taken into the country, should certainly be restored next morning. King had to be content with this promise and re turned to the ship, though his confidence was by no means restored when he saw the people on shore strutting about with contemptuous gestures, some wearing garments which had belonged to the dead THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN COOK 101 seaman, one chief brandishing Captain Cook's hanger, and a woman flourishing the scabbard. In the morning Koa came off to the ships, but without any body, and as his answers were evasive and he still seemed very desirous for the white men to go ashore, he Avas dismissed with threats. On his return to shore the natives seemed to be preparing for an encounter ; large numbers of men were seen marching over the mountains and every indication given that in case of attack the natives would stand their ground. So all day long the captains waited again, but waited in vain, for no sign was given that the chiefs intended to keep their promise. However, at night there was a sudden cry of " Tinni," the native way of pronouncing King's name, from the side of the ship and two natives clambered on board. They turned out to be priests bearing with them a portion of the Commodore's body. Faithful to their old allegiance, they had, unknown to the chiefs, done what they could to restore the mutilated corpse by giving up the portion allotted to the high priest Kau. One of these two priests was the man who had always accompanied Cook as tabu-man and he had come to protest his own innocence and the con tinued loyalty of the priesthood. Tuesday, like Monday, was a day of anxiety and continued menace. Koa, whose brazen audacity was something to be marvelled at, still ventured to come on board, but as the priests had specially warned King against him, he was never encouraged to remain. Next day, as it had become necessary to send a party on shore for water, it was deemed justifiable 102 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC to fire the big guns at the hostile crowd on the beach. This had the double effect of dispersing the multitude to the hills and of bringing off the imper turbable Koa in his canoe with the news which, had it been true, would have abruptly closed our present narrative, that " Maihamaiha " had been killed. It is interesting to speculate as to what would have been the destiny of Hawaii had a chance volley at this time put an end to the hopes and ambitions of the patient and far-seeing warrior. However, Koa's news was premature by more than forty years, so we may dismiss the thought, especially since Kame hameha stood so near to death all his life that there will be plenty of opportunity for speculation of the kind. Kamehameha, it turned out, was only wounded, and that not severely. On the morning of the 17th the intended landing was made and the Discovery was brought as near as possible to the beach so that the watering party might be protected. The need of this precau tion soon appeared, for the natives had no intention of allowing the white men to take their water undis turbed. From the caves on the face of the moun tains they kept issuing forth, harassing the sailors with volleys of stones, so that, having to act con tinuously on the defensive, they made little progress with their work. So irritating did the situation be come that at last the big guns of the Discovery were brought to bear on the shore and this for a time had the desired effect. But only for a time, and then, perhaps naturally, but very unfortu nately, the wrath of the long-suffering sailors was let loose and, before the officers could restrain them, the whole village was in flames, including the THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN COOK 103 houses of the friendly priests. Acts of barbaric cruelty were perpetrated. Natives were decapi tated, their heads takei on board, and the approach of a party bearing a flag of truce was so far disre garded that it was fired upon till the arrival of an officer restored discipline. The party turned out to be headed by the priest Kailikia who, with some rea son, expostulated with the officers on the treatment the priests and their village had received. It would be tedious to relate all the details of the negotiations which ensued. They seemed likely to last forever, not because the chiefs desired to evade the conditions demanded, but principally because of the naturally dilatory character of the native Ha waiian. At length another chief, who is called " Eappo," appeared on the scene, and on Saturday, the 20th, the greater portion of Captain Cook's bones were, by the hands of this chief, returned, wrapped up in fine new cloth and covered with a cloak of black and white feathers. The only bones which were still missed were brought, it is said, by Eappo next day, but either the chiefs or the officers were imposed on, for the native accounts have al ways insisted that certain bones were kept by the chiefs in the temple of Lono. " Eappo " declared that Kalaniopuu and Kame hameha were desirous of peace, though hitherto they had been prevented from realizing their desire by the other chiefs who were disaffected. As Ka laniopuu had remained from the time of the mur der till now hidden in a cave accessible only from above, to which provisions were let down by means of a rope, it is probable that Kamehameha was at this time the commander-in-chief of the Hawaiian 104 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC forces. Kamehameha was never very anxious, at least in the presence of white men, to take credit for any share in the events of February, 1779 ; possibly some fear of reprisals was responsible for his mod esty. Captain Portlock relates that in 1786 Kame hameha was afraid to visit the King George and the Queen Charlotte from an apprehension that they had come to avenge the murder of Cook. Years after Captain Meares says that Kamehameha was anxious to persuade Captain Douglas that Kalanio puu had been murdered for the part he took in per mitting the slaying of Cook. If so, Kamehameha was certainly not telling the truth, for, on the one hand, Kalaniopuu played only a passive part in the tragedy and, on the other hand, he died of old age without giving rise to any suspicion that he had met foul play. No mention is made of Kiwalao, the king's son and heir, in all the proceedings, so it can hardly be doubted that Kamehameha was in command. Even so, however, it is not to be wondered at that he should have forcibly resented his uncle's abduction, nor can he be seriously blamed for the unforeseen way in which the events of that fatal day developed. We have now come to the closing scene of this painful episode. On Sunday, February 21st, the bay Avas once more laid under a strict kapu and in the afternoon the bones of the great explorer were lowered into the deep with the usual military hon ours. The bay which had been called " The landing of the god " became the mortal grave of one un wisely worshipped and untimely slain. On the beach of Kealakekua Bay, near South Kona, now stands a stately and conspicuous monu- THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN COOK 105 ment erected by British sailors in November, 1874, which, since old feuds have been long laid to rest, commands the reverence of white man and Ha- Avaiian alike. Even on the day of the funeral the completest reconciliation appears to have been established be tween the sailors and the islanders. The kapu was removed, provisions were brought off in the canoes, the chiefs came on board, and when, a day or two later, the ships prepared to sail, greetings were ex changed in the most affectionate manner. It was on February 25th, the very day on which, sixteen years later, Vancouver hoisted the British flag over the islands, that the Resolution and Discovery sailed away from Kealakekua Bay and, after touch ing at various points in the more northern islands finally left the group on March 15th, thus, so far as the Hawaiian Islands are concerned, completing a most memorable voyage. The results of the visit of Captain Cook have been well summed up by Fornander as follows: "(The influence of the visit) on the Hawaiian people was lasting and will long be remembered. He came as a god and in the untutored minds of the natives was worshipped as such, but his death dispelled the illusion; and by those whom he might have so largely benefited he is only remembered for the quantity of iron that for the first time was so abundantly scattered over the country and for the introduction of a previously unknown and terrible disease. As education and intelligence, however, are spreading among the natives, they will gradu ally learn to appreciate the benefits that have fol lowed and will continue to follow in the wake of his 106 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC first discovery. The reproaches that have been lev elled at his memory will gradually fade, as men learn to judge others according to the standard of the times and the exceptional circumstances under which they lived and had to act ; and while time will eradicate the evils attributed to Cook's arrival, time will also bring into greater prominence the advan tages and blessings, the light and the knowledge, to which his discovery opened the portals and enable future historians, be they native or foreign, to draw a truer, more just, and more generous balance. In contemplating what the Hawaiians were one hun dred years ago and what they are to-day, no candid person can fail to kindly remember the man who first tore the veil of isolation that for centuries had shrouded the Hawaiians in deeper and deeper grow ing darkness, who brought them in relation with the civilized world, and who pointed the way for others to bring them that knowledge which is power and that light which is life." THE PATRIMONY OF KAMEHAMEHA "At least, the sceptre lost, I still may reign Sole o'er my vassals, and domestic train. To this Eurymachus: To heaven alone Refer the choice to fill the kingly throne; Your patrimonial stores in peace possess." THE departure of the British squadron once more set the Hawaiians free to attend to their own political concerns. Kalaniopuu, old as he was, still had his plans for self-aggrandize ment, plans which would no longer be interfered with by the arrival of the foreigners, for, such was the horror of the outside world at the fate of Cook, that for seven years no vessel touched at any Ha waiian port. Whether it was that Cook's visit had drained the Kona district of its natural supplies, or that the stay of Kalaniopuu with his court and army had proved even a greater strain on the commissariat of the neighbourhood, or that the two causes had oper ated together, such a scarcity of food was presently felt at Kona that the king Avas obliged to move with his court to the Kohala district. Here, as if to give countenance to the theory that the visit of a king was worse than the avatar of a god, Kalaniopuu led such a merry life that the resident chiefs and the cultivators of the land began to grumble very audibly. 107 108 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC When it is considered that the king carried about with him, apart from his warriors, a whole army of retainers, such as stewards, sleep-watchers, mas- sageurs, kahili-bearers, spittoon-bearers, messen gers, spies, prophets, executioners, astrologers, his torians, poets, jesters, musicians, and dancing girls, it may be understood that the support of so vast a horde made no small demand on the hospitality of the common people, especially as not only their produce but also their time and their labour was at the absolute disposal of the king. It can scarcely be surprising that the exactions of a tyrannical or in considerate monarch frequently gave rise to rebel lion. If there was one district in Hawaii more famous for' these outbreaks than another it was Kau. It was here that the people, wearied to death with fol lowing up the king Koihala and his canoes along the rocky coast for mile after mile, at length ate up the food they were carrying in their calabashes and re ceived the king on his landing with a shower of stones. "Here is your pig!" "Here is your dog!" they cried as they battered him to death. Here also another king, Kahaikalani, was killed while en gaged in the construction of an heiau. Tired and disgusted with the labour of pulling up heavy pieces of timber to the top of the hill, they concluded to let go the ropes, with the result that the king and priests, who were pushing behind, were crushed to death. Here again died Halaea from a veritable surfeit of fish. He exacted such large contributions of fish from the fishermen of Kau that at last these turbulent and impatient folk, weary of yielding up the produce of their labour, threw so many fish into o THE PATRIMONY OF KAMEHAMEHA 109 his canoe that it was swamped and its occupants drowned. And now, preyed upon by the rapacious court of Kalaniopuu, Kau determined to keep up its charac ter by associating with Puna and other districts for the purpose of kindling the flames of insurrection. The two chiefs at the head of the movement were the brave alii, Nuuanupaahu, and Imakakalaloa, who played the part of John Hampden by openly resist ing the extravagant demands of Kalaniopuu. But the rebellion served no other purpose than to arouse Kalaniopuu from his unwarlike torpor and to consolidate, for the time, his power. Nuuanu paahu met with a tragic death. One day, swimming in the surf off Kauhola, he was attacked by an enor mous shark. He observed the monster only when it was too late, and one of his hands was snapped off. Faint as he was from loss of blood, the brave chief sprang to his feet on the narrow surf -board and there standing upright shot through the breakers to the shore. His wound, however, had drained away his life and he died a few days later at Pololu. The other chief, Imakakaloa, fought against the superior forces of his feudal lord for upwards of a year, over and over again evading capture through the clandestine help of the people of Puna. Imaka kaloa was an Hawaiian Absalom. His hair hung in great black coils to his very heels and, like the rebel son of David, he was the darling of the people. But at last Kalaniopuu, irritated at the long resistance, and at the favour shown to the outlaw by the Puna people, ravaged the whole land with fire and left the district in ashes. Then one of the retainers of Imakakaloa was tracked and the hiding-place of the 110 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC chief unwittingly betrayed. He was captured, bound and brought down to Kalaniopuu to Kamaoa in Kau to be sacrificed. But we must go back a little to another event which made this ghastly sacrifice an important turning-point in the story of Kamehameha. Some little time after the outbreak of the rebel lion, Kalaniopuu, perhaps apprehending that some untoward event might occur to put an end to his life and reign, sent messengers to Maui to fetch back his son, Kiwalao, with his mother, Kalola. At the same time he summoned a council of the very highest chiefs to meet in the Waipio Valley. Waipio, in the district of Hamakua, was an ideal place for a council meeting, not to say a picnic. It lay in a romantic valley, about a mile wide at the seaward entrance. The hills enclosing it were al most perpendicular, but clothed with grass, creep ers and shrubs, and while winding paths led up wards amid the jutting rocks, beautiful cascades descended almost at a leap, forming a stream below which meandered along the valley and found a way through the sand-hills to the sea. The valley itself was a continuous garden, luxuriant with taro, ba nanas, sugar-cane and fruits, while here and there gleamed a fish-pond well stocked with fish. Along the foot of the mountain, and extending up the val ley as far as the eye could reach, were little groups of grass houses, looking almost as natural to the place as the trees and mountains. It must have been hard to lose one's temper or in dulge in acrimonious discussion in a spot so conse crated by Nature. In Waipio the palms are tallest, the leafage of the ever-blossoming trees greenest, THE PATRIMONY OF KAMEHAMEHA 111 and the waters coolest. Fed by mountain gorges where the tear-drops distil down the black rocks, the streams ripple on, through ravines and over boul ders, till they reach the blue-green sea with its white line of reef-foam. At one time, says an an cient legend, the river was sluggish enough, but a great fish which lived off the Hamakua coast found the supply of fresh water too scanty for his needs and appealed to the god Kane for more. So fresh springs were created, the bed of the river was tilted up, cascades Avere formed, and the river ran, swift and full, to the sea. The great fish is there no longer, but, if so disposed, you may see the finger-marks of Kane on the huge stones which he hurled into the river. It was natural that advantage should be taken of such a favoured spot by the chiefs of Hawaii. Ac cording to tradition, it was the abode of Akea and Milu, the first kings of Hawaii. Here also lived Hoakau, of grimmest memory, who, if he saw a man with a fine head, would send his servants to decapi tate the luckless wretch and, in like manner, would possess himself of any man's limbs, if he thought them better tattooed than his own. Right on from the thirteenth to the close of the fifteenth century, when Liloa died, Waipio was a royal residence. For these two hundred years it was the scene of princely hospitality and chivalrous tourneys, at which, as at European courts at that very time, the highest chiefs were ready to hurl a spear for the honour of their name or for some fair lady's smile. But, at the time of which we speak, " Ichabod " was written on the palace walls. The glory of the court was departed, though the prestige of the great 112 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC heiau of Paakalani was still unimpaired, and so re mained until the fierce warriors of Maui avenged themselves on Kamehameha in 1791. Here it was then in the year 1780 that Kalanio puu assembled his council to settle the weighty mat ter of the succession and other important affairs. The business did not take long. Kiwalao was left heir to the moi-ship, while the king's nephew, Kame hameha, was appointed to the charge of the ances tral war-god, Ku-kaili-moku, referred to in a pre vious chapter. Now, although Kamehameha was appointed only to the second place in the kingdom after Kalanio puu's decease, this second place, through the pos session of Kaili, was by no means lacking in dignity and authority. Moreover, Kamehameha never in tended it to be a sinecure even in Kalaniopuu's life time. It was at the sacrifice of Imakakaloa, which we have mentioned as a turning point in Kamehameha's career, that this determination was first manifested. The sacrifice was arranged to take place at the heiau of Pakini, where, as was usual at such cere monies, the victim was clubbed or stabbed in order that he might be laid upon the altar of the war-god, after preparatory offerings of fruit and pigs. On this occasion Kiwalao appeared as the chief actor in the ceremony and had begun by laying upon the altar the bananas and other fruit which formed the prelude to the piece de resistance. Suddenly from the crowd strode in the indignant form of Kame hameha, who seized hold of the sacrifice and com pleted the ceremony himself amid the amazed and silent chiefs. THE PATRIMONY OF KAMEHAMEHA 113 Some said that Kamehameha had been incited to this daring act by counsellors who were impatient to see him fulfilling his destiny. Others believed that it was just from the impulse of the moment that he stepped forward to resist interference with what he considered his prerogative as the custodian of the war-god. At any rate it created an immense sensation in the court and whispers were not wanting to circu late reports leading to suspicion that the audacious one had designs upon the throne of Hawaii. At this juncture the old king heard of his nephew's boldness and, calling him aside, gave the same advice given by Rebekah to Jacob when the latter incurred the hostility of Esau. He advised him to seek seclusion for a while, preferably on his own private estates, and, while not neglecting his duties as the guardian of Kaili, to leave the politics of the court severely alone. Doubtless this was Avise advice, though Kalaniopuu was perhaps more influ enced by the prudential consideration of his own interests than of those of Kamehameha. So the too-zealous guardian of the war-god said farewell to court and set out for his estate at Hal- awa, in the district of Kohala. But he took with him his wife Kalola, his brother Kalaimamahu, a whole crowd of retainers, and, above all, the treas ured idol, Ku-kaili-moku. As to what precisely constituted the patrimony of Kamehameha there has been much dispute. His actual hereditary possessions would appear to have been little more than a not very extensive district in North Kohala. The centre of this district was Halawa. But, according to Dibble (who in this 114 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC matter is followed by Jarves), Kalaniopuu divided the crown lands between Kiwalao and Kame hameha, and, even before his death, gave Kame hameha authority over the territories of Kona, Ko hala and Hamakua, while Kiwalao held sway over Hilo, Puna and Kau. Fornander doubts this, and thinks that Dibble was misled by the apologists of Kamehameha who were desirous of adding to his glory and at the same time of freeing him from the charge of having rebelled against Kalaniopuu and his heir. No division in the lifetime of Kalaniopuu is mentioned by native authorities such as David Malo and Kamakau, who were contemporaries of Dibble. Moreover, had it taken place, Kiwalao would have had no right to divide as he did the lands of Kona, Kohala and Hamakua among his own adherents. Of course, land tenure in Hawaii was very inse cure, since, at the accession of a new monarch, there was always a redistribution of the lands of the kingdom, with the exception of some portions which, in families of eminence, were considered hereditary and consequently secure from interference. It may be imagined that this periodical redistribution was no easy matter and generally made for the new king- more enemies than friends, sometimes producing a crop of rebellion which brought the new reign to a premature close. Horace affirms : ' ' Optat ephippia bos piger ; optat arare caballus, ' ' and the proverb has many a good illustration on oc casions such as those to which we refer. The wind ward chiefs, i. e., those of Hamakua, Hilo and Puna, THE PATRIMONY OF KAMEHAMEHA 115 desired the leeward side of the island, with its rich fishing grounds, smooth seas and splendid climate ; the leeAvard chiefs, i. e., those of Kohala, Kau and Kona, longed for the running waters, taro patches and abundant food of the windward side. At the death of Kalaniopuu the possessions of Kamehameha consisted of : 1. The ancestral herit age of Halawa, in North Kohala. 2. The Waipio Valley, in Hamakua. 3. Kailua, in the Kona dis trict (probably). The two latter estates were crown lands and not Kamehameha's in his own right; so we shall probably be safe in saying that at the time of his retirement from court the only possession he actually had was the modest estate of Halawa. Hither then came Kamehameha and here for the space of two years, like another Cincinnatus, he laboured at the cultivation and improvement of his land, building canoes for war and fishing, making fish-ponds and catching the fish. Of the work done during this quiet time not a little remains. At Niulii he succeeded in making a tunnel quite through the ridge, to bring a watercourse to the land. Years afterwards a chief pointed out to Mr. Ellis a perpendicular pile of rocks a hundred feet high where Kamehameha and his companions, by digging through the mountain mass, had made a good road, with a regular and gradual ascent from the sea, up and down which the fishing canoes could be easily drawn. At another place he had tried to obtain water by digging through the lava, but, after breaking through several strata, the work was found so difficult that it had to be abandoned. With no powder wherewith to blast the rock, and none but the most primitive tools, the marvel is that he sue- 116 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC ceeded in effecting so much. Mr. Ellis was also shown fields, several acres in area, which Kame hameha kept in good order and well stocked with potatoes and other vegetables. One of these fields, called after his own name, he was accustomed to cultivate with his own hands. Several groves of noni trees (Morinda citrifolia) were also planted by him and kept in order. One of the fish-ponds constructed by our hero is described as consisting of a stone wall, six feet high and twenty feet wide in places, which ran half a mile across a small bay and enclosed a space not less than two miles in circumference. In the wall were several arches guarded by strong stakes driven into the ground in such a way as to admit the waters of the sea, but prevent the escape of the fish. In this way he made himself a benefactor to his own and succeeding generations, for, though fish formed an important article of diet, most men pre ferred a lazier method of catching them than the laborious one of constructing substantial fish ponds. Some made use of the narcotic plant auhuhu, or hola (Tephrosia piscatoria), which, pounded in a mortar and sprinkled on the water, never failed to provide a quantity of drugged fish to repay the indo lent. Others preferred to wait for the leisurely har vest of a harpoon, for it was by no means unpleasant to spend a few hours, harpoon in hand, on the chance of spearing some dainty member of the finny tribes. Others roused themselves occasionally to beat the sea with long runners of the convolvulus, driving the fish into the outspread nets. Some times, too, energy was sufficient to take out in sev- THE PATRIMONY OF KAMEHAMEHA 117 eral boats a long rope of twisted banana loaves, which, laid in a circle upon the waves, formed a kind of magic ring through the shadow of which the fishes feared to break. This was fish-pond enough for an emergency. The labour involved in all these methods brought immediate results, but building fish-ponds for future years and generations was far beyond the understanding of most. It will be seen then that Kamehameha's tempo rary retirement was by no means barren of good both for himself and for the aftertime, and that it was possible for a chief, even in those warlike times, to live to good purpose far from the uncertain strife of battle. But indeed it seemed time for events to hasten themselves, if Kamehameha were ever to achieve the destiny predicted for him, for he was already forty- five years of age, and as yet the custody of an idol represented all the political influence that fortune had brought. A change, however, was at hand, for, in the spring of 1782 (Jarves says April, Fornander January), the old king, Kalaniopuu, breathed his last at Wai- o-Ahukini, near the southern point of Kau. It is impossible to say what was his exact age, but he was certainly over eighty, and for a large portion of a long life he had been a very considerable figure, if not the chief figure, in the history of his country. At the close Kalaniopuu's glory was diminished by the victories of Kahekili, king of Maui, Avho took advantage of the former's old age to win back the fortress of Hana, which had been in the possession of moi of Hawaii since 1759. XI KAHEKILI SUBJUGATES OAHU "Quos Deus vult perdere prius dementat." KAHEKILI, whose relationship to Kame hameha we have already sufficiently dis cussed, was, perhaps even before the death of Kalaniopuu, the strongest chief in the whole archipelago. Therefore, on the decease of the Ha waiian moi, the king of Maui was left with but one rival, Kahahana, king of Oahu, who was also his relative on the mother's side. Being a rival, Kahahana must therefore be crushed, and the manner in which Kahekili pro cured the downfall of this brave young chief affords us more than a glimpse into the crafty and sinister character of this brutal old savage. The account may well be set forth here, while the Hawaiian chiefs are busy considering the situation created by the death of Kalaniopuu. The event is not without importance in connection with the story of Kame hameha. Kahahana had been brought up at the court of Kahekili in Maui and when the Oahu chiefs did him the honour of electing Trim to the sovereignty of that island no one dreamed but that Kahekili would be exceedingly pleased at his good fortune. Perhaps 118 KAHEKILI SUBJUGATES OAHU 119 he was secretly, but at any rate he carefully con cealed his pleasure and, in giving his consent to Kahahana's departure for Oahu, stipulated that he himself should have for his share in the bargain the land of Kualoa, in the district of Koolau, and also all the Avhalebone and ivory which might be washed up on the Oahu shores. In this demand he showed no little cunning, since in the Koolau district were situated the most sacred spots on all the island and the whalebone and ivory constituted no small portion of the royal revenue. But he can hardly have been surprised that neither Kahahana nor his chiefs showed themselves dis posed to part with their property, and on the adAdce of the high priest Kaopulupulu, a man of high char acter and true statesmanship, they returned to Kahekili a firm refusal. The king of Maui probably expected nothing else, but instead of making war at this time on Oahu, an enterprise which might easily have been disastrous, since the island was so far united in its support of Kahahana, he dissembled his feeling and bided his time. Meanwhile, he did all he could in secret to undermine the influence of Kahahana's counsellor, Kaopulupulu. In this treacherous line of conduct he was assisted by his own high priest, the younger brother of Kaopulu pulu, but in whom ambition and jealousy had soured the milk of human nature. On the surface, meanwhile, there was nothing to show that Oahu and Maui were not on the very best of terms. Indeed, in the sanguinary wars of 1776 and 1778, which have already been described, Kaha hana and his chiefs fought side by side with the warriors of Kahekili against Hawaii. The Oahu 120 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC allies arrived from Molokai on the very day that the Alapa Brigade was annihilated and they also took part with distinction in the general encounter the next day when Kalaniopuu was so completely routed. All through the comradeship of the two kings, however, Kahekili was on the watch, and even be fore the natural termination of the alliance he found a spot in which to plant his poisoned shaft. His plan was to insinuate to Kahahana the disloy alty of Kaopulupulu. The high priest, said Kahe kili, had actually offered him the kingship of Oahu, and only his great regard for Kahahana had in duced him to refuse the offer. So, he urged, it would be well for Kahahana to be on his guard against this trusted adviser. The wily suggestion did its work only too well, as slander generally does. Kahahana went back to his dominions resentful and distrust ful, and such a coolness sprang up between the two former friends that soon Kaopulupulu withdrew himself from the court to his own estates. There, to show that the king had removed from him his wonted confidence, he adopted the singular expedi ent of tattooing himself and his followers on the knee. Once without the assistance of Kaopulupulu's sa gacity, the king acted just as Kahekili had antici pated. He became harsh and tyrannical and went, so it is stated, to almost incredible lengths of sacri lege and impiety, digging up the bones of the dead to make from them arrow points wherewith to shoot mice and rats, and even breaking open the tombs of the chiefs to make from their bones handles for his kahilis. Such conduct soon destroyed that unanim- KAHEKILI SUBJUGATES OAHU 121 ity of spirit which had been the main bulwark of Oahu against the designs of Kahekili. It was at this time that the death of Kalaniopuu occurred in Hawaii, and for a while Kahekili seemed to hesitate as to whether he should support one of the rival Hawaiian chiefs or turn his atten tion to Oahu. Seeing, however, that Hawaii was likely to be the theatre of internecine feuds for some time to come, he resolved to let the chiefs there fight out their own quarrel and to take advantage of his opportunity to subjugate Kahahana in Oahu. We are outrunning events in Hawaii a little, but we may as well tell once for all the story of this expedition and then return to Kamehameha. Kamehameha himself was invitjed by Kahekili to take part in the adventure and contribute his share of soldiers and canoes, but he returned answer that he had too much on his hands just then and must wait till he had subdued the chiefs of Hilo and Kau. From Kamehameha's rival, Keawemauhili, however, Kahekili got some help in the form of men and canoes. It will be plain that Kahahana was now con fronted by a very serious situation, but he had a still greater foe than Kahekili, namely, himself. With the insanity of one whose destruction has been decided by the gods, he had determined upon the death of his faithful but calumniated counsellor, Kaopulupulu. No one could have had a more loyal record than this ill-fated victim of slander, yet his execution was decided upon, and when Kahahana arrived at Waianae and sent for him, there was no doubt in the mind of the priest that he was going to his death. Yet he did not falter. Taking with him 122 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC his son, he went out to meet his degenerated chief. His forebodings were not groundless ; as soon as he arrived he was attacked by the king's retainers ; his son was drowned at Malae, and the father killed at Puuloa. It is related that when the high priest per ceived his son in the hands of the murderers he gave utterance to one of those oracular sayings which the Hawaiian priests, like those of Delphi, were some times constrained to employ, to the perplexity of those who heard them. " It is far better," he cried, " to sleep in the sea ; from the sea comes the means of life." This oracle was much pondered over by the Ha waiians and a great variety of interpretations found acceptance. Some believed it fulfilled in the arrival of Kahekili from across the sea, with destruction for Kahahana. A little later it was interpreted of Kamehameha, coming from overseas with peace and unity of government. Others again felt that the words of the dying prophet had reference to the ad vent of the foreigners with all the manifold bless ings of civilization. Whatever the words may have meant, there can be no doubt that Kaopulupulu's death meant the alienation of the affections of the people and Kahahana's speedy defeat by Kahekili. So it turned out. The king of Maui landed with his army at Waikiki, marched his troops in three divisions against the forces of Oahu, and utterly routed them. It is interesting to know that, while Kauwahine, the wife of Kahekili, fought valiantly by the side of her husband, Kekuapoiula, the wife of Kahahana, did the same on her side and, after the battle was lost, shared her husband's flight to the mountains. Here for no less than two years they KAHEKILI SUBJUGATES OAHU 123 wandered, hidden, fed and clothed by their compas sionate subjects. At length, hoAvever, the spies of Kahekili attained their object; the miserable fugi tive Avas captured and slain and his corpse brought in a canoe from EAva to Waikiki. The dirge chanted by his widow as the boat Avith its tragic burden disappeared dOAvn the Ewa lagoon long held a prominent place among the meles of old Hawaii. One incident in this inter-island Avar is so roman tic that it may Avell be told in the Avords of For- nander : " When the news of the invasion spread to Ewa and Waialua, eight famous warriors from those places, whose names the legend has retained, con certed an expedition on their own account to win distinction for their bravery and inflict what dam age they could on Kahekili's forces. It was a chival rous undertaking, a forlorn hope, and utterly unau thorized by Kahahana, but fully within the spirit of the time for personal A'alour, audacity and total dis regard of consequences. The names of these heroes were Pupuka, Makaioulu, Puakea, Pinau, Kalae- ona, Pahua, Kauhi and Kapukoa. Starting direct from Apuakehau in Waikiki, where Kahekili's army was encamped, and organizing preparatory to a march inland to fight Kahahana, the eight Oahu warriors boldly charged a large contingent of sev eral hundred men of the Maui troops collected at the heiau. In a tAvinkling they were surrounded by overwhelming numbers and a fight commenced, to which Hawaiian legends record no parallel. Using their long spears and javelins with marvellous skill and dexterity and killing a prodigious number of their enemies, the eight champions broke through 124 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC the circle of spears that surrounded them. But Makaioulu, though a good fighter, was a bad run ner, on account of his short bow legs, and he was overtaken by Kauhikoakoa, a Maui chief. Makai oulu was soon tripped up, secured and bound by Kauhikoakoa, who, swinging his captive up on his own shoulders, started off with him to the camp to have him sacrificed as the first victim of the war. This affair took place on the bank of the Punaluu taro-patch, near the cocoanut grove of Kuakuaaka. Makaioulu, thus hoisted on the back of his captor, caught sight of his friend Pupuka and called out to him to throw his spear straight at the navel of his stomach. In hope of shortening the present and prospective tortures of his friend, and knowing well what his fate would be if brought alive into the enemy's camp, Pupuka did as he was bidden and with an unerring aim. But Makaioulu, seeing the spear coming, threw himself with a violent effort on one side, and the spear went through the back of Kauhikoakoa. Seeing their leader fall, the Maui soldiers desisted from further pursuit and the eight champions escaped." * 1 Fornander, " Polynesian Race," II, 334. XII THE BRIEF REIGN AND TRAGIC DEATH OF KIWALAO "Then as the mountain oak or poplar tall, Or pine, fit mast for some great admiral, Nods to the ax, till, with a groaning sound, It sinks, and spreads its honours on the ground; Thus fell the king." WE must now go back to the affairs of the island of Hawaii, where the death of Kalaniopuu had left the royal authority nominally divided between Kiwalao, the son, and Kamehameha, the nephew, of the late king. It was about July, 1782, when, ^.t the expiration of the customary period of mourning, Kiwalao, with his half-brother, Keoua Kuahuula, his uncle, Kea- wemauhili, and other high chiefs, prepared to bring the body of the dead monarch for final interment in the famous Hale-o-Keawe in Honaunau, South Kona. The Hale-o-Keawe, or House of Keawe, was a mausoleum where the bones of great chiefs had been deposited from the days of its builder Kanuha, a son of Keawe II, about the year 1690. It was built, says Alexander, of kauila wood, thatched with ti leaves and surrounded by a strong fence, with a paved court at either end. Numerous idols stood on 125 126 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC the fence at intervals all round, and twelve were set upon pillars arranged in a semicircle at the south east end of the enclosure, before which offerings were formerly placed. Many other images were kept in the temple, some of Avood, others of wicker- work, adorned with red feathers. Under the protec tion of these divinities, the bones of Keawe and other ancient chiefs were deposited. They were wrapped up in bundles, bound with cinet made with cocoanut fibre, and the whole tied up with feathers and other ornaments. Many of these bun dles, or unihipilis, may be seen to-day in the Royal Mausoleum in Honolulu. The famous temple derived additional sanctity from its proximity to the great " City of Refuge," or puuhonua, of Honaunau, an enclosure seven acres in extent, 715 feet long by 404 feet wide, sur rounded by a massive wall twelve feet high and fif teen feet thick. Great images of wood, four feet apart, guarded this mighty rampart, and, under the protection of these divinities, any fugitive who ob tained entrance might laugh the most powerful enemy to scorn. It was to this sacred spot then that Kiwalao and his supporters set out with the bones of Kalaniopuu. There is an old painting in what was formerly the Royal Palace in Honolulu which represents the funeral procession. Three large double canoes are pictured crowded with warriors and laden with all the things necessary for the obsequies. In one of the canoes the body of the dead king lies in state, with the kahilis and other insignia of rank beside it. But, while Kiwalao was thus preparing to per form the last rites and acquit himself of his filial BRIEF REIGN AND DEATH OF KIWALAO 127 responsibilities, others were alert to take a more political view of the situation. It has been said that a redistribution of crown lands took place on the death of every sovereign, and such a redistribution at the present time could hardly fail to produce a civil war, particularly as Kiwalao was by no means a strong-minded or experienced manager of men. There were on the western, or Kona, side of the island four powerful and closely allied chiefs who have already been mentioned as the kahus of Kame hameha. These were the twin brothers, Kameeiam- oku and Kamanawa (reputed half-brothers of Kahe kili, and therefore keenly interested in the fate of Kamehameha), their half-brother, Keeaumoku, "the evening crab" (already described in connec tion with the prophecy of Keaulumoku), and Kea- weaheulu. These, with the veteran warrior, Keku haupio, Kamehameha's military instructor, formed an alliance, unique in the Hawaiian annals for en durance and fidelity, — an alliance which might well have lifted any chief, let alone a Kamehameha, to supreme power in the land. But it was the correct appreciation by these men of the character of Kame hameha which cemented the bond. Keeaumoku had been looking out for a worthy leader ever since, with eager interest, he had lis tened to the prediction of Keaulumoku. He had lived in the fortress of Kauwiki till its fall and had then removed to his own private estate at Kapi- liloa, South Kona, where he had waited impatiently for the birth of events from the womb of destiny. It was now fifteen years since he had poised spear in battle, or shouted his war-cry, and he longed with all a warrior's ardour for the excitement of the con- 128 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC flict. And now, to all appearance, the time for choice had come. He must either accept Kiwalao as his feudal lord or find some other cause to cham pion. From what he already knew of Kiwalao he did not anticipate in him the leader of his ideals; so, like the other Kona chiefs, he turned his eyes towards the rising star of Kamehameha. Worthy indeed of support appeared Kame hameha, not only when placed in contrast with Kiwalao, but also as one more likely to check the rapacity of the uncle of Kiwalao, Keawemauhili. Were Kiwalao to be accepted as king, it would be the uncle who would rule, and so well known was his grasping disposition that the Kona chiefs had good reason to fear for the security of their own possessions. For these reasons Kekuhaupio of Keei, the great est warrior of his time, was sent to Halawa to seek out Kamehameha and persuade him to accept the headship of the disaffected chiefs. In justice to Kamehameha the point should be emphasized that in this insurrection he did not him self take the aggressive. He was quite content to stay at home building his canoes and cultivating his land. He did not rouse the Kona chiefs ; on the con trary, they deliberately sought him out and per suaded him to espouse their cause. The ambassadors found him, if not like another Cincinnatus, like another Achilles, among the women. Attended by his wives, he was yielding to the charm of the surf -board, flying backwards and forwards over the waves like one whose element was rather in the water than on the land and whose am bition was in any other direction than that of war. BREEF REIGN AND DEATH OF KIWALAO 129 But the chief became grave enough when his old tutor approached him and gently upbraided him for wasting his days in luxurious ease while his coun try had so much need of his strong arm on the bat tle-field and of his cool head in the council chamber. He might have replied that it Avas not his OAvn fault that he had withdrawn from the envious intrigue of the court to the enviable seclusion of his own estate, but he listened attentively to the arguments of Kekuhaupio and as soon as he was convinced that the time was ripe for action he assembled his re tainers and accompanied his guide back to Kaa- waloa. While Kamehameha was thus nearing the scene of struggle Kiwalao was, from another direction, approaching with the body of his father. And when the funeral fleet was off Honokua, the ever- watchful Keeaumoku went off to see the corpse and incidentally to learn the real destination of the pro cession. Either misled by the taunt of an insolent guardsman, or gaining information of Kiwalao's se cret design, he inferred that the real destination of the visitors was Kailua and that the Kona lands were in danger. With this startling suspicion, true or false, in his mind, he hurried back to Kekaha, whither he knew that Kamehameha had arrived, and told the allied chiefs that the corpse of Kalaniopuu had reached Honaunau. They soon decided upon a course of ac tion and, on the experienced advice of Kekuhaupio, chose a position which would be as suitable for a battle-field as for a camping ground. Kiwalao ar rived and at once went to pay his respects to Kame hameha, who receiAred him with all the respect due 130 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACDjTC to his superior rank. But it was a strange meeting. Kiwalao seemed burdened with the premonition of coming trouble and, gazing at his host, exclaimed : " It is possible that we two must die. Our father (i. e., Keawemauhili) is pushing us on to fight. Per haps only we two shall be slain. Ah, what misery for us both ! " Kamehameha, who had his own ideas as to the end of the conflict, could only answer evasively and turn the subject of conversation to the funeral cere monies of the morrow. " To-morrow," he said, " we will come and visit the corpse of the king." So Kiwalao returned to his camp at Honaunau and Kamehameha prepared to follow. To those who have heard the wailing over a dead alii no description of the effect produced is neces sary ; to those who know it not any description must be inadequate. Holy Writ tells of the house of mourning filled with the minstrels and the people making a noise, and Byron speaks of " the loud wul- wulleh " rending the air of Oriental cities, but who can put into words the emotion aroused by that blood-curdling "Auwe " of passionate barbaric grief which takes possession of the Hawaiian people when their dear ones or their great ones die till they are borne to their last long rest? This ceremonial wailing was proceeding when Kamehameha and his friends reached Honaunau; but after a time Kiwalao, according to the accepted program, ascended a platform outside the heiau and declared the will of the dead moi to the assem bled chiefs. It was, as everybody had guessed, or rather as had already been decided at the council at Waipio; but it was none the less disagreeable to BRIEF REIGN AND DEATH OF KIWALAO 131 those who had made up their minds to be dissatis fied. Only Kiwalao and Kamehameha had been re membered, and to the latter only the custody of the war-god and the sovereignty over certain crown lands had been assigned. Keeaumoku and his party grumbled loudly: " Strange, very strange ! " they cried. " Why not have divided the land into two parts, giving three districts to the one and three to the other? " So they went on muttering that war was preferable to such a state of affairs as this, from which the Hilo and Kau chiefs would reap all the advantages while they became impoverished. But the cup was not yet full. That same evening Kekuhaupio and Kamehameha went along to pay a visit to Kiwalao to see for themselves exactly how matters stood. They found preparations being made for an awa party and, as at certain times these drinking parties were conducted with a great regard for etiquette and with much ceremony, Ke kuhaupio knew that it would be possible on this occasion to learn in what estimation Kamehameha was held by the new king. Fornander quotes from a native historian an interesting description of the scene which followed : " On seeing the awa roots passed round to be chewed, Kekuhaupio says to the king, ' Pass some awa to this one (Kamehameha) to chew.' The king replied, 'What occasion is there for him to chew it? ' Kekuhaupio answered, ' It was so ordered by both of your fathers, that the son of the one should be the man of the other, should either of them ascend the throne.' The awa was passed to Kamehameha, who chewed and prepared it, and handed the first 132 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC bowl to the king. Instead of drinking it himself, however, Kiwalao passed it to a special favourite sitting near him. As this chief was lifting the bowl to his mouth to drink, Kekuhaupio indignantly struck the vessel out of his hand and addressed the king : ' You are at fault, O king ; your brother has not prepared the awa bowl for such people, but for yourself alone.' Then pushing Kamehameha out of the house, he said, ' Let us go on board of our canoes and return to Keei.' " Such a deliberate lack of respect exhibited to wards the guardian of the war-god, whether due to intentional discourtesy or mere oversight, was cer tain to hasten the crisis. The chiefs on either side seemed to have determined upon the conflict. If Kamehameha on his side was being urged forward by the Kona faction, there were elements equally quarrelsome on the side of Kiwalao. Chief among them was Keawemauhili, the imperious uncle of Kiwalao, and one of the highest kapu chiefs then living. Another was Keoua Kuahuula, the king's half-brother, a chief of fiery temper and ambitious spirit. Keawemauhili took care in the redistribu tion of lands to obtain sufficient to satisfy himself and vehemently overruled Kiwalao's disposition to be a little more generous in his dealings with Kame hameha ; Keoua, coming rather later to the division of the spoil, was infuriated because he could not Ob tain with his share the beautiful valley of Waipiq, which had been bequeathed by Kalaniopuu to Kamehameha. He too, like the Kona chiefs, thought it might be better to risk war, and in his ill-governed fury proceeded at once to kindle the flame which was to burn from this time onward, until years after BREIF REIGN AND DEATH OF KIWALAO 133 it would expire amid the ashes of his own funeral pyre. Calling together his warriors, including most of the chiefs of the Kau district, with their retainers, he bade them don the panoply of war. Then, clad in gorgeous feather cloaks, helmets and the ivory clasps which were their insignia with the College of Heralds, he bade them follow to attack the foe. They went straight towards the territory of Keku haupio and, arriving at Keomo, a village at no great distance from Keei, they proceeded to challenge a conflict in the most wanton way by cutting down the cocoanut groves. This Avas the signal for a war a Voutrance, a war of devastation, for upon the cocoanuts depended the livelihood of the people for generations, it might be, after the war was over. So, when Keoua's warriors fell in with some of Kamehameha's people on the beach at Keei, where they had been bathing, it needed very little to pro voke a quarrel. The result was that some of Kame hameha's men were slain and were dragged in triumph by the victorious chief to the heiau at Honaunau, to be the first sacrifices in the campaign now made inevitable. Had Kiwalao taken care to show his displeasure at this mad raid of his brother Keoua, the crisis might still have been safely passed, but unfortu nately he allowed himself to be dragged into the struggle by himself sacrificing the bodies of the vic tims and so making it appear that he took upon himself full responsibility for his brother's action. There remained therefore nothing but to gather the clans on either side and try conclusions as speedily as possible. On the one side was Kiwalao 134 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC with his uncle Keawemauhili, his half-brother Keoua and the chiefs of Hilo, Puna and Kau. On the other side were ranged in support of Kame hameha, Keeaumoku, Keaweaheulu, Kamanawa, Kekuhaupio, and the chiefs of Kohala. After a few days' preliminary skirmishing, the two armies came face to face with one another one morning in July, 1782, and a battle, memorable in Hawaiian history as the battle of Mokuohai, was the result. The great City of Refuge at Honaunau was crowded with the women and children of both parties who had taken sanctuary in the shrine of the gods from the inevitable barbarities of such a conflict. At the entrance to the enclosure the white flag waving from a spear-head proclaimed the in violable character of the place. There was no need to close the gates, for the priests stood ready to slay any rash intruder who should violate the sacredness of the retreat. Even were the king him self the pursuer, the meanest fugitive was safe. But outside raged a most sanguinary contest, with varying result, for no less than seven days. The troops of Kiwalao struggled in mortal combat with those of Keeaumoku. For a while victory seemed to be smiling upon the king. For not only were the two Kona chiefs repulsed with loss but precious human victims were secured wherewith to gratify the appetites and insure the favour of the gods. But where all this time was Kamehameha with his war-god Kaili? Not blenching from the fray, assuredly, but rather preparing for it as a re ligiously minded Hawaiian was wont to do, by con- BRIEF REIGN AND DEATH OF KIWALAO 135 suiting the auguries and by offering sacrifices to the divinities. While the Kona chiefs were apparently being driven back, Kamehameha, in his char acteristically leisurely fashion, was staying behind at Kealakekua with the old high priest Holae and his daughter Pine, the wife of Kekuhaupio. Still, though for a time willing to play the part of Moses on Mount Hor, supplicating the aid of the gods, Kamehameha was none the less eager to play the part of Joshua in directing the battle from the field, and just when the fight was going hard with the rebel chiefs, on the morning of the eighth day, Kamehameha came rushing to the assistance of the cause. The effect was instantly perceptible. That martial presence and personality seemed as by some subtle magnetism to multiply the number of the contending warriors and inspire the wearied with renewed ardour and courage. Yet, after all, the ensuing victory was not to be won solely, or even principally, through the prowess of Kamehameha, but as the achievement of another warrior who, not having drunk of the strong wine of battle for many years, now revelled in it as though he were the bloody spirit of the battle in person. This was Keeaumoku, who literally ex ulted in the fray, his spear drinking blood at every thrust, and his shout echoing far and loud over the field of combat. At a critical moment Keeaumoku met with an accident which seemed to proclaim that his return to the battle-field was to be but brief. The lava slopes, as modern travellers know only too well, are slippery enough even when one walks or rides with careful and sober gait ; so it is no great marvel that, 136 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC carried away by his ardour, Keeaumoku lost his footing, fell, and got his pololo, or long spear, en tangled in the rocks. Immediately, as the dogs fasten upon the fallen stag, a crowd of warriors surrounded him with their weapons. Kahai and Nuhi were at him with their daggers. Kini struck him in the back with his spear and, in mocking allusion to his victim's name, cried in savage triumph, " The spear has struck the yellow-backed crab ! " Then Kiwalao came up, most unfortu nately for his own cause, and postponed the final blow by bidding the soldiers take off Keeaumoku's ivory palaoa, and in no wise stain it with blood. The king's punctilious etiquette saved the prostrate chief his life, for Keeaumoku, recovering from his swoon, made a sudden spring at Kiwalao as he was bending over him, grasped him round the neck, or, according to some, by his long flowing hair, and held him down. In another instant Keeaumoku's brother Kama nawa, who more or less continuously had served as a kind of guardian angel, came swooping down with a division of his men to rescue at least his brother's corpse. Happily, they did more than this, for, not only were they enabled to drive off the assailants of the still liAdng Keeaumoku, but one of the warriors, Kekuawahine by name, discharged a stone from his sling which smote Kiwalao on the forehead and stunned him. Apparently, no one up to this time had recognized the king, but Keeaumoku, who a feAV seconds before had given himself up for lost, marked the fortunate blow and, drawing his dagger of shark's teeth, ruthlessly cut the throat of the unconscious monarch. This is the account of the BRIEF REIGN AND DEATH OF KIWALAO 137 death of Kiwalao as generally received, but it is fair to say that other traditions describe the king as speared by a warrior named Nalimaelua. As soon as the king's death was perceived there was a pell-mell rout of the royal forces, each man endeavouring to save himself as best he could. Some jumped into the sea and swam to the canoes ; others fled to the mountains and hid themselves in caves. Keoua, who had been wounded in the thigh and compelled to quit the field of battle, fled to the canoes and made his way to Kau, where he was immediately acknowledged by the chiefs of the party as the lawful successor of his brother. Other chiefs got safely across the mountains and through the forests to Hilo, while the most powerful chief of all, Keawemauhili, fell into the hands of the Arictors. In this predicament the only fate he could anticipate was to provide a sacrifice to the war-god, but the elevation of his rank was sttch that it weighed even with his captors. He was an alii- niaupio, i. e., the issue of a marriage between brother and sister for two successive generations, and therefore one of the very highest kapu chiefs known to the heralds. This fact probably relaxed the vigilance of his guards, so that Keawemauhili was able to make his escape and in course of time made his way into his own territory at Hilo. Here he followed the example of Keoua and proclaimed himself the successor of the ill-fated Kiwalao. Kamehameha, before the evening of this decisive combat, reached Honaunau, the former residence of the conquered chiefs. In after years he rightly re garded this battle as that which laid the founda tions of his fortune. For many years after, cairns 138 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC of stone might have been observed which had been raised over the bones of the slain, and among the spots pointed out was the place where Kaili, the war-god, surrounded by the priests, surveyed the carnage, the place where Kamehameha, his sisters and friends, fought together from morn till noon on that terrible eighth day of battle, and the place where Kiwalao was slain. Unfortunately, decisive as the battle was in re spect to the claims of Kiwalao, it neither decided the sovereignty of the island, nor gave supremacy to the Kona chiefs. Its immediate result was to split up Hawaii into three separate and rival fac tions and to initiate a long and bloody triangular contest. XIII "THE BITTER WAR" "Now for the bare-pick 'd bone of majesty Doth dogged war bristle his angry crest, And snarleth in the gentle eyes of peace." IT is now necessary that we take into considera tion the legitimate position and claims of each of these aspirants to royalty. We shall so be able to view the events of the next few years with fair and unprejudiced eyes. In the first place, with regard to Kamehameha, it is obvious that his title was much better after the death of Kiwalao than before it. He had been ap pointed almost joint heir with Kiwalao by Kala niopuu and had nevertheless been treated with scant consideration by the powerful chiefs opposed to him. The Kona chiefs, on the other hand, felt that no one was so marked out by all natural and acquired qualifications for the leadership. He had won the enthusiastic attachment of Keeaumoku, " the Kingmaker." That chief had not recognized the features of his ideal lord in Kiwalao and had become more and more satisfied that the seer Keaulumoku had been pointing to Kamehameha. The result of the battle of Mokuohai confirmed him in this view and a little later when the aged prophet paid his third visit to the warrior any doubt he may have had was dispelled forever. 139 140 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC It was at Halaula, in Kohala, that Keaulumoku appeared. He was very old now and his hair was whiter than ever, but his venerable aspect made men mark more carefully his words and trust his pre dictions more than ever. Moreover, he had been for a longer space than usual silent; the gods had granted no new vision to his aged eyes, no answer to his fervent prayers. Now at last the old spirit of prophecy had come back to him and, as he stood before Keeaumoku, his voice rose like the wind sweeping through the moun tain gorges and he sang the chant of Hau-i-Kalani. He told of the civil war about to rage, he described the miseries of the contending factions, but pro claimed that finally Kamehameha would crown his struggles with success and reign, the greatest of Hawaiian heroes, the overlord of the Eight Islands. There was great enthusiasm at this announce ment and those who had waited long for Kameha meha to show the stuff of which he was made were filled with encouragement. Keeaumoku was especially jubilant and cried, " You would not answer my question before ; tell me, O seer, is it answered now? " And the bard re plied, " It is answered." That night the two feasted together, the warrior and the prophet, and, what ever may haAre passed between them, Keeaumoku came away confident in the wisdom of his alle giance. Often and often after this, when Kame hameha was downcast and discouraged by defeat, Keeaumoku would only smile and say, " Thus far you have only skirmished with your enemies; you will win when you fight real battles." Kamehameha had therefore on his side abundant ' ' THE BITTER WAR ' ' 141 enthusiasm and the loyalty of most of the chiefs of Kona, Kohala and a portion of Hamakua. Now let us turn to the position and prospects of Keoua Kuahuula, the half-brother of the dead KiAvalao. As the son of Kalaniopuu and of the high chiefess Kanekapolei, he looked down upon Kamehameha as a low born rebel. His niece Keopuolani he acknowledged as his superior in rank, and to her, if called upon, he was ready to swear homage, but to Kamehameha it was impos sible that he should submit. Moreover, he was young, adventurous and an able warrior, and believed implicitly that with the help of his uncle, Keawemauhili, he would be able to wage war with success. The chiefs and people of Kau were heartily on his side and he had beside the help of his two warlike brothers, Keoua Peeale and Kaoleioku. In the third place there is the position of Keawe mauhili to be considered. His attitude was that of the most decided hostility towards Kamehameha and of independent friendship towards Keoua. It is not surprising that Keawemauhili refused al legiance to Kamehameha. As the highest chief in rank then living in Hawaii, except the above-men tioned daughter of Kiwalao, Keopuolani, it would have been cowardice and treason from his point of view to bend the knee before the stalwart chief of Halawa. Kamehameha was, furthermore, in his eyes a rebel against the authority of Kiwalao and now remained a rebel against Keoua and himself. Thus the battle of Mokuohai brought with it the prospect of anything but peace. In anticipation of trouble the infant princess Keopuolani was carried 142 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC away by her mother and grandmother into Maui and the rival chiefs prepared themselves once more for the ordeal of war. Well did the war which followed the death of Kiwalao deserve the name of Kaua awa, " The Bitter War," for so intense was the animosity aroused that all chivalry was forgotten and the foulest and most scurrilous abuse was bandied about between court and court, each faction en deavouring to surpass the other in the bitterness and personality of its invective. However, in course of time matters got beyond hard words. Kame hameha was master of nearly the whole leeward side of the island and it was the fame of his prowess which induced Kahekili to send him a request for canoes and men to aid in the war with Oahu. A like request was sent to Keawemauhili, but the two chiefs treated the message in characteristically dif ferent ways. Kamehameha responded that he had work enough to do in the subjugation of the chiefs of Hilo and Kau and at the same time pressed the messengers into his own service. Keawemauhili, possibly with more prudence, sent a number of warriors to assist the king of Maui, and was in time repaid by the receipt of a strong force of Kahe kili's retainers to assist in the struggle against Kamehameha. Meanwhile, warlike preparations were proceed ing all over Hawaii and but the faintest of sparks was necessary to kindle the flames of war. The spark was soon forthcoming, this time the result of Kamehameha's outraged family feeling. In the battle of Mokuohai, among other sup porters of Kiwalao, were two of Kamehameha's "THE BITTER WAR" 143 uncles, Kanekoa and Kahai. In the triple division of allegiance which ensued these first attached them selves to the side of Keawemauhili, but after a time they revolted and tried the cause of Keoua. A short experience served to disgust them with the service of this second member of the triumvirate. Then they rebelled and a battle was fought near the crater of Kilauea in which Kanekoa, the elder uncle, was killed. Then his brother Kahai be thought himself of Kamehameha as a last resort and, coming to him with the most abject professions of submission, besought protection. Kamehameha was moved with compassion and, mindful of the old days which he had spent with his brothers in Kane- koa's house at Waimea, resolved to avenge his uncle's death. This was the immediate cause of the expedition known as Kama-ino, so called on account of the rain and severe cold from which the troops suffered in crossing the mountains. Kamehameha assembled his war-canoes and forces at Kawaihae, and there determined upon a double operation by land and sea. Placing the canoes under the command of Keeaumoku, he ordered them to proceed along the coast and hover about the neighbourhood of Hilo, while he marched inland with the army towards the Kilauea volcano. In this way he hoped to keep apart the forces of Keoua and Keawemauhili, en gage them separately, defeat them, and then pro ceed to his canoes at Hilo. The campaign was well planned, but Kame hameha suffered more than he had anticipated from the long and painful march across the mountains. This greatly reduced his available army and when 144 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC he came upon the troops of Keawemauhili, rein forced by the Maui mercenaries, though he per formed as usual prodigies of valour and with char acteristic stubbornness held his own, yet in the end he was completely outfought. It would have gone hard with him, and his story have been abruptly closed, but for the timely presence of the canoes. In these the defeated warriors found a welcome refuge and a rallying point for further and more fortunate exploits. It was, nevertheless, for Kamehameha a very narrow escape. Towards the end of the battle he was pursued by a soldier named Moo, who followed close behind with taunts, crying, " Tarry, O my lord, don't be in such a hurry ! It is only I." The chief, however, did not tarry and was glad to get safe to his boats. One of Kamehameha's brothers also had in this disastrous campaign an equally nar row escape. Still, once in the canoes, the army was safe and, retiring on Laupahoehoe, Kamehameha began plans for fresh adventures. While here he learned with pleasure that Keawemauhili had lost the assistance of the Maui warriors whom Kahekili had loaned. It is an interesting illustration of the strange cus tom of the time that, although the war had been waged with unprecedented bitterness, yet Kahana- wai and his men called upon Kamehameha on terms of perfect friendliness and were received by their late antagonists with the utmost cordiality. It is strange to find mingled with such evidences of chivalry incidents which exhibit only the vulgar spirit of the common freebooter and marauder. For, in Kamehameha's hatred of Keawemauhili, he "THE BITTER WAR" 145 certainly availed himself, when the fit was on him, of any and every means of annoying and harassing his powerful foe. Occasionally these raids were at tended with no little risk, a fact which in part re deems their rather sordid character. On one occasion with his own war-canoe and crew alone, unattended by a single one of his counsellors, he made a plundering excursion along the Puna coast. Here he fell in with a band of fishermen and, knowing them to be the subjects of Keawemau hili, did not disdain to attack them. No more ideal picture of peace could be imagined than such a village as Kapoho with the dusky fishermen lazily plying their craft. There were the purple moun tains in the background still asleep under the morn ing shadows which hung among the groves of kukui and kou. There was the surf on the white reef idly playing with the branching coral, while the blue- green waters of the Pacific slumbered under the long, level rays of the awaking sun. Then, suddenly sweeping round the headland of Kumukahi, there bore down upon the fishermen the great war-canoe of Kamehameha, painted red from stem to stern, and aliA^e with rowers in their feather cloaks of red and yellow which gleamed in the sun. Instantly, as when the cry of "Mao!" (Shark) is raised among the swimmers, there was a pilipili scramble of the fishermen to the shore and the fight began. It seemed a mean advantage to take on the fisher- folk, but they gave Kamehameha a hot reception, and while engaged with two sturdy fellows the chief's foot slipped and he fell in a crevice of the coral rock. In this humiliating situation he was well beaten over the head with a paddle and might 146 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC have been killed had not one of his antagonists been encumbered with a child upon his back. Had the men known the name of their assailant, it is hard to say whether they would have been the more awed by his reputation as a warrior or the more deter mined to make a sure end of his career. As it was, the beaten chief, with a violent effort, got away and escaped to Laupahoehoe, a sore and, let us hope, a wiser man. We might say, certainly a wiser man, for he never forgot the fishermen of Kapoho. Long years after, when he was king of all the archipelago, Kamehameha was making a triumphal progress through the islands and came upon the hero of that day's escapade. While the fisherman trembled at the recognition and lay at the conqueror's feet in expectation of some dire punishment, Kamehameha Avas generous and just enough to praise the act of Napoho and the fisher-folk of Puna. And the next day he promulgated the law known as Mamalahoe, " The Law of the Splintered Paddle," — by which it was decreed that any chief who should henceforth engage in a raid upon unarmed and helpless people should be surely put to death. Thus the king proved himself worthy to rule, be cause strong enough to condemn publicly the errors of his past. XIV KAMEHAMEHA MARRIES KAAHUMANU "Fair lady, and most fair, Will you vouchsafe to teach a soldier terms Such as will enter at a lady's ear, And plead his love-suit to her gentle heart f" POSSIBLY that inglorious beating which Kamehameha received at the hands of the fishermen of Puna had something to do with an apparently diminished affection about this time for the arts of war. Certain it is that, leaving Keoua and Keawemauhili in undisturbed possession of the realm they had seized, Kamehameha betook himself and his court to Halaula in Kohala and oc cupied himself honourably and usefully in peaceful pursuits, such as the cultivation of his ancestral fields. About the same time, one of the great pillars of his growing power was withdrawn by the death of the faithful tutor and friend, the illustrious Keku haupio. This wise counsellor and brave warrior was mortally wounded in a spear exercise at Na- poopoo and died lamented, not only by his royal master, but by all the people of Hawaii. In the possession of such friends as Kekuhaupio, Kame hameha was richer than as the lord of wide lands or as the leader of a thousand spearmen. And to Halaula, yet once again, came the aged 147 148 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC prophet Keaulumoku. For some months he had lived all alone in a little hut at Kauhola, where his life had been that of a hermit. He seldom spoke to any one and was rarely even seen. But at last, as though with an intuition of approaching dissolution, he felt the old prophetic gift return and caused the proclamation to be made that on the following even ing he would chant his swan song, the last mele of his wonderful career. The people, full of anticipa tion, came together in crowds and waited reverently silent and awestricken around his hut. Hour after hour they waited for his coming forth and at last the door opened and the old man, tremulous and pale, appeared. He seated himself upon a mat in full view of the assembly and began his chant. At first his voice was weak and quavering and his words well-nigh inaudible, but gradually the old fire came back into the worn socket and burned brighter and brighter to its dying flare. The song rose to a prophecy which thrilled its hearers alike by the weird and touching circumstances of its ut terance and by the strangeness of the predictions it embodied. Keaulumoku told of many wonderful events shortly to come to pass. He told of the approaching glory and supremacy of the "Lone One," as he hailed the rising star of Kamehameha; of the eventual eclipse of that glory in the decadence and extinc tion of the dynasty ; of the coming of the haoles, or white men, with their mingled cargo of blessing and curse; and finally of the event which still lies in the future, though not perhaps so very far away, namely, the complete wiping out of the noble race to which he and they belonged. KAMEHAMEHA MARRIES KAAHUMANU 119 It was a prophecy, all too true, of the dark shadows which should follow upon and half obscure the glory of the " Lone One's " reign. It was like a hint of the " twilight of the gods," the Ragnarok of the Eddas, about to smother in its sable folds the glory of Odin and Thor and the heroes of Valhalla. Keaulumoku had hardly finished his dirge, for such ere it ended it had become, when, raising his hands to bless the people, he fell back dead. A great, prolonged "Auwe " went up from the multi tude and then, very reverently, the people bore the dead bard to the temple of the gods. Here to the greatest of the old jjrophets of Hawaii they gave a worthy burial. His last chant was long remem bered, repeated from mouth to mouth, and treas ured up in the hearts of men, though it spoke of national death following hard upon a period of na tional glory. Other events, however, soon came to blur the sense of impending ill. Kamehameha still held his court at Kohala and was occupying himself with the pur suits of peace. In 1785 he indeed so far ventured as to attempt a second invasion of Hilo, an expedi tion known in Hawaiian history as the war of Hapuu, or of Laupahoehoehope. The effort, how ever, ended like the former one abortively and the chief was soon fain to return to his agricultural labours, working himself as hard as any of his serfs. He encouraged games and athletic exercises of all kinds, not chiefly, it must be confessed, because of their effect on the social welfare of his people, but because, with the prophecy of Keaulumoku still ringing in his ears, he was desirous of developing in his men a physique and hardihood which would 150 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC render them more than a match for the seasoned warriors of Keoua and Keawemauhili. He had in his mind's eye many a prolonged march over cold and rugged mountains; many a naval battle in which victory would rest with the best manoeuvred canoes, many a desperate foot to foot encounter in which fortune would favour the most alert and practised spearmen. So, though still in disposed to hurry up the lagging feet of destiny, he really made the attainment of the goal the surer by his caution and his foresight. Swimming and drilling were daily occupations of the court, while leaping, running and wrestling were specially en couraged through the annual tournaments held on the occasion of the Feast of Lono. It was at one of these annual tournaments, occa sions which were bound to bring together the as pirants for martial glory and the fairest maidens of the land, that a happy fulfillment was brought about to one of the early prophecies of Keaulumoku. In other words, the marriage was arranged between Kamehameha and the beautiful Kaahumanu. We must acknowledge that the chief was not a little uxorious, for from first to last he had no fewer than twenty wives and there were two when he wedded the daughter of Keeaumoku. But Kalola and Peleuli, by whom he had several grown-up sons, had lost their youth and beauty and there was noth ing in the custom of the land to restrain his desire for a younger spouse. Kamehameha himself was about fifty and, as we have seen, no beauty, with his smileless, furrowed face and stern, savage ways ; but he was a prince and a favourite of fortune, so not yet beyond fair lady's pity. Kaahumanu, whose KAMEHAMEHA MARRIES KAAHUMANU 151 auspicious horoscope had been cast some years be fore, had been born, as we saw, with a yellow feather in her mouth ; she had been sedulously prepared by a loving father and a doting mother for the position reserved for her by fate; and her parents had re garded her as a special sign of the restored favour of heaven. Now, a girl of seventeen, Keeaumoku has brought her to court to see the tournaments and, as was intended, she soon caught the eye of Kame hameha who yielded to her fascination as he had done before in the presence of any woman. To gain her smile he engaged in the most reckless of con tests, deeds of daring and trials of strength. In every one, like Lancelot under the eye of Guinevere, he vanquished his rival. Then, as his reward, he asked her of her father in marriage. As may be fancied, Keeaumoku readily consented, but the lady herself wished also to have a voice in the matter. There was, as we have said, little in the appearance of Kamehameha to attract a young girl's fancy, but Kaahumanu was ambitious and had great admira tion for the chief in whom the prophets took an in terest. Still her admiration did not destroy her astuteness. So she refused to be satisfied with the dignity of queen, unless it were also stipulated that her children should be considered Kamehameha's heirs. After some demur the chief consented, but as Kaahumanu remained childless, it is needless to discuss the sincerity of the promise. So, with great splendour, the marriage ceremony took place, or, to speak more accurately, with such splendour as was possible and compatible with Hawaiian custom. For marriage, even in the case of chiefs, was a very simple affair and was remark- 152 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC able as being almost the only social function which was discharged without the aid of religion. Some times the contracting parties simply came together in the presence of the people and joined noses, while the multitude shouted, " The chiefs are married." Sometimes the ceremony consisted of the throwing by the bridegroom of a piece of kapa, or native cloth, over the shoulders of the bride in the presence of the mutual relatives. Still much could be done to make a wedding in teresting, for, as in most countries, there was al ways a feast to celebrate the event. With regard to the marriage of Kaahumanu to Kamehameha, King Kalakaua has written as fol lows: "Kaahumanu became the wife of Kame hameha's heart. He loved her as well as he was capable of loving any woman and she was the only one whose indiscretions were regarded by him with feelings of jealousy. His other wives were not restricted by him to his sole attentions, and even the blue-blooded Keopuolani, whom he subsequently married, and who became the mother of his heirs to the throne, had a joint husband in Hoapili. But in the affections of Kaahumanu, Kamehameha would brook no joint occupant or rival. She doubtless sought to avail herself of the privileges of the time, but Kamehameha objected with a frown which would have meant death to another." Of the fair Kaahumanu's flirtations with Kaiana and others, of her capricious temper, and her sterling qualities and powers of government, and of the good offices of Vancouver in reconciling her to her husband, we shall have occasion to speak hereafter. She becomes later a very conspicuous KAMEHAMEHA MARRIES KAAHUMANU 153 feature in the history. Although she shared Kame hameha's affections with so many others, she easily maintained her ascendency. Beaten sometimes by her irate spouse, she yet knew how to hold her own. Though making an attempt now and then to escape her fetter, she always gained forgiveness in the end. So she lived to become a prominent figure in the abolition of the kapus which followed her husband's death and to become by baptism in 1825 " Kaahu manu hou," " the new Kaahumanu." In the chas tened and devout Christian Avoman who signed her self "Elizabeth " there is certainly little enough to remind us of the brilliant and erratic princess of the yellow feather. Much of this belongs to the future ; here we can simply cry with the wedding guests, " Hoao na 'Hi e!" "The chiefs are married," and take our leave of a portion of Kamehameha's career which, with all its promise of greatness, has been mainly a record of reverses and disappointments. It has at least shown us a brave man, possessing his soul in patience and growing strong under the hammer blows of adversity. Such a training could not fail, in due time, to command success. The due time, moreover, is now at last within measurable dis tance. XV RENEWED WAR WITH MAUI "Now meeter far for martial broil, Firmer my limbs, and strung by toil, Once more . . . trust fate of arms." THIS brief chapter is only transitional, deal ing solely with an episode of no particular importance in itself but needful to remem ber as a stepping-stone to bigger enterprises for which we shall not have long to wait. The conquest of Maui had been to Kamehameha and the other Hawaiian chiefs an ever-present but often frustrated hope. The defeat at the battle of the Sand-hills had never ceased to rankle in their minds and they had looked forward impatiently to a full revenge at no distant date. Consequently, when Kamehameha took advantage of the lull in civil strife to broach the idea of an expedition to Maui he was not only undertaking an enterprise congenial to his own adventurous soul, but was also striking out a line of policy which could not fail to enhance his prestige with the populace. If the ex pedition failed he would not be much worse off than before since defeat was by no means outside the circle of his experience, and should he succeed he could then afford to smile at the rivalry of Keoua and Keawemauhili. The position of parties in Hawaii was not suf- 154 RENEWED WAR WITH MAUI 165 ficiently satisfactory for Kamehameha himself to leave the island, so he determined to equip and send out the expedition to Maui under the command of his favourite brother Kalanimalokuloku. The op portunity for sending such an expedition was a good one, since Kahekili was absent and still en gaged in crushing the patriots of Oahu. A casus belli was — all too easily — found in the ambition of Kamehameha to repossess the old Hawaiian strong hold of Hana which four or five years before had been captured by Kahekili. So Kalanimalokuloku started out under the most favourable auspices and for a while appeared suc cessful beyond even his expectation. He met with the minimum of resistance from the people of the district and for his own part treated them so con siderately, in respecting life and property, that he was received more like a legitimate monarch than an inA^ader. He even earned from the people he had come to conquer the enviable soubriquet which stuck to him for the rest of his life of Keliimaikai, " the good prince." All this was bad news for Kalanikapule, the son of Kahekili, and he soon deemed it necessary to take measures for the expulsion of this amiable marauder. An army was sent under Kamohomohu, the younger brother of Kahekili, to attack Kelii maikai. The two met to the south of Hana, near Kipahula, in one of those terrible gulches with which the slopes of Haleakala are serried. Here a battle raged which was contested with all the old stubbornness and ferocity. The Maui soldiers, up to this time, seem generally to have proved the better warriors, but the Hawaiians too had a repu- 156 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC tation to sustain and, being in the enemy's country, fought with the courage of desperation. However, though joined at Maulili by a small body of rein forcements, the invaders were ultimately over powered and those who were not killed were glad enough to regain their canoes and make the best of their way back to Kohala. Keliimaikai himself had many narrow escapes from being captured and owed his life, in the first place, to the devotion of his kahu, who hid him until darkness stopped the pursuit, and, secondly, to the good will of the country people who had been propitiated by his kindly policy during the invasion. Thus his consideration was neither misplaced nor wasted and in course of time he was enabled to make his way back to his brother's court in Halawa. It is characteristic of Kamehameha's strong family feeling that, in spite of natural chagrin at the un anticipated failure, he was better pleased with the safe return of his brother than grieved at the- dis appointment of his too sanguine expectations. It will strike the reader that thus far Kame hameha's success in war has been in no wise remark able. If there was any luck in the matter, his bad luck had so far been consistently manifest. It is even possible for some to maintain that what Kame hameha afterwards achieved was due more to his alliance with the white man and his use of the white man's weapons than to his own generalship. But no greater mistake could be made. It is true that Kamehameha, without by any means hav ing the monopoly of this kind of assistance, did re ceive help from the white man, but the sagacity which prompted him to choose John Young and RENEWED WAR WITH MAUI 157 Isaac Davis for his gunners was of a piece with that which impelled him to keep his distinguished native counsellors by his side. Kamehameha was for tunate, not because he availed himself of any white help that offered, but because his singular dis crimination enabled him to choose the right kind of men, and to gain their complete confidence and respect. Moreover, in no department of life do we find the greatest of men inexperienced in the discipline of defeat. The man whose battles are seemingly all defeats may become " the undefeated that shall be." Kamehameha never allowed himself to be defeated without gaining something, some coign of vantage unperceived at the time, but which was destined in due course to add to the lustre of his fame. It must be borne in mind also that, in fighting against Kahekili, king of Maui, he was fighting against one who possessed the highest reputation among all the chiefs in the art and practice of war. The old king was as wily in counsel as he was for midable upon the battle-field. Taciturn, cunning and cruel, dreadful even to look upon, with one side of his body tattooed nearly black and the other left its natural colour, he was determined that, in his own lifetime at least, the dominion of Maui should be in no man's hands but his own. And he still appeared vigorous enough to last a few years more. Though at this time not far short of eighty years old, and debilitated and emaciated by excessive awa drinking, yet such was his vigour that Captain Portlock this very year described him as a man of fifty, and seven years later Vancouver merely says that he must have exceeded sixty. 158 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC To be beaten by such a man as this was in itself no disgrace. Indeed it seemed as though while Kahekili lived his supposed son could win no per manent dominion, but that as soon as the cruel old savage was gathered to his fathers he bestowed a double portion of his spirit on him whom during life he opposed so grimly. So while Kahekili went on with the war in Oahu, slaying its king, massacring women and children, and leaving a hideous trophy of his success in a house built entirely of human bones, Kamehameha consoled himself over his ill-starred expedition in the preservation of his brother and went on making fresh plans for the future. XVI THE RETURN OF THE WHITE MAN "Trinculo, . . . we will inherit here. — Here; bear my bottle!" FOR seven years, as we have said, no ship ven tured to land a crew on the beautiful shores whose beauty had been tarnished by the murder of Cook. These seven years had now ex pired, and Hawaii was once again to be introduced, only too completely, to the notice of the outside world. Four years of trade followed the futile war with Maui, described in the last chapter, four years which had a most powerful influence on the fortunes both of the group and of the career of Kamehameha. There was at this time a very considerable trade between China and the northwest coast of America. Nootka Sound, in Vancouver Island, was the gen eral rendezvous of the ships engaged, and here great cargoes of furs were heaped together to be con veyed across the Pacific to China and there dis posed of in return for tea and other commodities suitable for the markets in England and the United States. For these ships the possession of such a half-way house as Hawaii was an advantage sufficient to make even the risk of outrage and murder worth incurring and now that the terror awakened by Cook's untimely end had died away, captains were not slow to avail themselves of so desirable a haven. Moreover, the Hawaiians, as well as the for- 159 160 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC eigners, had learned a lesson. They were no longer disposed to worship strangers as visitants from an other world, but neither were they so likely to slay them. They would regard them simply as haoles, whose presence might even be turned to good ac count. They thought of the prodigious quantities of iron which these foreigners possessed and this thought was enough to make the dusky cheeks of the chiefs turn pale with desire. And not only their goods, but themselves, — they too might be turned to profit. They had certainly some useful accomplish ments, such as that of slaying an enemy at a dis tance by fire and smoke squirted from a gun. Guided by such considerations as these, Hawaiian feeling underwent a complete revulsion and it be came in time quite fashionable for a chief to retain one or more of these strangers in his employ. Those retained were not always particularly good speci mens of their race, but the lust after white men to act as interpreters, gunners and go-betweens in commercial enterprises rose to such a point that when none could be procured by fair means it was deemed quite permissible to kidnap and retain them by force. Now Kamehameha was as yet only the sovereign of a third part of one island, yet it is undeniable that a very large portion of the trade of the ensuing twenty-four years fell into his hands. To this result several causes contributed. First of all, Kamehameha always seems to have understood the haole better than his fellow-country men. He had no illusions or superstitions regard ing them ; at the same time he was less suspicious about them than most and discriminated between THE RETURN OF THE WHITE MAN 161 one and another as he would have done in the case of men of his own race. In the next place, his anxiety to strengthen him self for the great task which was still almost wholly in the future was so strong that every means by which he might obtain firearms and ammunition, and men to use them, was to be sought with dili gence. Again, the western portion of the island, which formed his own kingdom, was much better suited to attract visitors than the heritage of Keoua and Keawemauhili. His district " with its splendid climate, its smooth sea, its regular sea-breeze, its commodious roadsteads, its dense population, and abundant food supply " was certain to be much more frequented than the windward parts of the island. In consequence, the lion's share of everything in troduced by the white man found its way into the storehouses and armouries of Kamehameha. The first arrivals after the death of Cook were two British sloops of war, the King George, com manded by Captain Portlock, and the Queen Char lotte, under Captain Dixon. They reached Hawaii on May 24, 1786, two days later touched at Keala kekua Bay, where their reception did not encourage them to remain, and then sailed for Oahu, where on June 3d they cast anchor at Waialae, east of Dia mond Point. Both captains had been present at the affray which terminated Cook's life, so they were no strangers to the land or the people and indeed were well acquainted with not a few of the leading chiefs. They stayed at Waialae about four days for the 162 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC purpose of taking in water, but the old free days of giving, hoping for nothing again, were gone, and on this occasion the water had to be bought, a sixpenny nail going to purchase a two-gallon calabash full of water. Another point in which the Hawaiians had changed from their old ways was also noticed by Captain Portlock. It was that the Oahu warriors were many of them armed with the iron daggers which Cook had made for barter with the natives. These daggers had, as we know, been originally bought by the subjects of the king of Hawaii, but had probably come into the hands of the soldiers of Kahekili in consequence of the defeat of Kelii- maikai described in the last chapter. The stay in the islands was on this occasion very short, for after securing a sufficient supply of water in Oahu, Portlock and Dixon touched for a while at Niihau for yams and then went on their way to the northwest coast of America. But the spell was broken and even before the English vessels had departed, other visitors had again broken the isolation of the group. These were two French frigates under the command of the famous explorer La Perouse. Ignorant of the pres ence of Portlock and Dixon not so very far away, these ships anchored off the east coast of Maui at Honuaula on May 28, 1786, and, after a stay of one day only, during which they had a good deal of friendly intercourse with the natives, sailed away for Alaska. Bingham remarks, that " though La Perouse appears to have been the first foreigner who landed on Maui, he omitted the formality of taking possession for his sovereign, having doubt less the common-sense principle that the mere see- THE RETURN OF THE WHITE MAN 163 ing the domain of another, or setting foot on his soil, does not give possession, or the least claim to sovereignty." By November Portlock and Dixon returned with the King George and Queen Charlotte and this time they made a protracted stay, wintering at the two ports of Waialae, in Oahu, and Waimea, in Kauai. During this time they occupied them selves with laying in provisions, which they ob tained by bartering pieces of hoop-iron. The next year Captain Colnett and Captain Dun can came in the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal; the Nootka in August of the same year under Lieutenant Meares ; and the next year Meares and Douglas, in the service of the British merchants of Canton, arrived in the Iphigenia and the Felice. The voyage of the Nootka had an important bear ing on the fortune of Kamehameha, since to it Kaiana, " the last of the Hawaiian knights," as King Kalakaua calls him, owed his foreign experience and the foreign implements of war which he sub sequently placed at the service of Kamehameha. He also owed to the same voyage the vanity and pride which alternately turned his head and trans formed him from the friend and ally into the rebel and enemy of the first monarch of the archipelago. On the testimony of Captain Meares himself, Kaiana was a very handsome man, at least six and a half feet high, and of a most amiable and engag ing disposition. He was in some political trouble at the time of the visit of the Nootka, and it was this which made his absence from the islands for a time a most desirable matter, — at least for himself. So he eagerly, if somewhat apprehensively, em- 164 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC braced the opportunity to make a voyage to Canton with Captain Meares, and so be the first Hawaiian for many centuries to break the egg-shell of his little world, and learn the secrets of " Kahiki " and the wonderful realm beyond. Kaiana-a-Ahaula, to give him his full designa tion, had heard wonderful legends of these lands chanted by the royal poets, he had perhaps himself sung the Chant of Kualii, and knew of the exist ence of foreign lands as mysterious regions from whence had come the demigods of early Hawaiian Story. Now he was about to find out for himself. And he went and availed himself so practically of his opportunity that in the next year, 1778, he returned on board the Iphigenia with a very goodly store of the products of " Kahiki." He had stayed at Canton but three months, but he came back with cattle, sheep, turkeys, lime and orange trees, and many other things less useful, such as guns and ammunition. Unfortunately the stock died before it could be landed, while the worser half of the cargo suffered no damage. Kaiana, on his return, looked about him for a chief whom he might advantageously serve. Kaeo, king of Kauai, he found was hostile, so he deter mined to betake himself with his newly acquired treasures to Kamehameha. Indeed, Kamehameha, particularly keen in such transactions as this, had already made him an offer, and when, on December 29, 1788, Kaiana arrived with all his possessions, the chiefs of Kona knew themselves strong enough at last to oppose all their rivals throughout the group. As was to be expected, the traveller made a great THE RETURN OF THE WHITE MAN 165 sensation among his countrymen. A man who had seen " Kahiki " must necessarily have appeared among his fellow chiefs as Columbus appeared to the nobles of Spain on his return from America. Longfellow has told us of the fate which befel Iagoo, " the great traveller and talker " in the Hiawatha legend, on his return "From his wanderings far to eastward, From the regions of the morning, From the shining land of Wabun Homeward now returned Iagoo, The great talker, the great boaster, Full of new and strange adventures, Marvels many and many wonders. And the people of the village Listened to him as he told them Of his marvellous adventures, Laughing answered him in this wise : ' Ugh ! It is indeed Iagoo ! No one else beholds such wonders ! ' " Kaiana was not quite so badly treated as this. Yet, if he did not by his travels lose his reputation, his very superiority to his fellow chiefs in knowledge of the outside world proved his ruin, as in the case of many a better man, for it turned his head and made him the victim of the most ridiculous vanity. Still, for the present, his friendship was valuable, so Kamehameha, even if he did not trust him as a counsellor, accepted him as an ally. There must have been something likeable about the man, for he succeeded to an unusual extent in capturing the good graces of the white visitors. Not only did Meares give him his passage to China, but Captain Douglas of the Iphigenia brought him back, and when Kaiana decided to enter the service of Kame- 166 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC hameha, brought over his wife and child and his brother Namakeha from Kauai. Douglas also made himself pleasant in the eyes of Kamehameha by pre senting him with a swivel gun, mounted in a huge canoe, and a quantity of muskets and ammunition. It was a bad return for this that in July, 1789, we find the generous captain narrowly escaping from a conspiracy of the chiefs to murder him and his crew. This was in Kealakekua Bay, where the bad prece dent of the murder of Cook seems to have given to the natives a lamentable appetite for further out rage. The truth is that since Cook's first arrival the cupidity of the inhabitants had been more and more fed by the various gifts they had obtained from the foreigners. Iron and weapons seemed to excite them beyond their wonted daring to deeds of treach ery and violence, and no one who possessed these precious yet sinister treasures was safe, provided that there appeared a reasonable probability of his being easily disposed of. Thus these four peaceful years of trade, pacific so far as the attitude of the natives towards one an other is concerned, were not years of unmixed bless ing. This is proved only too clearly by the sad events which have now to be chronicled. At the end of the year 1789 there came to the islands an American fur trader, Captain Metcalf , in command of a vessel called the Eleanor. He was accompanied by his son, a youth of eighteen, who himself commanded a schooner named the Fair America. They came, in all probability, merely to winter, but, once in the group, commenced a traffic between the islands of Hawaii and Maui. The two THE RETURN OF THE WHITE MAN 167 vessels, being smaller and less strongly manned than those to which the Hawaiians had grown ac customed, were watched by some of the chiefs with covetous eyes. On one occasion a plot was formed by Kaiana and some kindred spirits to capture the Eleanor, but Kamehameha, to his credit, went on board as soon as he heard of the malevolent design and ordered the treacherous chiefs ashore. The longing for plunder, however, was not easily suppressed and, when greed was reinforced by a thirst for vengeance, things looked bad for the vis itors. Unfortunately, Metcalf, a man of rough, brutal ways, was not sparing in the use of the rope's end upon such of the natives as excited his anger or suspicion. Even Kameeiamoku, the high chief and counsellor of Kamehameha, fell under the sea-cap tain's displeasure and was brutally insulted and beaten. The chief left the ship Avith a vow to re venge himself upon the Eleanor, or upon the next vessel which should come within his power. Such a desired opportunity Avas not long in com ing. In the beginning of 1790 the Eleanor crossed the Hawaiian channel and went over to Maui, leav ing her tender off the coast of Hawaii. She an chored off Honuaula, about fifteen miles from Olu- walu, where Kalola, the Avidow of Kalaniopuu, with her new husband, Kaopuiki, lived. Kaopuiki pre pared at once to trade with the ship in fruit and hogs, but, under the circumstances, robbery looked even sweeter than barter, and one night the chief and his accomplices could not resist the opportu nity of cutting adrift the ship's boat, which was lying behind the vessel. Unhappily a sailor was in 168 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC the boat and, to prevent him giving an alarm, the marauders slew him and cast the body into the sea. The boat they took away and broke up for the sake of the nails and iron fastenings. When Metcalf learned of his loss, he made a raid on shore and took two prisoners. From these he learned that the thieves had come from Oluwalu. Thither he repaired with his ship and waited appar ently for the natives to come off to trade. This they most unsuspectingly did, having by this time prob ably forgotten, according to their innocent custom, all about the theft, or imagining that by firing upon the people the day before Metcalf had amply re venged himself for his loss. Jarves tells a story to the effect that the natives had already given up the bones of the murdered sailor, as Metcalf had de manded, and that they were even anxious to come forward to claim a reward for the return of the boat. This is, for several reasons, highly improb able, but Bingham is probably correct in saying that Metcalf offered a reward for information as to the fate of boat and seaman, and that a reward was demanded by the natives who gave the informa tion. The captain replied, " You shall have it soon," and the people, thinking that all was now well, thronged around the vessel to trade. Canoes came from all parts, from Lanai, from Kaanapali, Ukumehame, and the whole neighbourhood, so that there was a great array of natives in the vicinity of the ship. It is scarcely likely that Metcalf could have feared mischief from them, since they were quite unarmed, but he deliberately kept them off from the waist of the ship, waited until they were clustered together, and then poured a terrible THE RETURN OF THE WHITE MAN 169 broadside into the midst of the canoes. A hundred men were killed outright and many more fell a prey to the sharks which infest these waters. Metcalf, gloating over his revenge, returned to Hawaii in search of his tender, and lay off and on near Keala kekua Bay, expecting the Fair America to join him and resume their voyage. But the two ships were destined never more to sail together. The tender, whose crew consisted of the captain and only five men, came to Kawaihae, and Kameeiamoku, feeling that the gods had given his revenge into his own hands, at once went off with a fleet of canoes to make pretense of trading. While the young captain was off his guard, they seized him and threw him overboard; then they killed all the crew with the exception of the mate, Isaac Davis, whom they spared from some sudden impulse of pity, or, as some say, because he cried out " Aloha " ; then, stripping the vessel of her guns, hauled her up on the beach. All the guns, ammuni tion, and articles for barter were taken to Kame hameha, who was then at Kealakekua Bay, where the Eleanor was lying. Kamehameha shared in the spoil, being, no doubt, secretly glad to receive it. But he was exceedingly angry with Kameeiamoku and ordered that the schooner should be given over to him that he might restore it to its lawful owners. The first portion of the order was obeyed; Kame hameha received the ship, but the rest was forgotten and the Fair America remained in the hands of the king. On March 17, 1794, Kamehameha, whose con science was not at all times equally scrupulous, made another acquisition by detaining John Young, 170 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC the boatswain of the Eleanor, on shore, intending to make him useful to himself and a companion to Isaac Davis. At the same time, to prevent Metcalf from hearing of his son's death, he laid a kapu on all the canoes in the bay, so that no man might dare put forth. So, for a couple of days, the Eleanor lay off and on, firing shots to assist Young's return, and at last, deprived of her consort, put out to sea alone and sailed for China. The two white prisoners became great historical figures, and the surname, Nahaolelua, — " the two white men" — still to be met with among the na tives, bears witness to the impression made on the popular imagination. Isaac Davis and John Young were not ordinary adventurers, but men of sterling character who fully repaid their captors for pre serving them from death. They were treated with kindness and even with tenderness by Kamehameha, presented with ample estates, and subsequently ex alted to the rank of alii. Although, for a consider able time, closely watched and guarded, whenever any foreign ship was in sight, they proved faithful to their barbaric master. In council and in war they gave Kamehameha invaluable assistance. They mounted the cannon from the Iphigenia on a gun- carriage for land service, drilled as many soldiers as there were guns in the use of firearms, advised the king as to the tactics to be adopted for his mili tary operations, and proved as fertile in plans while war was preparing as they were valiant in the field while war was in progress. Thus even the cruel revenge of Captain Metcalf upon the people of Oluwalu turned out to the ad vancement of Kamehameha's designs. XVII THE BATTLE OF THE IAO VALLEY "They close in clouds of smoke and dust, With sword sway and with lance's thrust, And such a yell was there, Of sudden and portentous birth, As if men fought upon the earth, And fiends in upper air; 0 life and death were in the shout, Recoil and rally, charge and rout, And triumph and despair." ALTHOUGH peace had reigned for four long years, or perhaps for this very reason, Kamehameha, who had now assumed the title of Moi, or king of Hawaii, was thirsting for the renewal of the war with Maui. With his auxiliary of white men and white men's weapons he could no longer be restrained from the great adventure which possessed his heart. Whatever may have been his personal responsibility for previous expeditions, he certainly must be held responsible on this occasion for the rekindling of the fiery torch of war. It is characteristic of him that he had by this time quite taken for granted that superiority to his brother sovereigns in Hawaii which the years of traffic and peace had to some extent established. In illustra tion of this we find him sending to his quondam foes, Keoua and Keawemauhili, a request for men and canoes with which to fight against the Maui chiefs. 171 172 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Keoua indignantly refused, returning answer that he owed no allegiance to a rebel and that in his opinion the meditated war was unwise and unpro voked. Strange to say, Keawemauhili, who for some un explained reason seems to have composed his feud with Kamehameha, acquiesced in the request and sent a large body of troops under the command of his own sons and nephew. Probably Keawemauhili had come to recognize the logic of facts and could no longer blind himself to Kamehameha's sagacity and power. Possibly also the war with Maui was too popular in Hawaii for him to disregard alto gether the call for help. So at last Kamehameha had his personal oppor tunity of avenging the battle of the Sand-hills and he determined to use it to the full. It was summer time when he crossed with his great host of well- armed and well-disciplined soldiers from Hawaii to Maui. The landing was made at Hana, which by right of long possession the Hawaiians had come to regard almost as their own soil. Then the army moved on, some by land, others by canoes, to Hamakua, where mementoes of the camp may still be seen. Here is the fortified hill of Puukoae, which Kamehameha attacked and captured from the advance guard of the Maui forces. The position is still known as the Kapu ai o Kamehameha, and so bears witness to that night's camp. Here the war- god Kaili was paraded round the camp in order that the people might judge by the more or less erect position of the feathers and by other signs as to whether the auguries were favourable for joining battle. With one voice the priests and prophets THE BATTLE OF THE IAO VALLEY 173 bade Kamehameha advance, since the omens were all that could be desired. So Kamehameha deter mined to give the enemy battle on the following morning. The advance guard of Kahekili was near at hand under a chief named Kapakahili, and the Maui warriors, according to their wont, were not slow to reply to Kamehameha's attack. They fought with all their old valour and for some time no one could tell what the result of the fight would be. Then reinforcements arrived for the Hawaiians and the Maui forces were pressed slowly back to Ko- komo. Here they made another stubborn! stand. Kapakahili fought with desperate courage, and when at last he encountered Kamehameha in mid- field, the exhausted armies tacitly seemed to agree that a single combat should decide the conflict. And now raged a fight upon which the future his tory of the group trembled in the balance. We can imagine the breathless interest with which chiefs and people regarded the two champions. Their lithe and sinewy bodies well-nigh naked, the two com batants strove eye to eye and foot to foot, launching their spears, wielding their battle-clubs, watching for any dagger's breadth of advantage which might insure victory and put an end to this terrible duel. At length the anxious silence was broken, Kame hameha's great strength and alertness prevailed and, with a spear through his body, the valorous Kapakahili fell dead. Then the panic-stricken army of Maui fled before the shouting and exulting con querors. But the victory was by no means completed. The road to Wailuku lay open, but the main army of Kahekili, under his son Kalanikapule, was still 174 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC fresh and unbeaten, and was holding a strong posi tion in the Iao Valley, the burial place of many fa mous chieftains. Kamehameha prepared at once to follow up his success and for this purpose moved his troops by water along the northern coast of Maui to Kahului harbour, from whence the sand-hills gradu ally melt away in the narrowing valley wherein stands the beautiful village of Wailuku. It was here that Kalanikapule was posted with the plain before and the valley behind. The Iao Valley, alone among the valleys of Maui, affords a comparatively easy passage to the other side of the island and it is easy enough now to ride through it from Wailuku to Lahaina. But a panic- stricken army would not find it so easy, and prob ably Kamehameha relied upon this not only to de feat but also to annihilate the enemy. In the famous battle of the Sand-hills thirty years before the Ha waiian army had approached from the other side; now they were in the better position that they re tained command of the sea, while their foes were before them in the natural funnel formed by the mountains. The battle that ensued was one of the fiercest and stubbornest in Hawaiian history, — a history pro lific enough in stubborn contests. The mountain sides were filled with women and children and those too old to take part in the fight. These crowded the heights and looked down upon the combatants be low like the spectators in some huge natural amphi theatre. And all the while they uttered the most fearful cries and imprecations, supplications to the gods, threats and yells of defiance against the in vaders, wailings for the wounded and the dead, and THE BATTLE OF THE IAO VALLEY 175 shrieks of terror as their own peril became more and more imminent. For, meanwhile, the battle Avhich began at Wai luku was moving further and further up the valley to the dismay of Kalanikapule and his chiefs. But the spell of the tradition of Maui was broken at last and, added to the disheartening effect of the recent defeat, was the new terror imported into the battle by the employment of Kamehameha's newly ac quired artillery. Like the English cannon at the battle of Cregy, the two field-pieces, under the direc tion of Davis and Young, proved tremendously ef fective, as much perhaps on account of their novelty and the thunder of their fiery mouths as on account of the havoc caused by shot and shell. At any rate, although Kalanikapule contested stubbornly every inch of the way, yet the rout gradually became more and more complete till the Hawaiian victors were impeded at last more by the corpses of the slain which choked the way than by the resistance of the living. One name by which this fearful fight became known in the years to come was " Kepaniwai," " the damming of the waters," — so great was the number of the dead who blocked up the channel of the Iao stream. The principal chiefs, such as Kalanikapule and his brothers, succeeded in crossing the mountains, whence they made their way to Oahu, while others, together with the child chiefess, Keopuolani, after wards the victor's royal bride, escaped first to Olu walu, and thence with the chiefess Kalola to Molokai. xvin KAMEHAMEHA SENDS AMBASSADORS "Then go we in to know his embassy, Which I could with a ready guess declare." IT might be supposed that Kamehameha would at once have taken steps to secure his con quest by placing garrisons in Maui and by dividing the lands among his chiefs, but his designs were too far-reaching to allow him to be content with a mere installment of success, or to beguile him into the belief that the task of his life was now achieved. He saw before him still the invasion and conquest of Oahu, where Kahekili remained grimly watching from afar the success of his reputed son, and he saw still more clearly that he had not only to gain power but, what was still more important, he had to gain legitimacy, and so win the loyal alle giance of high chiefs like Keawemauhili. These two objects he now set resolutely before him and regarded their attainment as even more necessary than the retention of Maui. First of all he saw his opportunity of conciliating the representatives of the elder branch of the Keawe family, and so allying himself with the line of the dead Kiwalao. Kalola, the widow of Kalaniopuu, was, as we have seen, still alive, and her daughter Liliha and granddaughter Keopuolani were among the women who from the sides of the mountains 176 KAMEHAMEHA SENDS AMBASSADORS 177 watched the battle in the Iao Valley. After the bat tle they fled and reached Oluwalu, where Kalola was staying, and thence sailed for a more secure refuge in Molokai. Kamehameha at once sent a messenger, named Kikane, to make overtures on his behalf, and requested that they would place them selves under his protection and return to Hawaii. Impatient to secure this point, he soon followed his ambassador and then learned that the aged Kalola, worn out with the troubles of these last years, was sick and at the point of death. He at once went to pay his respects and found her at Kalamaula. In the intervieAV Kamehameha urged the dying woman to give him her daughter and granddaughter that he might provide for them according to their rank. The chiefess, no doubt glad to find such a strong friend for her children in such troublous times, promised that when the black kapa should cover her they should be his. Shortly after, Kalola died, and all the funeral rites customary on the decease of a high chief were religiously observed. Many " com panions in death " were selected and slain to accom pany the spirit into the under-world ; men who de sired to pay special respect tattooed their flesh, and Kamehameha signalized his own personal grief by knocking out some of his front teeth. According to the historians he did this at so many royal funerals that one gets a little suspicious as to the thorough- goingness of the operation. The mourning over, the bones of Kalola were con cealed at Konahele and Kamehameha took formal possession of Liliha and Keopuolani, as a seal of reconciliation with that older branch of the royal family whose position he had in a measure usurped. 178 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC This charge, we may be sure, very sensibly in creased his prestige among the people of Hawaii. Subsequently a marriage took place between Kamehameha and Keopuolani, and it was from this union that the line of the dynasty was continued. To this wife the king never ceased to pay his re spects as to one much higher in rank than himself and to the end of his days, in addressing her, went down upon his knees. One object of his ambition attained, Kame hameha prepared to bring within his reach the other. To this end he despatched two messengers, one to Oahu to seek out the king Kahekili, and the other to Kauai to discover some renowned wizard or soothsayer. Let us see how these two envoys and their missions fared. The emissary to Kahekili was Kikane, already a trusted and experienced ambassa dor. He found the king at Waikiki, and without more ado offered him his choice between two maika stones (i. e., the stones used in the game of quoits). One was white and the other black and, as Kahekili poised them in his hands, he understood their mean ing and gazed upon them not altogether in anger. " This one," he said, touching the white stone, " rep resents agriculture, fishing, husbandry, and the prosperity of government. And this one," denoting the black one, " is the symbol of war." He added, " Does Kamehameha want to fight with me? " The messenger replied that such was his master's inten tion, and that he himself had been sent as a herald with full power to negotiate the conditions of battle and the choice of a landing place, so that the contest might be fought in a knightly and chivalrous man ner as became such doughty antagonists. KAMEHAMEHA SENDS AMBASSADORS 179 The old chief regarded the envoy with an expres sion of amusement, in which was manifest some de gree of admiration for the boldness of the challenge. Then he rose up and returned his answer : " Go back to your lord and tell him to return with his army to Hawaii and leave me alone. When I am gathered to my fathers and the funeral hog has been placed to my nose, then, let him know, he, the lord of Hawaii, shall be the maika-stone that shall sweep the course from here to Tahiti. Then let him take possession of my land." It was wise advice from the astute old chief, be cause it served to remind Kamehameha that even Hawaii was not yet his own, while Keoua main tained his claims. Still it leaves us at a loss to ex plain why some time later Kahekili went out of his way to attack Hawaii. It may be supposed, how ever, that sometimes the warlike temper of the people had to be humoured abroad in order to pre serve peace at home. Kikane had still another mis sion to fulfill. This was to request from Kahekili the gift of the two great idols, Olupue and Kalai- pahoa. Olupue was the Mercury of Hawaii, the god who accompanied the spirits of the chiefs over the chill waters of Styx, assisted them on their journey, and installed them in their final resting place, — a god therefore to be worshipped and propitiated by war riors who faced death from day to day. The other idol, Kalaipahoa, was the famous poison god of Molokai. Centuries back, says the legend, the poison goddess had come from an un known land to the island of Molokai, and there en tered a grove of trees. So virulent was the poison 180 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC exhaled from the dwelling of the goddess that the birds fell dead as they flew over it. Where the grove stood the earth all around was black and bare. It breathed forth death like the upas-tree, and no liv ing thing could approach with impunity. The val ley, which was also the abode of Laamaomao, the god of the winds, was regarded by all the island with terror, and at last it was revealed by the god dess that from this formidable wood an idol must be made. The story, as usually told, runs as follows: Kaneakama was a great gambler and played so persistently at maika that he lost everything except one pig. As he had dedicated this to his god, he did not dare to stake it, and his piety was rewarded by the akua appearing to him in a dream and directing him to play again and stake the pig. He obeyed and was now as successful as he had previously been un lucky. To show his gratitude he went to the temple and there dedicated a great part of his gain. And that night, while he slept, the god once again ap peared and bade him go to the king and tell him that in a certain place he would find next morning a clump of trees. If the king would make from one of these an image, the akua promised to reside within it and impart to it her power. As his reward, Kan eakama was to become priest in her temple. The king heard with pleasure the information of Kaneakama and at once took steps to fulfill the commands of the goddess. He found the tree on Mauna Loa in Molokai and was not long in discov ering its dangerous qualities. Hundreds of men were killed in the attempt to cut it down and it was only when the others made themselves masks and KAMEHAMEHA SENDS AMBASSADORS 181 shields of the thickest kapa that they were able to approach. With all their labour, they were only able to make a single idol. This they fashioned into shape, using for hatchets their long pahoas, or dag gers, whence the name of the god was called, Kalai- pahoa, or " Dagger cut." According to Mr. Ellis, it was a middling-sized wooden image, curiously carved. The arms were extended, the fingers spread out, the head ornamented with human hair, and the widely distended mouth armed with for midable rows of shark's teeth. The wood, which was probably of some extinct species of the nioi tree, was so exceedingly poisonous that the least chip mixed with food insured death to the eater within twenty-four hours. The chiefs were there fore most anxious to obtain possession of portions, however small, that they might be able at their will to rid themselves of obnoxious personages. We can well understand therefore the desire of Kamehameha to obtain such a trophy, not only for his own use, but also for his own protection. Kahekili, however, was not prepared all at once to make such a sacrifice. He sent a chip of the poison god by Kikane, but excused himself from sending the Olupue on the plea that the idol was in charge of the high priest and therefore out of his power. Kamehameha subsequently obtained possession of Kalaipahoa, and kept it always near his person, relying upon it almost to the. extent that he relied upon his heirloom Kaili, the god of war. At his death he divided it among several of the chiefs, but the Queen Kaahumanu very wisely collected and burned every fragment upon which, she could lay 182 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC her hands, so that its deadly work might cease for ever. Notwithstanding, it is believed that there are still existing two small chips of this once renowned divinity. Let us hope that their efficacy may never be put to the test. The female messenger Haalou was more success ful in her mission than Kikane. She had started for Kauai to seek a soothsayer, as that island was par ticularly famed for its wizards. But she had no need to go further than Oahu, where the right man, Kapoukahi, a Kauai man and a relative into the bargain, at once presented himself. Haalou had to ask what it was still necessary for Kamehameha to do in order to obtain that supremacy in Hawaii from which Keoua's opposition still excluded him. The prophet replied at once, as many a mediaeval churchman might have replied to his feudal lord, that the king had only to build a handsome temple for his god, and then victory would crown his arms. It must be a large heiau, and the place designated was Puukohola near Kawaihae, in Hawaii, adjoin ing the old temple of Maikekini. When this shall have been completed and consecrated, then Kaili would be pleased and would ensure success to his votary. So the two ambassadors, having fulfilled their errands, returned to Molokai, where they found Kamehameha waiting impatiently to take the offen sive against Kahekili. He was not well pleased to hear the old king's answer to Kikane, but even while he hesitated its wisdom was vindicated by events. For bad news came from Hawaii, where Kame hameha had left some open enemies and a few un trustworthy friends. XIX THE FIRE-GODDESS DECLARES FOR KAMEHAMEHA "If e'er I felt Thee in the fighting field, Now, Goddess, now, Thy sacred succour yield." WE saw some time back that when Keawe mauhili agreed to assist Kamehameha in his expedition against Maui, Keoua, the third ruling chief in Hawaii, was anything but pleased. He regarded it as an indication of Keawe- mauhili's diminishing hostility to his rival and felt that this was but a step from a combination of both against himself. So he took advantage of Kamehameha's absence and that of a considerable part of Keawemauhili's army to make an attack upon the Hilo chief, and the news which presently reached Kamehameha in Molokai was that Keawemauhili had been attacked, defeated and slain in a battle near Alae, near Hilo, and his possessions added to Keoua's realm in Puna and Kau. Elated beyond measure with this success, Keoua went on to invade the estates of Kame hameha, and overran Hamakua, Waipio and Wai mea, destroying fish-ponds and taro-patches, and committing all manner of barbarities. Such news as this was a summons to Kame hameha to return at once to Hawaii, and to secure 183 184 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC his position there before meddling with the do minions of Kahekili in Oahu and Maui. Kame hameha had not sufficient confidence in Kaiana to leave his interests in the hands of that chief, so without unnecessary delay he crossed the channel and landed at Kawaihae. Keoua, taken by surprise, retreated to Paauhau in Hamakua, and there awaited attack. Two bloody battles were fought without giving either side much advantage, although Kamehameha was far better off for firearms than his opponents. In the first place, Kamehameha's field gun, known to the na tives as Lopaka, did great execution until it was captured in a brilliant charge made by one of Keoua's chiefs. But it must be remembered that firearms were used in both battles on both sides. Keoua then fell back on Hilo and Kamehameha re turned to Waipio to recruit his forces. Both chiefs were too much exhausted to follow up any advan tage they may have gained in the preceding battles. It was now about November, 1790, and Keoua, having used the brief lull for the purpose of divid ing his newly acquired lands in Hilo among his warriors, set out for his home in Kau. He chose the overland route which passed close by the great active crater of Kilauea, and on the way a disaster overtook his army which is without precedent in the history of Hawaii. The best account is that of Dibble in his History of the Sandwich Islands : " His (Keoua's) path led by the great volcano of Kilauea. There they encamped. In the night a terrific eruption took place, throwing out flame, cin ders, and even heavy stones, to a great distance, and accompanied from above with intense lightning and THE FIRE-GODDESS 185 heavy thunder. In the morning Keoua and his com pany were afraid to proceed, and spent the day in trying to appease the goddess of the volcano, whom they supposed they had offended the day before by rolling stones into the crater. But, on the second night, and on the third night also there were simi lar eruptions. On the third day they ventured to proceed on their journey, but had not advanced far before a more terrible and destructive eruption than any before took place; an account of which taken from the lips of those who were part of the company and present in the scene may not be an unwelcome digression. " The army of Keoua set out on their way in three different companies. The company in advance had not proceeded far before the ground began to shake and rock beneath their feet, and it became quite im possible to stand. Soon a dense cloud of darkness was seen to rise out of the crater, and almost at the same instant the electrical effect upon the air was so great that the thunder began to roar in the heavens and the lightning to flash. It continued to ascend and spread abroad till the whole region was enveloped, and the light of day was entirely ex cluded. The darkness was the more terrific, being made visible by an awful glare from streams of red and blue light variously combined that issued from the pit below, and being lit up at intervals by the in tense flashes of lightning from above. Soon fol lowed an immense volume of sand and cinders which were thrown in high heaven, and came down in a destructive shower for many miles around. Some few persons of the former company were burned to death by the sand and cinders, and others 186 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC were severely injured. All experienced a suffocat ing sensation upon the lungs, and hastened on with all possible speed. The new body which was nearest the volcano at the time of the eruption, seemed to suffer the least injury, and after the earthquake and shower of sand had passed over, hastened forward to escape the dangers which threatened them, and rejoicing in mutual congratulations that they had been preserved in the midst of such imminent peril. But what was their surprise and consternation when, on coming up with their comrades of the centre party, they discovered them all to have be come corpses. Some were lying down and others were sitting upright, clasping with dying grasp their wives and children, and joining noses (the form of expressing affection) as in the act of taking a final leave. So much like life they looked that they at first supposed them merely at rest, and it was not until they had come up to them and han dled them that they could detect their mistake. The whole party, including women and children, not one of them survived to relate the catastrophe which had befallen their comrades. The only living being they found was a solitary hog in company with one of the families which had been so suddenly bereft of life. In those perilous circumstances the sur viving party did not even stay to bewail their fate, but leaving their deceased companions as they found them, hurried on and overtook the company in advance in the place of their encampment." In this terrible eruption Keoua lost, not only four hundred warriors and their families, but far more through the impression made upon the people that Kamehameha had won the favour of Pele. The god- THE FIRE-GODDESS 187 dess Pele was supposed by the people to inhabit the fiery caverns of Kilauea with her five brothers and eight sisters. They were regarded as having in an cient times emigrated from Samoa and established their residence at Moanalua in Oahu. Thence they moved to Kalaupapa in Molokai, later still passed over to the vast crater of Haleakala in Maui, and finally settled in Hawaii in the Halemaumau, or "House of everlasting fire." Here the volcanic cones were said to be their houses. Here they amused themselves playing draughts. The roaring and crackling of the flaming furnaces was the music by which they danced, and they sported amid the fiery surf as the children of men played amid the waves along the beach. Pele, being a woman, was a fickle goddess, and had many love affairs with mortals, — intrigues, however, which generally proved disastrous to the human lover. She found her match at last in Kamapuaa, a demi-god, half hog and half man, who fought against her showers of lava and red-hot stones by belching forth sea-water into the craters and extinguishing them. Finally they married and the wrath of Pele grew gradually less and less. It may be judged from all this that if once the people belieAred Pele to be on the side of Kame hameha their own faith in him would be vastly forti fied. Could not the goddess overwhelm and destroy them as she had destroyed the braves of Keoua? Could she not devastate their fields and taro- patches with rivers of living fire from Mauna Loa to the sea? He whom Pele favoured must inevitably become the lord of Hawaii. 188 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Moreover, this special favour of Pele for Kame hameha and his family was continued, so they be lieved, to the very end. As late as 1882 this was publicly recognized, although the islanders had been Christian for nearly sixty years. In that year the town of Hilo was seriously threatened by an eruption. The stream of lava from Mauna Loa, after flowing on like a river of destruction for twenty-five miles, approached within a mile of the town and harbour of Hilo. Lava streams always move very leisurely, but their progress is none the less sure and every one expected that within a few days the broad, black tide would engulf their houses and lands. Everything had been done that seemed possible. Trenches were dug to divert the stream; walls were raised; prayers were offered; but all apparently in vain. The sad news reached the old Princess Ruth, the surviving sister of Kamehameha IV. She was a stern, ugly, reactionary old chiefess, despising, if not hating, the whites, though she lived among them in Honolulu. When she heard of the threatened danger, she rose up and said, " I will save the fish ponds of Hilo. Pele will not refuse to listen to the prayer of a Kamehameha." So she chartered a steamer, reached Hilo with a large crowd of re tainers, and soon stood facing the slowly advancing wall of lava. There she caused an altar to be erected, from which abundant sacrifices were of fered to the molten mass in front. Prayers and in cantations were continually said and sung until the chiefess deemed the work complete. Then in full confidence she returned to Honolulu. What was the result? Well, strange as it may seem, the wall THE FIRE-GODDESS 189 of fire stayed in its course and " to-day its glisten ing front stands like a wall around Hilo." It was a fresh proof to the Hawaiians, barely half emancipated from their old superstitions, that the fire-goddess would do anything at the desire of a Kamehameha. If such could be the belief as recently as 1882, we can well estimate the advantage to Kamehameha of Pele's friendship over a hundred years ago. It gave his career an impetus which carried him far on the road to victory. XX THE BUILDING OF THE GREAT HEIAU "Miratur molem Mneas, magalia quondam; Miratur portas, strepitumque, et strata viarum. Instant ardent es Tyrii: pars ducere muros, Molirique arcem, et manibus subvolvere saxa." THE year 1791 was rendered memorable by the building of the great heiau of Puuko- hola, in accordance with the advice of the Kauai prophet given to Haalou. Kamehameha had promised to build it years before this, but had evi dently been trying carnal weapons first and leaving spiritual means as a kind of last resource. Now it dawned upon him that the time had come to fulfill his vow. Perhaps the destruction of a division of Keoua's army by Pele had led him to regard the gods as by no means une quantity negligable, and to feel that a disregard of his religious obligations might entail even worse consequences than had be fallen his rival. Again, he had been struggling almost continu ously for nine years and had not advanced apprecia- ably nearer his goal. Keoua still disputed with him the supremacy in Hawaii ; Maui, though conquered, had been left in the hands of Kahekili ; and Oahu and Kauai were as yet far beyond his reach. And he was getting beyond what men generally consider the prime of life. Moreover, his campaigns in 1791 had not brought any very tangible result. Keoua, though of course 190 THE BUILDING OF THE GREAT HEIAU 191 weakened by his recent losses, still held the field Avith remarkable skill and tenacity. His forces were attacked simultaneously in Hilo and Kau. In Hilo he had to meet an army commanded by Keeaumoku in which both Young and Davis held important commissions, yet he held them successfully at bay. In Kau he had to contend with Kaiana and a numer ous fleet of canoes, and although many battles were fought with varying result, yet in the end Kaiana, rash to the point of imprudence, was severely beaten and compelled to return crestfallen to Kona. So Kamehameha, as the lawful guardian of Kaili and the favourite of Pele, was compelled to rely for once more upon the grace of the divinities than upon the strength of his own right arm. It was under these circumstances that the build ing of Puukohola was commenced and went briskly forward. Almost the whole population of the district was employed in the task. People came in relays, from Kona, Kohala and Hamakua, to carry stones. Everybody worked, the chiefs side by side with the lowest classes of the people. Kamehameha himself carried stones as diligently as any. Only one ex ception was made. This was in the case of Kame hameha's youngest brother, known to us already as Keliimaikai. When Keliimaikai took up a stone like the rest Kamehameha sprang forward and took away the stone, crying, " Hold, we must have some one to observe the kapu. Be thou that one ! " This was in order that a high chief, uncontaminated by manual labour, might be ready to officiate at the great ceremony of the dedication. Fornander tells us that he once conversed Avith an 192 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC aged Hawaiian who had borne his part in this won derful building. The old man described with great impressiveness the singular spectacle presented, the thousands of people encamped upon the mountain slope, taking their turn at the labour of carrying the stones, the imposing array of chiefs who were present, the wonderful order observed in regulating the time of feeding, recreation and work, and the vast number of human victims offered to the god to obtain favour for this or that portion of the edifice. The ground, said he, used to tremble beneath the feet of so vast a throng. The temple, when finished, constituted an ir regular parallelogram 224 feet long by 100 feet wide ; the walls were twelve feet thick and from eight to twenty feet high, and, although built of loose stone, were strong and solid. On the top was a course of smooth stones six feet wide. Entrance was gained by a narrow passage between two high walls which led into a court paved with smooth flat stones. The principal idol, which was of course Kaili, the war-god, was placed at the south end of the en closure, and around this were grouped in a semi circle some of the inferior deities. In the centre was the anu, or oracle of wickerwork, from whence the priest answered the king when it was desired to know the will of the god. There is considerable difficulty in deciding whether the official dedication of this famous heiau took place at this time or whether it was delayed till after the death of Keoua. At any rate the events were close enough together to make the com pletion of Pnukohola and the death of Kame hameha's last rival in HaAvaii remarkably coinci- THE BUILDING OF THE GREAT HEIAU 193 dent, sufficiently so, at any rate, to fulfill the proph ecy of Kapoukahi. The performance of the king's vow to Kaili and the murder of Keoua brought Kamehameha to the undisputed sovereignty of the island. It may be interesting to give here a description of the ceremonial dedication of a great temple in order that the reader may form some idea of what fol lowed upon the completion of the building of the heiau. The dedication of a temple was the most laborious of all the functions imposed by religion upon the social life of Hawaii. It required ten or more days for its proper observance and high priests of high rank to conduct different portions of the ritual. It demanded also the lives of not a few innocent victims. First, as a preliminary, came the ceremony of purification which occupied twelve days. During this time all the lands in the island, or the district, were visited by a religious procession, with prayers offered at the various landmarks between territory and territory, and the smearing of the wooden hog which marked the boundaries with Ted ochre. This procession was formed in front of men who bore white flags, followed by a priest, with his attend ants, carrying a calabash of red ochre, and a man dressed up to personate the god. The priest was clothed in white kapa and wore a peculiar head dress made of human hair. After this circuit, or ceremony of beating the bounds had been completed, there was held, on the evening before the new moon, a grand liturgical service in the heiau, when all the people were sprinkled by the priest with lustral 194 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC waters. The sacred water was prepared with salt water mingled with a little turmeric and a kind of moss, and the sprinkling was done with a little bunch of fern, like the bunch of hyssop used in Israel of old. The next part of the ceremony was the bringing down of the chief idol to the heiau. This was the occasion of another procession consisting of the king, the chief priests and a crowd of retainers car rying the offerings for sacrifice, and leading the chosen human victims. The procession went first to the forest, where a tree had been previously selected from which to make the idol, and an axe consecrated wherewith to cut down the tree. Then silence was commanded, so complete that if sound of man or beast, bird or insect, was heard during the remainder of the ceremony, the omens were considered bad. Silence secured, the priest recited his prayers, to which the king responded with "Amama." Then a hog was slain by the king, and consigned to the oven, and the human victim led forward and sacrificed to the god, his body being buried at the foot of the tree. The tree was then cut down, deprived of its branches, and garlanded with leis of ieie. Then the company joined in a feast till it was time to reform the procession back to the heiau. During this recessional, the people were compelled to remain indoors, since it was death to encounter such a pageant. All fires too were strictly forbidden, so that it must have been with some suspense that the people waited for this strange ceremony to conclude. Uttering hideous yells the priests and their company passed along to the temple, the feather gods borne in front, the THE BUILDING OF THE GREAT HEIAU 195 chiefs carrying branches of the sacred ferns, and others behind bearing the newly manufactured god. Then with shouts and beating of drums the roughly hewn idol was placed on its pedestal to receive the worship of its votaries. But the ceremony was as yet far from over. Seven or eight days more were required and these included the performance of many a significant and tragic rite. Before the buildings within the en closure could be thatched a ceremony had to be performed known as the kauila ceremony, from the name of the wood used for thatching. The whole population was required to take part in this. Seated in eight rows in the outer court, the people awaited the coming forth of the custodians of the idols, carrying their sacred charges and accom panied by a man called kahoalii, who personated the god. Then the high priest came forth bearing in his hand a branch of fern or ieie, and attended by one carrying a skull filled with holy water. Prayers followed, interspersed with strange weird movements on the part of the image-bearers and the kahoalii, and accompanied by the responses of the congregation, who rose and seated themselves at intervals. About evening the newly hewn idol was brought near the altar where a fresh hole had been dug to receive its pedestal. In this hole was placed a human victim upon whose body the pedestal was planted and the image fixed in its place. The night that followed is said to have been the most impressive and solemn of all. Everywhere the priests were on the lookout for the omens and in every house prayers were offered that no in- 196 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC auspicious sign should mar the critical rites to fol low. Supplications were offered unceasingly be fore the gods that no thunder might sound, no lightning cleave asunder the darkness, no noise of living thing, aye, or of even the surf breaking on the coral reef might disturb the deep silence the priests required for their fateful work. Then, between the midnight and the morning, all the populace gathered in breathless stillness and sat in the open air facing the heiau, watching in tently and regarding the least sound, as a certain harbinger of national misfortune. In the presence of this great multitude the king, carrying a pig for sacrifice, and the high priest, clothed in white and with a white rod in his hand, came forth and entered a small house to perform what was known as the " Great Aha." The priest then poured forth a long and fervid prayer and, at its close, the king slew his pig with a blow and offered it to the great divinities. " Have you heard sound of man, or dog, or mouse, or fowl, or of any living thing during the cere mony? " inquired the priest of the king. The king tapped the large drum as an answer and then they went outside to put the same question to the people. If their answer too was in the affirmative, the priest was able to congratulate the king and predict for him long life and prosperity. Then the people relieved the long silence by a mighty shout which was the more impressive from the preceding stillness. Village after village passed on the shout, till the news had travelled through the land that an auspicious aha had been celebrated. After this the ceremony still continued, but with increasing abandonment. For three nights the THE BUILDING OF THE GREAT HEIAU 197 houses were lighted with torches and there were continual chantings and liturgies, undertaken by the priests in relays. Then the idols were clothed with white kapa and endowed with their respective names ; a great sacrifice of hogs, bananas, cocoanuts and fish, together with many more human victims, was offered; and if no ulua (as the fish sought for were called) were caught, a man was picked out from the village and, with a hook through his nose, dragged to the temple as a substitute. On the last day of this prodigious celebration, one which must have become wearisome to all con cerned, the priest of Papa, the female progenitor of the Hawaiian race, came to the front. Sacrifices were offered by the king's wives, prayers offered for children, and oblations presented to all the female divinities. Then, for the last time, the congrega tion was ranged in rows and replied heartily, Ave may be sure, to the closing incantations which re stored them to the liberty of civil life. Such were some of the salient features of the dedication of a large heiau, and the consecration of Puukohola probably followed them in detail. We may be certain that whatever elements of im pressiveness Kamehameha could impart were there. At the same time there were some special features of which we are at present ignorant. The death and sacrifice of Keoua, of which we shall treat presently, gave a character to the function Avhich we may well wish had been absent. Before, however, we proceed to deal with this ugly episode, there is another warlike expedition to chronicle, in its way quite as significant for Kame hameha as the death of his Hawaiian rival. XXI KAHEKILI FORGETS HIS PROMISE "The sea with ships, the fields with armies spread." IT will be remembered that Kahekili had prom ised Kikane, Kamehameha's herald, that on his own death Kamehameha might take peaceable possession of Maui and Oahu. Such a promise would seem at least to have implied an intention on his own part to keep the peace, but, if such were the case, the intention was forgotten or overborne by force of circumstances. In fact, whatever Kahekili may have felt personally, it would have been diffi cult for him to repress the desire of revenge which burned in the bosoms of the great Maui chiefs since their decisive defeat in the Iao Valley. Maui was not wont thus to be beaten by the Hawaiian in vaders, and the chiefs were eager to wipe out the insult in blood. Then again, Kamehameha's protracted and in decisive struggle with Keoua must have presented an almost overpowering temptation to the Maui warriors to humble their ancient enemy. En feebled by the long and exhausting duel, Kame hameha would certainly at such a time fall an easy prey to their revenge. More effective still, in all probability, was the persuasion of Kaeokulani, king of Kauai, and brother of Kahekili. Perhaps, seeing that Kahe- 198 KAHEKILI FORGETS HIS PROMISE 199 kili's submission to Kamehameha would mean his own exclusion from any share in his brother's possessions, he determined by all means in his power to fan the flames of war and provoke Kahekili to the invasion of Hawaii. The negotiations and preparations for such an expedition took a considerable time, all the winter months of 1790-91 being employed by Kaeo in gath ering together a force sufficient for his purpose. In the spring of 1791 he deemed himself ready and left Kauai with a large fleet of canoes, accompanied by his nephew Peapea, his foreign gunner, Mare Amara (probably an Hawaiian spelling of Murray, the armourer) , and a number of fierce trained dogs. The expedition reached Oahu in a short time and effected a junction with the fleet of Kahekili. Despite his age, the Maui king took his place at the head of the armada, leaving his son, Kalanikapule, at the head of affairs in Oahu. Then the combined fleets set sail for Maui. Here the success of the expedition was almost prematurely wrecked by the haughty and incon siderate character of Kaeo. It would appear that Kahekili had in some way placed Kaeo in temporary charge of Maui as a reward for his alliance, and Kaeo proceeded to prove the reality of this new acquisition by dividing up the lands of Maui among his Kauai chiefs. Naturally, this was strongly re sented by the alii of Maui, and a quarrel took place between the two parties which nearly led to serious consequences and the abandonment of the invasion. However, peace was made for the present between the chiefs and the fleets sailed on. The next land ing was made at Hana, the ancient fief of Hawaii. 200 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Kaeo could not resist the temptation to ascend the hill of Kauwiki, once so renowned a fortress, in order to indulge in a little harmless bravado. Hurling his spear aloft into the air, he cried : " It was said of old that the sky comes down close at Hana, but I find it quite high, for I have thrown my spear, ' Kamoolehua/ and it did not pierce the sky, and I doubt if it will hit Kamehameha. But hearken, O Kauai, you chiefs, warriors and kins men, be strong and be valiant, and we shall drink the water of Waipio and eat the taro of Kunaka." This latter part of the prediction, such as it was, they certainly fulfilled, for, sailing straight for Waipio, in Hawaii, they landed before Kamehameha had learned of their approach, and committed such barbarities that the people, accustomed as they were to supping full of horrors, shuddered with amazement and terror. The fierce warriors of Kauai respected neither the dwellings of the ancient kings nor the temples of the gods. The famous heiau in the valley of Waipio, known as Paakalani, the most sacred in the whole of Hawaii, and carry ing back the memories of men for fully five hundred years, was ruthlessly destroyed. The sacred pave ment of Liloa was torn up, the kapu pepper-tree supports of the old royal palace destroyed, and such wanton havoc made on every side that the people were firmly persuaded that the aumakuas, or family divinities, would speedily claim a dire revenge in order that the sacrilege might be wiped away. The revenge came speedily indeed, and the deus ex machina was no other than Kamehameha with his canoes. The king had been at Kona, but, hear ing of the invasion, he at once launched his fleet to KAHEKILI FORGETS HIS PROMISE 201 meet and repel the foe. It is said in the native accounts that he had added to his ships the schooner Fair America, taken by Kameeiamoku from Captain Metcalf, but, from what Davis and Young told Vancouver a year or two after this it would rather appear that the vessel had never been used since it was hauled up in Kealakekua Bay. The two fleets met off Waimanu, in North Kohala, about ten miles from Waipio, and here a sanguinary battle was fought which is remarkable for being the first naval battle " fought in Hawaiian waters in which modern gunnery formed a conspicuous ele ment of strength on either side." John Young and Isaac Davis handled the artillery for Kamehameha and Murray, the armourer, for Kaeokulani. The result was a signal victory for the Hawaiian fleet and Kaeo and Kahekili retired crestfallen to Maui, expecting with only too much reason a re taliatory invasion. The battle is known by the natives as " Ke-pu- waha-ula-ula" " the battle of the red-mouthed gun," taking its name from what appeared to them the most striking feature of the conflict. The dread of invasion now cleared away, Kame hameha and his counsellors began to see their way ahead. It was therefore all the more mortifying to them to feel that there was still one obstacle in the stubborn resistance of Keoua. How that obstacle was cleared away we shall see in the next chapter. It is a chapter every lover of the fame of Kamehameha would fain wish to have blotted out. XXII THE DEATH OF KEOUA "To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. — Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be fear'd: 'tis much he dares; And to that dauntless temper of his mind, He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour To act in safety*' NOT to form an untrue conception of the event we are about to describe, let us re member two important facts. First, we are dealing with a people steeped to the lips in barbarism. It would not be fair to go straight from the wars of Kamehameha to the con temporary wars of Napoleon for a just comparison of the two leaders. Yet, even under such circum stances, we might find deeds of treachery enacted on the European stage not more excusable than the murder of Keoua. For a fair comparison we ought rather to place ourselves in the age of the Homeric heroes, in the camp of Greek or Trojan, and judge of Kamehameha's act by its accordance with the manners of such a time, and of a society such as that in which Achilles and Ulysses played their parts. Measured by such a standard, we find the Hawaiians singularly free from those stratagems of 202 THE DEATH OF KEOUA 203 war which fraud and deceit suggest to the human mind. Even the simplest form of strategy was rarely practised; the combatants were only too eager to meet face to face like brave men and trust to the strength of their arms and the keenness of their spears. There is indeed a native Oahu legend which affords a curious parallel to the story of the Trojan horse. It tells how Kaihikapu caught an enormous shark off Waikiki and having stuffed it full of armed men sent it as a present to his brother Hao. While Hao was engaged in offering to the gods a sacrifice for the gift, the warriors issued from their place of concealment and slew Hao, together with his priests and chiefs. But such guile was very exceptional and the in stance preserved from the misty and legendary past does no more than prove the rule that strategy was seldom employed either to disguise strength or weakness. This of course does not excuse the act of Kamehameha, but it bears witness to the almost unprecedented nature of the tragedy in the annals of Hawaii and the career of Kamehameha. In the second place there must be borne in mind the peculiarly aggravating character of the predica ment in which Kamehameha was placed by the op position of Keoua. The two chiefs were mutually implacable. The bitterest feeling ever known in Hawaii had been stirred up between them and be tween their respective factions. Defiance in most venomous language was bandied to and forth and no settlement seemed attainable either through com promise or through open warfare. It was under these circumstances that about the end of 1791, the two counsellors, Kamanawa and 204 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Keaweaheulu, went from Kamehameha's court to seek Keoua at Kahuku in Kau. The important question arises, Did Kamehameha send them, or did they go, like the knights who slew Thomas a Becket, on their own guilty initiative? It may well be believed that Kamehameha's high counsellors saw clearly, as Joab did in the similar case of the murder of Abner, that there could be no real security for Kamehameha until the chief who was a rival both by birth and by prestige was dead. Still, in the light of subsequent events, it seems impossible to exonerate Kamehameha altogether, and not all the glory of the reign which began prac tically from the moment of this cruel deed can wash away the stain from his soul. The ambassadors reached the royal fence around the abode of Keoua and put themselves completely in his power. It cannot be said that in carrying out their treacherous design they evaded the danger of their task. Keoua's advisers indeed urged their master to put the visitors to death, but the generous chief indignantly repudiated the advice and cried, "Are they not the brothers of my father ; they shall not die." Having thus gained a foothold in the king's presence, the ambassadors proceeded by smooth speeches to invite Keoua to accompany them to Kawaihae and thus put an end to the miserable and exhausting struggle. It had lasted nine years, they said, and they wished to see the two kings liv ing in peace together, and, as for themselves now growing old, to live under them in peace. And Keoua answered, " I am agreed ; let us go to Kona." It is impossible at this distance of time altogether to understand the action of Keoua in this crisis. THE DEATH OF KEOUA 205 He could hardly have been deceived by the plausible arguments of the Kona chiefs, and he seems throughout to have had within him the presenti ment of impending death. It is touching to read how the resolute warrior, who had never asked quarter from any foe, now bathed himself and pre pared himself to die ; how he chose out those whom he willed to be his " companions in death," and had them all placed in the same canoe with himself. All the rest of the fleet he placed under the com mand of Pauli Kaoleioku, who was a natural son of Kamehameha. It was as though having prepared himself and his chosen friends for death he de signed that Kamehameha should be compelled to spare the rest for the sake of his own son. Thus Keoua decked himself out for sacrifice. It may be he was more tired of the wearing contest than he cared to confess, even to himself. Fate and the gods were against him and against them he did not dare longer to fight. The imposing figure of Kamehameha loomed before him as the favourite of Pele and Lono and Kaili. To fight against heroes he was nothing loth, but to fight against the akua was hopeless. It may be that feeling thus, some sudden access of magnanimity made him will ing to purchase peace for Hawaii by the sacrifice of himself. So he prepared himself, as we have seen, to die, and went with Kamanawa and Keaweaheulu over the sea towards Waipio. It must nevertheless have been with a strong inclination to rebel against his unhappy destiny that Keoua stepped on the deck of his large double canoe. He had laid aside the feather cloak and other insignia of his rank and 206 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC was attended only by the bearer of his calabash and his kahili bearer, Uhai. Then the twenty-four rowers bent to the oars and the fair domain of Kau, which he had struggled to retain ever since the death of the ill-starred Kiwalao, passed slowly out of sight. He was making his last voyage, an offer ing floating out to Kaili, to bear away with him the curse of civil war. He may well have likened him self to that white canoe, " Lono's canoe to return to Kahiki in," which was launched out to sea during the great Kaili ceremony in the Makahiki months. At last, when they were off Puako, there burst upon them the view of the coast of Kawaihae. Along the beach lay the great fleet of war canoes, many of them heavily armed with guns. Back from the beach inland could be seen here and there crowds of the veteran warriors whom Keoua had with success resisted. Most conspicuous of all rose the walls of the new heiau of Puukohola, with its lofty lele, or altar, waiting for the victim which was to quench the bloody thirst of Kaili. Keoua read the signs well and remarked to Kea weaheulu, who was near, " It looks bad ashore ; the clouds are flying the wrong way." " Nay," was the reply, " by whom should evil come on so pleasant a day? " " The clouds," insisted Keoua, " have an ill-omened flight." Soon the canoes arrived at the landing at Maile- kini in Kawaihae. As Keoua's canoe approached he may well have been rendered more suspicious by the appearance of the " Kingmaker " and " King- slayer," Keeaumoku, who, with his armed men, pressed towards the boat. Further along the beach Keoua perceived Kamehameha and, preferring to THE DEATH OF KEOUA 207 trust himself to him rather than to Keeaumoku, called out, " Here I am." " Rise," replied the king, " and come here that we may know one another." Keoua then leaped ashore to go to Kamehameha. This was Keeaumoku's opportunity. He had de termined that Keoua should die, so, as he was in midair leaping from his canoe, he struck him with his spear. Keoua struggled hard for life, en deavouring to wrest the spear from the hand of his adversary. But his wound was too deep and, with a loud cry, he fell down and expired. Then, under the very eyes of Kamehameha, a hideous slaughter commenced. All the occupants of the first canoe were slain with the exception of two, one a man who had already secretly left the boat, the other one who ran ashore and took sanctuary in the house of a priest. It is said that Keliimaikai, the brother of Kame hameha, had pleaded hard for the life of Keoua and his friends and, when the second division under Kaoleioku arrived, insisted that the lot of the first should be the lot of the rest. " You have slain my foster-brother," he cried, " now I will kill yours." But Kamehameha recognized his son and stopped the massacre. "He shall not die," he exclaimed; " he is the child of my youth." So the slaughter ceased. The body of the victim thus treacherously slain was taken to the heiau, and there sacrificed to Kaili. Kapoukahi's prophecy had fulfilled itself. The temple was complete and the last rival of Kame hameha in Hawaii was among the first victims to be offered on its altars. Henceforth the " lonely one " might proclaim himself King of Hawaii with 208 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC none to challenge his claim. One great step to wards the union of the group was accomplished, after long struggle and delay. But, if " we admire the edifice whose foundations he laid " we must not fail to note that one of these foundations was laid in treachery and blood. Fornander is probably correct in his estimate of the cruel deed. He says that though it " was none the less a cruel wrong and a foul murder, and pos terity will so designate it, it is well to bear in mind that the actors in that deed, while undoubtedly the foremost men of their age, yet were men of that age and of no other, swayed by its modes of thought, following its modes of action. But Kamehameha and his victim have both mouldered in dust. Nearly a hundred years have folded their cooling wings over those burning hearts. The sceptre has passed from the family of the former, and not a scion re mains of the latter to point a finger or call out for vengeance. Their disputes are settled and history resumes its course." * 1 Fornander, II, 331. Ellis, writing in 1827, gives an account more favourable to the reputation of Kamehameha. The natives related to him how Keoua, weary of fighting, sent to Kaiana and requested leave to surrender himself to Kame hameha. This was granted and Keaweaheulu personally as sured the fallen chief of his safety. So Kaiana and his friends embarked in their canoes for Kawaihae, stopping on the way at several points. Wherever Keoua showed himself the attachment of the people was demonstrated in the most striking way. On the morning of the third day they reached Kawaihae, and Mr. Ellis gives the rest of the account as follows: "Tamehameha, with his chiefs, was standing on the beach as his canoe came in sight, and, with most of the chiefs, intended to protect him; but Keeaumoku, a chief of the most sanguinary disposition, who had grappled with his elder brother at the battle of Keei, had determined on his death; and fearing that Tamehameha might frustrate his purpose, if the canoe were allowed to land, he waded above THE DEATH OF KEOUA 209 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 stern. 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, particularly Keaveaheuru and Kamahoe, are reported to have regretted his death. Keeaumoku, how ever, justified his horrid act by saying that if Keoua had been allowed to live, they should never have been secure."— Ellis, " Narrative of a Tour Through Hawaii," 1838. XXIII KAMEHAMEHA KING OF HAWAII "Of this small horn one feeble blast Would fearful odds against thee cast.'* ERE we permit our history to resume its course the reader must pardon a brief interlude of summary such as may state Kamehameha's position at the end of 1791 with reference to the task he had set himself to accomplish. Nominally he was only in possession of the same degree of power as that enjoyed by Kalanikapule at the time of Cook's discovery. He was the lord of one island only. But in the popular imagination Kamehameha represented far more than this. He had broken the power of Maui, Oahu and Kauai in his wars against Kahekili and Kaeokulani, and every great chief who had prestige enough to oppose him in his de signs had been ultimately slain or reduced to quiescence. He possessed, moreover, as no king had done before him, all those means, material and spiritual, which in the minds of the islanders con stituted the certain assurance and prediction of success. He was the friend of Pele, and the fire-goddess, so it was believed, was always ready to pour forth her lava-streams and cascades of fire against his enemies. Thus rebellion became sacrilege. 210 KAMEHAMEHA KING OF HAWAII 211 Again, he had charge of the ancient war-god, and Kaili had been made well pleased with his guardian by reason of the magnificent temple reared to his honour and by the splendid victims slain on his altars. The poison goddess, Kalaipahoa, too (or at least a portion of her image), had passed into the con queror's hands, and, apart from the moral effect of possessing this, a few shavings of the idol intro duced into the food of any rebellious chief would dispose of his disloyalty at once and forever. More potent even than these, at any rate in a practical way, were the skill and weapons of the white men whom Kamehameha employed and who had learned to trust and respect and obey him. Men like Davis and Young were good, sound men, men of courage and resource, a tower of strength to Kamehameha to the end of his days. Once again there were the great Kona chiefs who had first brought Kamehameha forth from his re tirement and had, with marvellous patience, self- restraint and unselfishness, assisted him over all obstacles to a throne. Keeaumoku had at last found his ideal leader and never regretted his vow of loyalest allegiance. No less faithful were the others, Keaweaheulu, Kamanawa, and the rest. Lastly, there was a famous trophy in the posses sion of Kamehameha, which has hitherto been un- mentioned but which had its influence among the rest in persuading the people to acclaim him as their lawful king. This was the Kiha-pu, the famous war trumpet or magic conch of Kiha. It was a large nautilus shell of a species exceedingly rare in Hawaii, adorned and inlaid with the teeth 212 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC of conquered chieftains. When the trumpet was blown it was believed that their groans and cries could be distinguished in the blast. This remark able shell was first brought from Samoa in the twelfth century of our era, but its historical career began with the reign of Kiha, who governed Hawaii from 1415 to 1455. It played a part in innumerable battles and, surviving the wars of Kamehameha, may still be seen in the Royal Hawaiian Museum in Honolulu. The unique qualities, such as they were supposed to be, of the Kihapu caused it to be very eagerly striven after by rival chiefs. When properly blown, it had power over legions of genii and over the gods themselves. Were the canoes at sea without provision, the blast of the Kiha-pu would instantly call up Ukanipo, the shark god, to drive the flying fish so as to fall in the open boats. Was it neces sary to replenish the water calabashes, then one could call by the trumpet upon Kuluiau, the god dess of rain, and the rowers would have barely time to arrange their vessels before the rain came down in torrents. Was it wind that was wanted, then, in answer to the Kiha-pu Laamaomao, the god of wind, would open his calabash towards the sea and out would rush the mighty winds. Moreover, if useful in peace, much more so was it in time of war. The king could send forth strident tones which startled the ears of the enemy at once with challenge to the battle and with pre monitions of defeat. He could make the magic conch give forth notes such as would summon the forces of the spirit world to his aid and rally his people from the most hopeless flight. The sound KAMEHAMEHA KING OF HAWAII 213 was like the sound of breakers against the rocky shores of Hawaii. But to-day, though the horn may still be blown, no god responds to its despairing call. When, dur ing the native insurrection of 1889, the shell conches sounded out so shrilly upon the air, many present thought of the Kiha-pu and its fabled potency. But Lono awoke not from his age-long sleep, and all signs showed that the age of the conch was past. Yet to Kamehameha the trophy was a talisman of might and in the king the Kiha-pu had a guardian as devoted and attached as any of his illustrious predecessors in the ifoi-ship of Hawaii. xxrv THE VISITS OF VANCOUVER "The white man landed; — need the rest be told? The New World stretched its dusk hand to the old; Each was to each a marvel, and the tie Of wonder warm'd to better sympathy." KAMEHAMEHA was probably in the south eastern districts of the island, dividing up the lands of Keoua among the chiefs, when an event took place only second in importance to the discovery of the group by Cook. This was the arrival of the famous English navigator Captain Vancouver, in command of the Discovery and her armed tender the Chatham. The visit of Vancouver forms a bright spot in the records of Hawaiian in tercourse with the outer world. Too often the ships of the white man came only for plunder and the gratification of animal passion. Vancouver, on the contrary, did everything possible to check the tide of evil, calm the sea of anarchy and strife, and build up a solid bulwark of friendship upon which the two races might safely rely. Indeed, whether we seek our knowledge from the volumes written by the great sailor himself, or whether we seek it from the still living traditions of his visits, we find Van couver standing out as a noble example of the philanthropic sailor and explorer who realizes that civilization has a mission not to destroy but to save. For it was a time when it was commonly said 214 THE VISITS OF VANCOUVER 215 " there is no God this side of Cape Horn," — a time which would have satisfied Kipling's " Tommy At kins " who sighed for a place "where the best is like the worst, Where there ar'n't no Ten Commandments, an' a man can raise a thirst, ' ' — a time when the mission of ciAdlization was not too scrupulously borne in mind by the whaler and trader. Consequently, it is all the more noticeable that while Cook is regarded by native sentiment as the harbinger of depopulation, disease and death, Van couver's memory is universally respected. " His memory," says one historian, " is gratefully cher ished by the natives, for his mission was one of peace and broad benevolence." " The three visits of Vancouver," says another, " form an era in the his tory of the islands, and his name is justly cherished as that of a wise and generous benefactor to the Hawaiian people." Vancouver had been with Cook in his last and ill- fated voyage, and so had made some advance in the knowledge of the Hawaiians. A remarkable incident is told to show how well he was remembered. In the visit of 1793 he was approached by the chief Kaeo with the reminder that on the fatal visit of 1778 the two men had exchanged locks of hair as pledges of friendship. Subsequent conversation showed that all those fifteen years of absence the chief had care fully treasured the memory of the white man's affec tion. It is a good instance of the way in which from the first Vancouver captured the hearts of the islanders. 216 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC The English ships had been sent to receive the cession of Nootka Sound from the Spaniards, and to survey the northwest coast of North America. After accomplishing this, they sailed south and ar rived off the Kona coast of Hawaii at the beginning of March, 1792. Kamehameha, as we have said, was absent, but Kaiana was nothing loth to play the part of host for a while, and indeed would fain have displaced Kamehameha altogether in the minds of the vis itors. He paid a formal visit to the ships, and with almost all the English he knew (for, in spite of his voyage to Canton and back, his linguistic progress had been but slow) begged for those treasures so dear to the heart of the savage, — guns and pow der. But Vancouver, wiser than his predecessors, re fused resolutely to give firearms. " The ship," he said, " belonged to King George, and the arms and ammunition were all tabu to the king." Instead of such dangerous toys he distributed large quantities of orange-trees, grape vines, and garden seeds, which, however, they did not welcome so readily. The one thing which connected itself in the native mind with this first visit of Vancouver was this re fusal to give away firearms. They could not under stand his motive and in consequence treated him with some coolness. About five days after their arrival, the British ships went north to Oahu, and on arriving at Wai kiki, learned for the first time of island politics. The Oahu chiefs, Kahekili and Kaeo, were, they found, busily engaged in Maui preparing for what they justly deemed inevitable, a retaliatory invasion THE VISITS OF VANCOUVER 217 of their dominions by Kamehameha. Vancouver was saddened to find prevailing so warlike a mania, saddened to note on every hand the insatiable crav ing for implements of destruction, but still more grieved to mark the terrible depopulation which he recognized as the harvest of those seeds of vice planted fifteen or sixteen years before. It is to his credit that so far as was possible he kept himself dissociated from the one evil and the other. He did not pander to the lust for iron; he did not do any thing which might spread the deadly scourge which was the result of vice. Pursuing his journey north, Vancouver made a week's stay at Kauai, and here made the acquaint ance of a young chief who afterwards played an im portant part in Hawaiian history, Kaumualii, the son of Kaeo. He was only twelve years old at this time, but was already accustoming himself to war like exercises, though the responsible regent in the absence of Kaeo Avas a chief named Inamoo. The young prince went about everywhere attended by a guard of thirty men who were armed with iron dag gers and bore amongst them thirteen muskets tied up in three bundles, together with calabashes of powder and shot. After staying a week the squadron went on its way to Nootka Sound. It was during the interval between Vancouver's first and second visits that a deplorable event oc curred which left a deep stain upon the character of the natives and had marked influence on the subse quent course of the story. This was the murder of Lieutenant Hergest and Mr. Gooch of the Daedalus, a store ship belonging to Vancouver's squadron 218 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC which arrived in the islands May 7, 1792, and an chored off Waimea, Oahu. While lying off this roadstead, a boat's crew was sent ashore, accom panied by Hergest and Gooch, to procure water. Here a lawless band had established itself under Koi, a chief who had taken part in the late unsuc cessful invasion of Hawaii. Whether Kahekili and Kaeo had anything to do with the outrage that fol lowed is doubtful. Vancouver certainly acquitted them of all complicity, and there is no evidence to show that Koi was other than the leader of a band of ruffians who in that time of martial madness had determined by fair means or foul to possess fire arms. Yet it must be acknowledged that Kahekili and Kaeo had allowed it to be understood by the subordinate chiefs that though no attacks on for eign ships could be countenanced which were likely to be unsuccessful, or which, even if successful, might be found out and punished, yet to seize arms, under safe and secret circumstances, was not only no crime but even a high service rendered to the state. In fact, to the eyes of the king of Maui, Koi's real crime was his ultimate lack of success. The watering party landed with eight men, but returned with only five, and the sad news was that the commander and astronomer and one of the men had been seized and slain. The last seen of the un fortunate Hergest and Gooch was amid a crowd of natives who were stripping them and driving them into the interior. The next day information was obtained that they had been slain and their bodies divided among seven of the chiefs. The means of punishing the murder were not then at hand, so the Daedalus sailed away to join Van- THE VISITS OF VANCOUVER 219 couver at Nootka Sound. The sad affair, says For nander, was a tragedy "which, although entirely unprovoked by the foreigners, has not received a moiety of the sympathy and comments from the civilized world which have shed such a halo over the memory of Cook. " The natives freely admit that, in this case, they were in the wrong, and accepted as just the punishment subsequently inflicted by Van couver. The only excuse that can be urged is that the affair was the work of an irresponsible crew of ruffians who were too eager to secure material for the approaching war with Kamehameha to consider the consequences of their misdeed. At all events Kamehameha is entirely free from the least suspicion of any connivance in the atrocity of his enemies. It was on February 14, 1793, that the Discovery was once more sighted, this time off the coast of Kawaihae, in Hawaii. Here Vancouver landed, not guns, but a bull and a cow, the first of the kind the natives had seen. It is probable, from the fact that the Hawaiian word for " goat " is " kao " (pro nounced " cow " ) , that they had hitherto mistaken the goat for its bigger horned relation. This present was intended for Kamehameha, who now appears before Vancouver for the first time, at least since 1779. We can imagine with what interest the Brit ish sailor would look upon the renowned chieftain of whose prowess he had heard such wonderful ac counts, as, clad in his famous yellow cloak, Kame hameha stepped on February 21st upon the deck of the white king's ship. He was attended by John Young, who acted as interpreter, and by his queen Kaahumanu, whose age Vancouver set down as 220 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC about sixteen, though she was really twenty-five. But foreigners never could get right about the ages of Hawaiians. Presents were liberally distributed and the soul of Kamehameha was not above a half childish delight in a showy scarlet cloak which Van couver bestowed upon him. Arrayed in this the king strutted about the decks as though wearing the paludament of a Roman Emperor. Next day, the ships came to anchor in Keala kekua Bay, the scene of Cook's murder. Happily there was no sign of any reawakening animosity in the memory of that tragic episode. On the con trary, the visit was marked by a grand ceremonial call on the part of Kamehameha on the officers of the ships. He came off with his retinue of kahili bearers, spittoon bearers and the rest, in a fleet of eleven large double canoes. He wore his feather helmet and cloak and-, on stepping on board, be stowed upon Vancouver with royal munificence four beautiful feather helmets, ninety swine, and a large quantity of fruit and vegetables. Not to be outdone in generosity, the English commander gave Kamehameha in return five cows and three sheep. Kaiana and even Keeaumoku grew quite jealous. The festivities were continued on the fourth day of March by a grand entertainment given to the visitors on shore. It took the form of a sham fight and a spear exercise between a hundred and fifty of the choicest Hawaiian warriors. Kamehameha him self took part, and it was on this occasion that Van couver says he saw six spears hurled simultaneously at the king. Of these he caught three, parried two more, and avoided the sixth by an agile motion of his body. The Englishmen contributed their part THE VISITS OF VANCOUVER 221 to the proceeding by giving a grand exhibition of fireworks in the evening. It was Vancouver's plan, if possible, to make peace between Kamehameha and the Leeward Is lands, and so prevent what seemed to him likely to become but a bloody and devastating war which would lead to renewed attacks upon foreigners such as that of Waimea. To this end, when he had se cured the friendship of Kamehameha, he sailed for Maui and arrived at Lahaina on March 7th. Al most immediately after he was visited by Kahekili and Kamohomoho. These chiefs were probably anx ious to anticipate him in his action on the Daeda lus affair. To punish the murder of Lieutenant Hergest and Mr. Gooch was indeed one of the two pieces of business Vancouver had come to Maui to transact. He soon convinced himself, rightly or wrongly, that the chiefs were not concerned in the affray, and Kahekili informed him that he had al ready had three men executed for the crime. Kamo homoho seconded his relative's protestations and de clared himself willing to accompany Vancouver to Oahu to secure and punish the rest of the cul prits. The second piece of business Vancouver had in hand was a putting a stop to the war. He discussed terms of peace with the chiefs, and found them only too willing to avoid the necessity of having to op pose Kamehameha's invading army. They sug gested that Kaeo should go with Vancouver to Ha waii and there negotiate a treaty with Kame hameha. There was, however, no time for this, so Vancouver wrote a letter to John Young, who was in attendance on Kamehameha, explaining the 222 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC terms decided upon by the kings of Maui and Kauai. This was sent off in the hands of one of the chiefs. But the Hawaiian postal service was imperfect in those days. The message was sent off, but it was never delivered, for the chief was attacked on land ing and had to flee for his life. Probably Kame hameha never intended his friendship with the white man to obstruct the way to victory, or to allow himself to accede to any demand for terms. He was ready with the characteristic Hawaiian word " pelapaha," "perhaps," to those who ap proached him, but he was too obstinate easily to change his purpose and too wily to divulge it. So Vancouver for the present had to be content with giving a few goats to the Maui chiefs, dazzling the natives with his fireworks, and concentrating his attention upon the avenging of the Daedalus. For this purpose he set sail for Oahu and arrived at Waikiki on March 20th. No sooner had he ar rived than a canoe put off to him with three pris oners and witnesses ready to certify that these were the guilty ones. The poor wretches were shot, but afterwards, by the confession of the witnesses them selves, it turned out that those who had been thus executed were only guilty of violating the native kapu, and had had nothmg to do with the murder. Thus the whole action of the chiefs seemed suspi ciously like an attempt to divert the Englishmen from the right scent, and put an end to the affair. Koi, the chief who had been the instigator of the atrocious deed, escaped punishment. Still it would be unfair to accuse Vancouver, as Jarves seems to do, of any laxity in punishing the murder, or of any undue familiarity with the mur- THE VISITS OF VANCOUVER 223 derers. The accusations of the witnesses were so emphatic, and the denial on the part of the accused of any knowledge of the outrage so manifestly un true, that Vancouver can scarcely be blamed for the unfortunate miscarriage of justice. More unfortunate still, at least at the time, ap peared the failure of the English commander to se cure peace between Kamehameha and the northern chiefs. But in reality this was but a seeming mis fortune, for it led, as we shall see, to the ultimate consolidation of the government of the islands under one rule. This was surely better than a tem porary truce, ending, as all truces did end, in fresh and more devastating and murderous campaigns. Vancouver himself must have got to feel this in time, for on his way from Oahu to Kauai, he fell in with a great fleet of canoes which had just been en gaged in a revolt in the northern island and were carrying the news and the prisoners to Kaeo. One of these canoes was sixty-one and a half feet long, beautifully carved and made of a single pine-tree which had drifted from the American coast. It contained the leg-bones, with the flesh still adher ing, of two chiefs who had been recently killed. With this ghastly sight still in his mind, Vancouver anchored off Waimea, and there, with his customary philanthropy, he landed two girls belonging to the adjacent island of Niihau who the year before had been carried off by an English vessel and whom he had found in a destitute condition in America. He took the greatest possible trouble to provide them with suitable protection and land. Having at last fulfilled to the best of his oppor tunities the objects of his visit to the islands, Van- 224 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC couver sailed away to the northwest coast, thus bringing to a close his second visit. The third and last visit took place in the follow ing year. On January 9, 1794, the English ships appeared off Hilo, where Kamehameha was then re siding, keeping in connection with the Makahiki months the great festival of Lono. This celebration began some time in October and lasted four months, so that it was in the last month of the feast that Vancouver appeared. It was not a particularly good time for visitors to intrude, yet, such was the friendship between Kamehameha and Vancouver, that the king at once broke off his participation in the New Year festival and took passage to Keala kekua Bay. Here they stayed six memorable weeks, during which the British visitors were treated with the most unbounded hospitality and received as the guests of the nation on the very beach which had drunk the blood of the murdered Cook. Vancouver for his part used the time well and wisely in tutor ing the noble savage in the ways of true civilization. He landed cattle and sheep and was far-seeing enough to have a kapu put on them for ten years, to give time for increase. During this stay, too, Vancouver's carpenters laid the keel of the first ship ever built in the Ha waiian islands. It was begun on February 1st and was called the Britannia. Though only thirty-six feet long, it proved of the greatest possible service to the king. More serviceable still was Vancouver's advice to Kamehameha with regard to the manage ment of affairs, the discipline of the troops, the ad ministration of justice, and the intercourse with THE VISITS OF VANCOUVER 225 white men. For the first time, too, Kamehameha heard from the lips of the good explorer of a true God, to be served with love instead of with fear, a God to whom Kane and Ku and Lono were but shadows of the night. He heard also of that moral law which ought to take the place of the cruel kapu, and Vancouver promised that on his return to Eng land he would ask King George to send a teacher of the true religion. Whether all this had much effect on the mind of Kamehameha or not, it would be difficult to say. Probably it did not alto gether miss the mark, since, though the king was destined never to hear the voice of a Christian mis sionary, yet on his death-bed he expressed the wish that his son might learn the new faith. For him self, he said, he died in the faith of his fathers, but he would recommend his successor to test for him self the tidings from over the sea. Beyond all this, a very delicate office fell to the lot of Vancouver in bringing about a reconciliation, temporary at all events, between Kamehameha and his wayward spouse Kaahumanu. She had been sus pected, probably not without some reason, of play ing the part of Guinevere to the Lancelot of Kaiana and had in consequence aroused her husband's jealousy. But it would be impossible to crowd into a page or two all the good which Vancouver attempted and effected during his forty days' tutelage of a king. At the end he strongly recommended Kamehameha to be guided by the advice of Davis and Young and he also offered, to remove from the islands seven other white men whose presence was not likely to be helpful. To this last suggestion, however, the 226 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC chiefs objected so strongly that the offer was not pressed. Then came the important event which in a way gathered up the results of Vancouver's three visits to Hawaii. On February 21, 1794, a great council of chiefs met on board the Discovery and decided to ask the protection of Great Britain, with the important reservation that all the internal affairs of the island should be managed, as before, by their own chiefs. It may be thought that Vancouver had pressed this unduly upon the mind of Kamehameha, but such does not seem to have been the case. The idea seems to have sprung from the brain of the king himself and certainly as the result of a conviction that an outside protectorate was necessary for the stability of the kingdom does credit to the states manlike quality of his far-seeing mind. Already the arrival of foreign ships was introducing new and perilous elements into the Hawaiian common wealth. The sailors were often the chartered liber tines of the nations they represented and consid ered man, woman and child their natural prey. In every affray with the natives the natives would al ways by the foreign powers be regarded as in the wrong, and the chiefs would be mulcted in heavy indemnities for acts in which perhaps they were more sinned against than sinning. All this came literally to pass in the next reign, and Kamehameha saw that there could be no security against it unless some strong foreign power undertook the protection of his realm against unscrupulous adventurers, leaving him to do what he felt well able to do, name ly, govern his subjects according to his own ideas. THE VISITS OF VANCOUVER 227 So the terms suggested were accepted on both sides, and four days later, on February 25, 1794, Lieutenant Paget went ashore and hoisted the Brit ish flag on Hawaii, thus taking possession of the land in the name of King George. A great shout went up from the natives, — " Kanaka no Beritane," " We are men of Britain." How was it that this so-called cession of Hawaii came to nothing? Well, England was, as we know, busy at this time with matters which left little leisure to pay much attention to the acquisition of a single island in the Pacific. So the act was never ratified by the Home Government and the independence of Hawaii was left unimpaired. Vancouver sailed away to Kauai and, having promised to return to the islands with artisans and Christian teachers, he left them for the last time on March 13, 1794, for England. Here he was given other work to do, for these were busy times for the British navy, and, as he died in 1798, he was unable to carry out his benevo lent intentions. Still, however far he fell short of accomplishing what he desired, his work is by no means to be for gotten, a work which reflects undying honour upon the great sailor Avho was so tender and so true, so upright and just, moreover, that no breath of cal umny has ever arisen to smirch his fame. It is a bright page, too, in the history of civiliza tion, one of those pages which men of English blood and English speech will ever love to contemplate, a record of unpretentious yet noble philanthropy, of Christian wisdom and consideration in intercourse with the childlike natives of the Pacific seas. XXV CIVIL WAR IN OAHU "Accidental judgments, casual slaughters, And deaths put on by cunning and forc'd cause: And in this upshot, purposes mistook Fallen on the inventors' heads." AFTER Vancouver's departure, the year 1794 passed away almost without history so far as the one island of Hawaii is concerned, but on the other islands, by way of compensation, history was made rapidly and Kamehameha must have had all he needed to do in watching the com batants in Maui and Oahu prepare the way for his own victory by exhausting one another's strength. It was with good reason that the Hawaiians had now come to believe in Kamehameha as the chief favoured by the gods, for he could not have ar ranged matters better for his own advantage if he had had committed to him the complete ordering of the fate of Hawaii. First of all, there fell like a thunder-clap the news of the death of the mighty warrior and wily states man, Kahekili, king of Maui, and reputed father of our hero. Though a very old man, over eighty, at least, he had taken an active part in war and politics up to the last. Only a year before his death he had gone over to Kauai to put down a rebellion to which some worthless foreigners had instigated the regent 228 CIVIL WAR IN OAHU 229 Inamoo. This he successfully accomplished, and when he came back, though in appearance feeble and emaciated, he had no immediate apprehension of death. He died in July, 1794, at Ulukou in Waikiki, near Honolulu. It is significant of his relation to Kamehameha that immediately after his death his bones were claimed by the Hawaiian counsellors, Kameeiamoku and Kamanawa, whom some old legends declare to have been, like Kame hameha, Kahekili's sons, though the genealogies make them the sons of Keawepoepoe. The bones of the dead chief were taken to Kona and there con cealed, according to custom, in a cave at Kaloko, North Kona. It was to be expected that the removal of so com manding a figure would have an important effect on the drama. Kahekili fell "As falls on Mount Alvernus The thunder-smitten oak," and the force of the fall shook the throne which he had so tenaciously held and from whence he had so vigorously ruled. It was a double gain to Kamehameha, for we can not suppose he sorrowed much for one who had never been to him as a father, but only a relentless if admiring foe. In the first place, Kamehameha would feel that he was now about to enter upon his lawful inheritance. Kahekili had promised him the throne after his death and, though he had since shown a singular disposition to forget the promise, Kamehameha for his part had no intention to con sider it other than binding. In the next place, 230 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Kamehameha knew that there was no one among the sons of Kahekili of sufficient power and experi ence to oppose his way successfully. Indeed, the folly and treachery of Kahekili's acknowledged sons pulled their kingdom in pieces even before it was attacked. Kahekili appears to have left his dominions divided in the following manner. Kalanikapule was to retain the kingdom of Oahu, and Kaeo was to rule over Maui and Kauai. But both knew it was necessary to combine forces to restrain Kame hameha from dispossessing them both. In November, 1794, Kaeo decided to pay a visit to the most northern part of his dominions, the island of Kauai, to settle the affairs of that district and especially to look after the regent Inamoo whose loyalty was something less or more than question able. But on the way there broke out between him and Kalanikapule the strangest and most inexplicable civil war in the whole history of the islands. We have no account of any previous breach of friend ship and no hint as to any possible reason for dis agreement, yet no sooner did Kaeo attempt a land ing at Waimanalo in Oahu, on the way to Kauai, than he found his presence regarded as a challenge to war and all Kalanikapule's troops drawn up on the beach to oppose him. If the Oahu chief took the arrival of Kaeo for an invasion, he was certainly mistaken, and for the mistake there was not the smallest excuse. It would rather seem that Kalani kapule was guilty of the basest treachery and re garded the presence of his brother chief as an oppor tunity to lay violent hands on the sovereignty of all CIVIL WAR IN OAHU 231 the leeward islands. It can hardly be urged that he was ignorant of the measures adopted by his subordinates. Still, the ways of the alii in their military operations offer many curious puzzles to the historian. As soon as Kaeo found his landing resisted, he determined to force his way ashore, and a skirmish ing fight began which was kept up until the arrival of Kalanikapule himself. Considerable mischief, however, had already been done, and the com mander of the Oahu forces had been shot by Kaeo's foreigner, Murray, the Armourer. A conference followed and, to all appearance, a friendly under standing was reached, for uncle and nephew stayed together for some little time after this on terms of the utmost amity. At last Kaeo determined to proceed on his way to Kauai and, leaving Koolau, the fleet sailed round the northern coast of Oahu, landing first at Waialua and then at Waiamae. It was while he was resting at Waiamae that there came to his ears the news of a formidable conspiracy among his chiefs against himself. It was decided, so he learned, to throw him overboard during the ensuing voyage. It is hard to see the reason for this revolt. Kaeo was no tyrant ; on the contrary he had always been popular with the lesser chiefs and with the common people. The question naturally suggests itself, Had Kalanikapule a hand in the matter? Had he been at work bribing the chiefs in order to secure by treachery what he might possibly fail to obtain by force of arms? But, had this been so, we should naturally have expected in the subsequent battle that Kaiana and 232 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC the other disaffected chiefs would have succeeded in saving themselves. There is another hypothesis which occurs as having some degree of probability, viz. — that Inamoo, the regent of Kauai, was sin cerely desirous of thwarting Kaeo's visit to his regency and had been scheming, by ways familiar enough to the time and place, to foment discord be tween the two kings. However, when Kaeo learned of the disaffection prevailing among his chiefs, he determined to stop it in characteristic fashion. Just as more civilized states have diverted attention from internal trou bles by declaring war upon a foreign foe, so Kaeo knew that he had only to give his men a chance of plunder in Oahu in order to dispel the clouds of revolt from the sky of his fortunes. So, better relishing the prospect of dying gloriously, with the bodies of his fellows heaped around him like a hecatomb, than that of dying alone in the cold waves of ocean, he cried : " Better to die in battle ; many will be the companions in death ! " Then he ordered the canoes to be hauled up on the beach and prepared to march overland against Kalanika pule. Instantly, as by magic, the mutinous spirit in the army disappeared; loyal chiefs and men gathered around Kaeo, and even the men of Waialua and Waianae, tired of the capriciousness of Kalani kapule, or anxious to fight for him they deemed the stronger warrior, flocked to his banner. The pros pect of battle, booty, lands and fame never failed to reconcile an Hawaiian to the risk of wounds or death. Had not Kalanikapule been aided more than a CIVIL WAR IN OAHU 233 little by his foreigners, it is probable that his ad versary would have carried all before him. On November 21, 1794, Captain Brown of the schooner Jackal and Captain Gordon of the Prince Lee Boo entered Honolulu harbour. It was then named Kou and had been discovered and used for the first time by Captain Brown, who, appropriately enough, named it Fair Haven. Here the two cap tains were joined by Captain Kendrick of the Lady Washington and it was from these three ships that Kalanikapule derived much needed assistance and the material with which to carry on the war. One may suppose that the foreigners were only led to take part in the savage contest from some chivalrous desire to help the weaker cause or from the feeling that it was proper to bolster up the lawful sovereign of the island. But it had been better for them if they had refrained. Kaeo, in the first encounters, was victorious. Murray, the armourer, with his death-dealing gun and unerring aim, became a name of terror to the Oahu chiefs, and the invaders were rapidly advanc ing over the Waianae Mountains, thence across the plains, now green with rice, but then almost dry and lifeless, till they reached the Salt Lake in the Ewa district, near the famous Pearl Harbour. Now civilization has claimed the region for her own. Railway cars take gay parties of excursionists to pleasant resorts along the Pearl lochs; artesian wells have reclaimed the soil from the possession, hitherto undisputed, of the mimosa, and trans formed the arid plain into a field of vivid green; and sugar and bananas grow freely from the soil fertilized over a century ago with Hawaiian blood. 234 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC It was at this juncture that the mate of the Jackal and eight others volunteered to assist Kalanikapule. Several skirmishes took place between the ad vanced pickets and then Kaeo, with his main army, arrived at Kalauao, just east of Pearl Harbour. Here, on December 12th, a battle raged from morn ing till night, a battle fought to decide no quarrel, to settle no claims, but apparently to gratify the merely animal appetite for fighting. When Kaeo brought his troops through the culti vated fields and taro patches below the Kalauao ravine, he found Kalanikapule occupying a strong position on the shore between Honolulu and the Pearl lochs. Kalani himself with his chiefs com manded the central division of his army at Aiea ; the right wing occupied the elevated road running from Aiea to Kalauao and was under the command of Kalanikapule's brother, Koalaukani; his uncle, Kamohomoho, led the left wing along the shingly beach of Malei. On the shore, with the armed boats of the Jackal, Captain Brown held a com manding position. "All day long the noise of battle rolled." A furi ous onset from the right wing on the uplands shattered the centre of Kaeo's army, while the fire from the boats poured volleys of death into the broken ranks, and panic came, endeavouring, but in vain, to make escape from death. Kaeo fought like a hero till all hope was gone. Then he fled with six of his followers to a small ravine, where he hoped to find means of escape. But, as Nelson's decora tions exposed him to the aim of the French sharp shooters, so poor Kaeo's yellow feather cloak, which CIVIL WAR IN OAHU 235 he wore proudly as became his rank, made him a too conspicuous mark for the pitiless sailors in the boats. They fired till the pursuers, attracted by the noise, came down like hounds upon a lion at bay. And like a lion he stood, and fought, and died, hav ing at least the grim consolation he coveted, for many indeed were the " companions in death." It is said that several of Kaeo's wives were killed in this battle, fighting bravely like their lord. Thus with chiefs, and wives and slaves, he went well at tended to the shades below. A wonderful story is told of one woman who fought in this memorable struggle. When evening arrived and the corpses were heaped high on the beach, there was thrown upon the ghastly pile the apparently lifeless body of Kahulunuikaaumoku, a daughter of the high priest of Kauai. Then the darkness fell and those hideous sequels of battle, the carrion birds, came for their prey. An owl, or some other night-bird, alighted on the woman's head and attempted to pick out her eye. The blow of the beak, and the smart of the torn eyelid re stored her to consciousness, and, painfully slipping down from the pile of slain, she made her way by slow degrees to the shores of the bay. Accustomed from infancy to the water, she swam across the bay to the other side of Aiea, and managed to make her way into the secret recesses of the Halawa valley, ex pecting to die in the cave to which she had dragged her shattered body. But, next day, a friendly acquaintance discovered her hiding-place, brought her medicine and food, and kept her until an amnesty was proclaimed by Kalanikapule. Then she came forth and in due course recovered from 236 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC her hurts. Years after, Kahulunuikaaumoku be came a Christian and died as recently as 1834. The victory of Kalanikapule, which might have established his power from Maui to Kauai, had a long train of tragic consequences. First of all, when Captain Brown's men came triumphantly back, a salute was fired in honour of the occasion, and a wad from one of the guns entered the cabin of the Lady Washington and killed Captain Kendrick, who was at dinner at the time. This was misfortune number one. Then came the funeral on shore which was the first service of the kind the natives had seen. They thought it a kind of anaana, or magic to procure the death of Captain Brown. Anaana was a common practice among the Hawaiians under similar cir cumstances. The sorcerer would secure something belonging to his intended victim, such as a lock of hair, parings of the nails, or even saliva from the mouth, and with this as a bait would make the necessary incantations. Then it was expected that the object of imprecation would speedily pine away and die. Sometimes the kahuna would facilitate the operation with poison, but, with such fear was anaana regarded, that fear alone was often sufficient to procure the victim's death. The chiefs were, for this reason, always careful to have everything con nected with them that was no longer of use burned or buried, so that the wizards might not get hold of it. So the natives, measuring others by their own standards, believed that Captain Brown was doomed for having killed, though accidentally, the captain of the Lady Washington. Soon after, moreover, CIVIL WAR IN OAHU 237 they showed themselves willing to act as midwife for the labouring fates, though for the present they contented themselves with robbing the grave of the unfortunate sailor for the sake of getting the wind ing sheet. The Lady Washington, after the tragic death of her captain, sailed for China, but Brown and Gordon remained in port on the most friendly terms with the chiefs whom they had assisted to victory. For his services in the battle of Kalauao Kalani kapule gave Captain Brown four hundred hogs, and the sailors were kept busy on shore butchering and salting them. It may have been reluctance to see all these stores become the white man's property, or it may have been, as suggested above, a simple desire to connive with Fate, which prompted the Hawaiians to the treacherous deed which followed. It was on January 1, 1795, that Captain Brown sent his mate Lamport, with four men, ashore to the Kaihikapu salt-pond to procure more salt to complete the pickling of the pork, when suddenly, without warning, Kamohomoho boarded the ships with an armed force, killed both the captains, and made the rest of the crews prisoners. Those on shore, being unarmed and few in number, were totally powerless to prevent the outrage and were easily overpowered. When Lamport and his party returned from the salt-ponds, they were surprised to find the ships in the hands of the chiefs, but could make no resistance. They were beaten and treated with great cruelty, but, since the value of white men as a marketable commodity was rising in the islands, their liv-es were spared. Kalanikapule was overjoyed to see so many guns 238 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC and so much munition of war in his hands, and, his ambition vaulting to the zenith, he perceived him self already the conqueror of Kamehameha and the master of all the archipelago. He resolved at once to sail with his newly stolen fleet to Hawaii and sweep his rival from the seas. But he was reckoning without his host, having altogether too low an opinion, not only of his great Hawaiian antagonist, but also of the craft and re source of his white captives. It must be acknowl edged, too, that he was a little intoxicated by his sudden and not altogether creditable success. However, on January 11th, the king had all the arms and stores of every kind brought on board and, embarking some of the chiefs, he had the vessels anchored off Waikiki. Kamohomoho, who was not only older but wiser, strongly advised his nephew to put the foreigners in the canoes, and have natives only on board the ships, but Kalanikapule was not oversure of his own men's ability to handle the ships and decided that he would produce a much finer effect upon Kamehameha if he appeared with a whole ship's crew of foreigners to oppose the much vaunted prowess of Davis and Young. So, reserving the ships manned by the white sailors for himself and his train, and with the sol diers following in the fleet of canoes, Kalanikapule set sail for his career of conquest. Alas, as may have been anticipated, he did not get far. At midnight a signal was given and the white men rose up in a body, made a desperate attack on the royal retinue, cleared the decks, and succeeded in confining the king, the queen, and a few at tendants in the cabin. CIVIL WAR IN OAHU 239 Then' they set sail and stood for the south, after a while putting the king and queen and one at tendant into a canoe which was being towed astern, and sending them ignominiously ashore. Then they went on their way to Hawaii, where they received provisions, landed the three remain ing prisoners, and informed Kamehameha of their adventures. They also gave up to the favourite of fortune the stores which Kalanikapule had collected for use against Hawaii, and so proceeded on their journey to China. Thus, not only did Kalanikapule's vaulting ambi tion o'erleap itself, but all he had schemed and plotted to obtain fell into the very lap of his enemy. Kamehameha had fought hard to earn the smiles of Fortune, but now his wooing time seemed almost over, and the bashful maid seemed ready to sur render herself without a struggle to his arms. He began at length to believe that the time was ripe to storm the last outworks which kept him back from the proud position of Overlord of the Ha waiian Archipelago. XXVI THE LAST STRUGGLE IN OAHU "It is held That valour is the chief est virtue, and Most dignifies the haver: if it be, The man I speak of cannot in the world Be singly counterpoised." EVERYTHING now conspired to show that the critical moment was come for Kame hameha to throw his forces against his last rival, Kalanikapule. Accordingly, all over Hawaii the messengers flew, summoning the chiefs to muster their fighting men and canoes of war. The levy was the largest that had ever been made. No feudatory chief was ex cused, and when the muster was complete the great est and best equipped army that had ever heard the strident blast of the Kiha-pu stood ready to follow Kamehameha to victory. It is difficult to estimate accurately the number of warriors engaged in this enterprise, but it was certainly over sixteen thou sand, and these the pick of all Hawaii. Sixteen foreigners held commissions under the king, and of these, John Young, Isaac Davis, and Peter Ander son had charge of the cannon. It was in February, 1795, that the Great Armada sailed, under the most favourable auspices. Its 240 THE LAST STRUGGLE IN OAHU 241 first destination was Maui, where a landing was effected at Lahaina, and the town completely des troyed. The canoes, we are told, lay all along the beach from Launuipoko to Mala, a motley fleet. Some were made from a single tree hollowed out, with outriggers added; some were large vessels from fifty to a hundred feet long, made of planks sewn together, partly decked over, and with a raised platform in the middle for persons of rank. The sails were made of mats, triangular in shape and broad at the top. Some of these canoes must have been marvels of size and workmanship. The great war canoe of Peleioholani, king of Oahu, who died in 1770, held over a hundred and twenty men, be sides large quantities of provisions and stores. One portion of a double canoe used to lie on the beach in the south of Hawaii which measured a hundred and eight feet long. Its mate had perished but, when perfect, the vessel must have been of enor mous size. So we may imagine that Kamehameha made with his fleet no inconsiderable show on the coast of Maui. No battle took place, for the victory of the Iao Valley in the last campaign had not been for gotten, and Kalanikapule's brother, Koalaukane, who Avas in command, fled at once to Oahu to join the main army. In order to destroy any possible chance of insurrection springing up behind him, Kamehameha laid the whole west side of Maui waste. Then, the army once more embarking, the great array of boats moved on to Molokai, where a land ing was made at Kaunakakai, and the beach was covered, as at Lahaina, for a distance of four miles. 242 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC It was here that Kamehameha had had his inter view with the dying Kalola, at which he obtained charge of the princess Keopuolani. Now he was within measurable distance of fulfilling the vision he had that day had before his eyes. But there was one little rift within the lute which was prophesying such sweet and melodious success. There had never been any great cordiality between Kaiana and the great Kona chiefs, and of late Kamehameha's opinion of Kaiana was taking form as suspicion and distrust. And not without reason, for Kaiana, vain of his foreign experience, and puffed up with the notice of the white men, and with the scarce-concealed favour of the queen Kaahumanu, felt himself slighted by not being more freely admitted to Kamehameha's councils. A great council of the leading chiefs was held at Kaunakakai, and Kaiana was not invited. This was enough to kindle into flame the jealousy which had gradually been growing hotter and hotter. He had had no chance in Hawaii of fomenting re bellion, for the loyalty of the Kona chiefs was be yond corruption. Drawn by the magnetism of a will stronger than his own, he had come upon the expedition, contributing his quota of men, canoes and material. But now, under the smart of this last slight, he began to revolve in his mind the chance of finding himself better appreciated in the camp and council of Kalanikapule. By holding the balance in the campaign about to commence he might surely attain that consideration for himself which Kamehameha had enviously denied him. So there was treason in the camp. The same night that the council was being held at THE LAST STRUGGLE IN OAHU 243 Katmakakai, Kaiana was on his way to pay a visit to Namahana, the wife of Keeaumoku, and mother of Kaahumanu. The following dialogue ensued : — " I have called," said Kaiana, " out of affection for you all, to see how you are. I thought after the sea-voyage that some of you might be unwell ; and, as I was coming along, what do I find? The chiefs are holding a council. I was exceedingly aston ished that they should do so and not have the grace to send me word." " Oh," replied Namahana, " they are doubtless discussing secret matters." " Perhaps," said the indignant chief, suggestively, for he thought that possibly these " secret matters " included some plot against himself. So he returned to the camp, but on the way paid another visit, this time to Kalaimoku, a high chief related to Kalola and to King Kiwalao. He had been taken prisoner after the battle of Mokuohai, and had since remained the firm friend of his captor, Kamehameha. Kaiana possibly relied upon this common descendant of KeaAve to give him some encouragement to revolt against the upstart younger branch of the royal house, but Kalaimoku was dis creet and, not only refused to accept Kaiana's hints, but also went and informed Kamehameha of the disloyalty which was hatching. Kamehameha had fought too many lions to be afraid of one vain and treacherous fox, so he magnanimously took no notice of the matter and allowed Kaiana to commit himself still more deeply to his new and suicidal course. The king knew, moreover, the very slight encouragement Kaiana would meet with, even from his closest associates 244 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC and friends. This was exemplified when Kaiana went to bid farewell to his own wife Kekupuohi, and to tell her of his intention to desert the cause of Kamehameha for that of Kalanikapule. She ex claimed with astonishment at his treason that he might do as he liked, but that for her part she would follow " her chief," Kamehameha. Rumour has it that, if Kaiana had succeeded in beguiling the fancy of Kaahumanu, Kamehameha had been no less suc cessful with Kekupuohi. Others are of opinion that husband and wife had decided to remain on opposite sides so that defeat of the one side or the other \vould not entirely obliterate the hope of mercy. With no further development of Kaiana's treach ery and with no sign that it had been discovered, the fleet started once again. But, in the night, when the voyage to Oahu was more than half com pleted, Kaiana separated his canoes and followers from the main body of the expedition and landed at Koolau. Whether many followed him in his de fection is uncertain, but his brother, Nahiolea, with his immediate friends and retainers, undoubtedly formed part of the deserting force, news welcome enough to Kalanikapule and not unwelcome even to Kamehameha, since, assured of treason, it was well to know its full extent. These unexpected reinforcements for Kalani kapule crossed to Nuuanu and joined the Oahu army at the same time that Kamehameha was land ing his forces at Waialae Bay, the canoes stretch ing from thence to Waikiki. The Hawaiian king, however, was in no hurry to attack Kalanikapule, employing a few days ar ranging and preparing his men for what he meant THE LAST STRUGGLE IN OAHU 245 to be, as it actually turned out, the most decisive contest in his whole career. Then he marched up the Nuuanu Valley to meet the forces of Oahu. There is no spot in the Ha waiian Islands so familiar to the outside world, which views the group in the few hours between the arrival and departure of a steamer, than that won derful break in the mountain range known as the Nuuanu Pali. The mountain ridge runs right through the island of Oahu, rising in places to a height of 4,000 feet and presenting knife-like edges to the north. But it is broken up into a series of gorge-like valleys, each of which provides a death trap for an army. Of these valleys the only one affording easy access to the other side of the island is the Nuuanu Valley. Running, as it does, through the heart of the city of Honolulu, skirted by gardens bright with oleander and pomegranate, and fringed with feathery palms, it is one of the pleasantest drives in which a passing visitor may indulge. Further up, beyond the city and the cemetery and the mausoleum of the kings, the valley narrows, and the dark mountains, clad with forests of kou, kukui and koa, with thread-like waterfalls descending hundreds of feet to quench the thirst of the plain below, close in upon the road and seem to stretch out great ropes of scarlet ieie and other creepers towards the traveller. We pass an old palace of Kamehameha, now quite overgrown with luxuriant flowers and foliage, which fondly embrace the crumbling ruin. Then suddenly comes a coup d'oeil such as few lands afford. On either side, be fore and behind, roll the great Pacific waves to wards the white line of the coral reef, and the 246 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC smooth, sandy beach. On one side rises the dull, dead crater of Leahi, or Diamond Head, like a lion couchant ; on the other the mountains of Kaala with clouds veiling their distant summits. Below, em bosomed in foliage, is a city of many thousands of people, and behind is the plain of Kaneohe, the semi circular amphitheatre of some half-submerged vol cano, now green with fields of sugar almost to the ocean brink. Close on either side, rise the twin giant peaks of Konahoanui and Waiolani, the por tals of the central highlands, through which, sway ing the trailing masses of flowering vines, rush the trade winds with terrific force. And, right below, almost a sheer descent, a precipice which is enough to make the brain reel and the eyes swim. This is the Nuuanu Pali. Now there is a path by which a descent may be made with ease ; but a century ago it was no place for warriors fleeing before the onset of an infuriated foe. On the day that Kamehameha marched his forces up the famous valley the scene was much as has been described, except that there was no well-made road and no city nestling at the base of the moun tain range. There were also then to be seen a few yards from the summit of the pass, under the shade of surrounding trees, two rude and shapeless idols, one on either side of the path. These were "Akua no ka Pali," " The gods of the precipice." It was customary for every man who passed these images, descending the Pali, to propitiate the divinities by an offering of kapa or flowers and to render like grateful acknowledgment on his return. All else presented much the same aspect that it does to-day. But what a change the rush of that THE LAST STRUGGLE IN OAHU 247 fierce torrent of men must have made ! Borne on the wind comes the chant of the kahunas, reciting the deeds of the chiefs and urging the men to vic tory. Then come the shouts of defiant warriors, drowning the songs of the priests. Higher and higher rose the tumult till, like the clash of thunder clouds in the Black Gorge of Iao, the two forces met, somewhere between Laimi and Puiwa. Whizz through the air went the blood-drinking spears; crash went the mallets and battle-axes ; more awful still rattled the muskets and thundered the cannon of the foreigners; shrill came the cries of the wounded and the dying, till the two armies were one struggling mass. The Oahu army made a brave resistance. At the beginning of the battle it had occupied a strong position behind a stone wall about three miles from Honolulu. Here they held their own obstinately, and here Kaiana, the traitor, stood grimly, reserv ing his fire, waiting desperately for the only victim he deemed worthy of his bullet. Kamehameha cer tainly did not avoid him. With the war-god, Kaili, before him, the " lonely one " seemed to tower above every combatant on this awful field, conspicuous everywhere by the insignia of his royal rank, and adding fresh impetus to the attack wherever he ap peared among his enthusiastic soldiery. Yet Kaiana waited, watching for his chance. But he waited too long. John Young brought his artillery to bear upon the Avail which protected Kaiana and his men, and at the first discharge the deserter fell, mortally wounded. Then, with a roar like that of the breakers upon the coral reef, the Hawaiians charged up the valley. Kaiana still 248 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC lived, hatred keeping back his soul from the world of shades. With heart almost laid bare by his wound, and eyes fast glazing in death, he raised himself against the wall and fired towards the ad vancing host. But no favouring deity guided the bullet, as he had fondly hoped, to the heart of Kamehameha. It fell dead without its billet and, as though the ineffectual shot had been an emblem of Kaiana's life, he too fell back to the earth and died. Kaiana had the ability to have made a better use of life, but his vanity and ambition stamped all his talents with the curse of futility. Then came the most awful moment of the battle. Were all the akua of Hawaii fighting for Kame hameha? Were the gods angry Avith Oahu, turn ing back the trade-winds so that the wet mountain mist filled the pass and hid the precipice from the eyes of the fighters? Kalanikapule and his men were being steadily driven back, then more quickly, then so quickly that the retreat became a rout, a mad, wild, pilipili rout, in which the one struggle was to escape the lightning-like spears of Kame hameha and his alii. Where they were they knew not, nor knew they that Konahoanui and Waiolani were towering close beside them, till with the shriek of a multitude, there was hurled a sudden ava lanche of living men into the whirling caldron of mist, — a cataract of men poured bodily into the night of death a thousand feet below. Some few escaped by climbing the sides of the adjacent mountains. Kalanikapule found refuge for a time in the secret caves of the highlands, but his army was no more, and most of the highest chiefs of Oahu had perished in the fight. THE LAST STRUGGLE IN OAHU 249 It was a day of great mourning in Oahu. In every house there was wailing and tearing of hair for the warriors transfixed by the sharp spears or battered to death on the rocks of the Nuuanu Pali. Never had such an array of heroes gone down to the abode of "the great woman of the night." But they had fought well, they were gone to Paliuli, the Blue Mountain, the land of the divine waters of Kane, and as the sun set, men saw the great pro cession of the dead in the western sky leaving the earth forever by the road of the gods. Kamehameha recalled with difficulty his vic torious troops and now knew that there was, for the first time in Hawaiian history, one king in all the group, and that monarch was himself. Kauai, it is true, still remained unconquered, but the re sistance there would amount to little and would speedily die away. So we may mark this April day of 1795 as a red- letter day in the story of Hawaii; — the day when all opposition to the dream of Kamehameha was broken down, and the Hawaiian chief commenced a reign no less remarkable than the struggle which had prepared the way. The enthusiasm of the veterans of Hawaii, and specially of the Kona chiefs who had been the pillars of Kamehameha's house of fortune, might well be sufficient to drown even the auwe of the men of Oahu, and make them forget the dead for the living, the past defeat for the promise of future peace.1 1 Mr. Ellis seems under the impression that Kalanikapule died in the fight. He says: "The natives still point out the spot where the king of the island stood, when he hurled his 250 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC last spear at the advancing foe, and received the fatal wound; and many, as they pass by, turn aside from the path, place their feet on the identical spot where he is said to have stood, assume the attitude in which he is supposed to have received his mortal wound, and poising their staff or their spear, tell their children or companions that there the last king of Oahu died defending his country from its invad ing enemies." More authentic accounts say that after hiding for a time in the mountains of Koolau, Kalanikapule was captured in a cave just above Waipio. Like Saul, king of Israel, he could not live after he was fallen and his life was regarded, even by himself, as forfeited to the war-god. The ghastly sacrificial rite was carried out at Moanalua, and there Ku-kaili-moku received his prey. xxvn KAMEHAMEHA ESTABLISHES HIS RULE "Enrich the time to come with smooth-fac'd peace, With smiling plenty and fair prosperous days. Let them not live to taste this land's increase, That would with treason wound this fair land's peace! Now civil wounds are stopp'd, peace lives again: That she may long live here, God say Amen!" WHEN the conqueror had completed the division of the lands of Oahu and had to some extent succeeded in appeasing the greed and ambition of his followers, his first im pulse was to sail on to Kauai and make thoroughly good his claim to be considered king of all Hawaii. In order the better to carry his increasing store of artillery, he set his foreign carpenters to work to build for him a vessel of forty tons' burden. This ship-building was going on in February, 1796, when an English captain, not unlike Vancouver in spirit, — Captain Broughton, — came in the Provi dence and anchored off Waikiki. Kamehameha, as usual, visited the ship in state, but signalized his new advance towards civilization by wearing, be neath his feather cloak, an entire European suit of clothes, which added materially, if not to his com fort, to his dignity, at all events in his own estima tion. He made very handsome presents to Captain Broughton, but was persistent in his request for 251 252 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC arms and ammunition. The captain, who had seen sufficiently the sad results of civil war in the islands, firmly refused to gratify this sinister appetite, thus following the good example of Vancouver. In other ways he was ready enough to be of service to his native hosts. One good work accomplished during this visit was the complete survey of the harbour of Hono lulu, now made for the first time. But it was long before Kamehameha's hostile de signs against Kauai became manifest to the Eng lishman, and Broughton, who was profoundly im pressed by the awful waste of life which had taken place since he first visited the islands, and by the miserable condition of the people, set himself reso lutely to dissuade Kamehameha from his ambitious design. The Hawaiian king, however, as we have already had occasion to note, was not easily diverted from a purpose which he had once deliberately en tertained, even by foreigners whom he had learned to trust. So Broughton laboured in vain. He tells us that the conquerors seemed " intent upon noth ing but seizing everything that they could grasp." With this sad conviction, he gave over what ap peared to be a futile task and sailed for the north west. April, 1796, arrived, and Kamehameha's schooner was still unfinished ; so the expedition was launched without it. A heiau was dedicated with human sacrifices in order to propitiate the divinities and insure success ; then the army and the canoes were moved to Waianae. It was from this place they started for their destination, distant only a few hours' journey. KAMEHAMEHA ESTABLISHES HIS RULE 253 But this few hours' journey he was not destined to accomplish. Before his fleet was more than half way across, it encountered an enemy against whom four-pounders were of no avail. A heavy storm swooped down upon them in mid-channel ; many of the canoes were capsized and their crews given to the sharks; and the rest were glad enough to find once more the friendly shores of Waianae. The suffering consequent upon the campaigns of the last two or three years was very evident in Oahu, but Kamehameha was not as yet moved to ameliorate it. He had many characteristics in common with William the Conqueror. One of these was that when he had subdued a district and was about to leave it for fresh fields, he would cause the whole stock of provisions in possession of the con queror to be destroyed, so that the very pressure of famine might make insurrection impossible. So, prior to starting for Kauai, he destroyed the whole stock of hogs in Oahu. The consequences may be imagined. A famine ensued, aggravated by the fact that since the beginning of the war the lands had completely fallen out of cultivation. Nor was famine the only evil. William the Norman by cruel ravages first forced the people to theft and then punished them with barbarous forest laws. In the same way, Kamehameha first provoked the Oahu people to steal from the chiefs and relieve hunger by the breaking of kapus, and then punished them for their crime by measures of the most terrible severity, even proceeding to bury some of the of fenders alive. But just at this time an event occurred which confirmed to the mind of Kamehameha his belief 254 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC that, if he was to rule by force at all, no half meas ures were likely to be successful. This was an alarming insurrection in Hawaii, where one would have thought that all opposition had long since died away. The brood of treason, however, is pro lific, and hard to scotch. Namakeha, the brother of Kaiana, had been at work ever since his brother's death and, by enlisting in his cause the former partisans of Keoua, had succeeded in raising a very formidable rebellion. At the outset he seemed to carry everything before him. Kau, Puna and Hilo were overrun, and considerable damage was done before the startling news reached the king in Oahu. Surely this, if anything could be, was a test of Kamehameha's mettle. Could there be anything better calculated to discourage than to labour hard at a building all one's life, and then, just as the top- stone, which will make the edifice an eternal monu ment of glory, is about to be placed with shouts of victory to feel the foundations crumbling? But Kamehameha knew that he had laid his foundations too securely for them to be disturbed by such as Namakeha. It was but a stone loose, and with characteristic stolidity and faith he faced the task before him. It was July, 1796, and Captain Broughton had just returned from Nootka Sound, having touched at Kealakekua Bay, where he was pleased to find that the cattle left by Vancouver had rapidly increased. So Kamehameha threw himself on Broughton's kindness and entreated him to give him a passage to Hawaii to put down the revolt. The captain, in obedience to the rules of the service, was obliged to decline. Here was another obstacle, but Kamehameha was KAMEHAMEBA7ESTABLISHES HIS RULE 255 not to be put down by the temporary frowning of fortune. His own shattered fleet was rapidly put in good condition and, in August, 1796, a large army embarked. They landed in the district of Hilo and soon came up with the rebels at a place called Kaipalaoa. It is almost needless to say that the raAV recruits of Namakeha could make no effective stand against Kamehameha's veterans, and a complete victory was gained Avhich had the happy result of bringing to an end all opposition to the king's supremacy. We have come, and (as it may safely be assumed ) to the reader's great relief, to the last of Kame hameha's wars. Namakeha Avas hunted down and offered in sacrifice at the heiau of Puuhonua, in Hilo, and with this sacrifice Kaili had to be con tent for many a long year. No more was Kamehameha called upon to launch a spear in battle, or summon with the blast of the Kiha-pu his warriors around him. Henceforth we see the king not on the battle-field but in the council chamber, and he who has shown himself in war brave as Ajax will now make his appearance a statesman wise as Ulysses. No man ever assumed a new r61e with greater ease or greater success. What the " Iron Duke " did for England when, after having fought at Waterloo and secured peace with honour for his country, he found a second life of service as Prime Minister; what Grant did for America as the leader of her armies and as the President of the Republic, that Kamehameha did for the land in which his lot had been cast. But, before we come to the history of Kame- 256 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC hameha's statesmanship, there is another "last thing " which in a way is as significant as the cessa tion of the battles. This was a murderous attack on some of Broughton's men at Niihau. The Provi dence had been visited many times by Kamehameha, and the queen Kaahumanu even presented Brough ton with a canoe in which she had lately attempted elopement. She had nearly succeeded in reaching Kauai when overtaken. The fickle dame perhaps thought that unless she gave away the canoe she might be tempted a second time, or possibly that she might be luckier with another boat. Broughton then went north and arrived at Niihau. The natives appeared friendly and he had no hesitation in sending the cutter, with only two armed mariners, for yams. But, oh, accursed lust of iron! The natives, perceiving the smallness of the party, immediately attacked and killed both the men. An armed party was sent to the assistance of the other men in the boat and, by way of punish ment, the village was burned and sixteen canoes destroyed. Four natives were killed in the affray. This, as we have said, is the last affair of the kind which we meet with in the history of Hawaii and so becomes another mark of the transition through which the country was passing on its way from feudal anarchy to constitutional government. Kamehameha had become king and king he in tended to be, not only in name but in fact. How he ruled and what he achieved it will now be our task to describe. xxvm SOCIAL ORGANIZATION UNDER THE MONARCHY "Find in any country the Ablest Man that exists there; raise him to the supreme place, and loyally reverence him: you have a perfect government for that country; no ballot-box, parliamentary eloquence, voting, constitution building, or other machinery whatsoever can improve it a whit." THE transition from the heroic to the con stitutional period of Hawaiian history is well marked, and perhaps the most re markable feature of Kamehameha's career is the facility with which he threw aside the spear of the warrior to assume the sceptre of the administrator. Great changes had necessarily to be made and in order that we may understand them it is necessary to have some idea of the social condition of the country at and up to this time. The people as a whole were divided into four castes or classes : the chiefs, the priests, the citizens and the serfs. The head of the body social consisted of the alii, or chiefs. These possessed a sacred character as the descendants of the gods, and, by a process of natural selection, had become physically almost a separate race. It is easy, even to-day, when the 257 258 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC old social distinctions have been obliterated, to tell the descendant of a chief from one of the common people. No one could rise to the rank of a chief and none could lose his rank by any process of degrada tion. Once a chief, always a chief, was the rule, and the most ignominious defeat could not deprive a man of his hereditary distinction. So it hap pened that when a chief was captured in battle he was as a rule slain or sacrificed to the gods. To spare him would but add to his humiliation. Among the people the chiefs were treated with all the reverence deemed due to those who were re ported to be the progeny of the gods, and in league with spiritual powers. Their birth was announced by supernatural signs, such as thunder, lightning, rainbows, and meteors, and to the hour of their death they were marked off from the populace by an intricate system of compulsory etiquette. They had the right to wear the ivory clasp called the palaoa, the sacred feather wreath, and the red feather cloak and helmet, while their canoes were specially marked out by being painted red, with sails of red and a red pennon. Wherever a high chief went he was attended by all sorts of func tionaries, and bore about with him his hokeo, a cala bash trunk containing his baggage. In most cases this included the bones of the famous warriors slain by him in battle. These grim relics were often made the means of identifying a chief who landed upon a strange shore without other credentials. It is even said that the alii had a special language of their own, the words of which were changed from time to time as they became known to the common people. SOCIAL ORGANIZATION 259 Next in order came the kahunas, or priests, who were of several orders which were preserved from generation to generation by hereditary succession. The highest order was that whose descent was traced from Paao, the priest who, in an early period of Hawaiian history, came from Upolo in Samoa and introduced the puloulou, or kapu-stick, still represented upon the Hawaiian coins. The last official representative of this line was Hewahewa, the high priest at the close of Kamehameha's reign. It was this man who played the part of Coifi, in early Saxon history, by assisting the king, Kame hameha II, in the destruction of the idols. The priesthood had great power over the people, as was natural from the fact that they were be lieved to be in constant communication with the unseen powers. There was a very practical reason, too, in the fact that they had the selecting of the sacrifices to the gods. It was well to keep on good terms with such folk as these. Even the kings who ventured to quarrel with the priests generally came off second best in the end, and one of the most im pressive of the island legends tells of the chief Hua Avho defied the priesthood and went mad. The ter rible result of his sacrilegious opposition was summed up in the popular proverb : " Rattling are the bones of Hua in the sun." The duties of the priests varied according to the particular order to which they belonged. Some formed the colleges of learning and kept up the sciences and arts, such as astronomy, astrology, architecture and medicine. Some were depositories of the genealogies and traditions of the land, and were entrusted with the duty of preserving and 260 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC teaching to the children the temple prayers, hymns, and ritual. Below these were orders employed in magic, such as the kilokilo, or diviners, the kahu- naanaana, or sorcerers, and the kahunalapaau, or wizard doctors. The priest with his hair hanging to his knees, his face wrinkled with age, and his deep-set eyes, was a very important member of society. The third class consisted of the large mass of free citizens who held land in feudal tenure from the chiefs under whom they fought in battle. Lastly, at the bottom of the social ladder, were the serfs, who had no rights and were simply human chattels, hewers of wood and drawers of water for all and each of the classes above them. Matters arising out of disputes between class and class, or between individual chiefs, were settled by a College of Heraldry whose Avork was of an inter esting, complicated and delicate nature. All land was taxed to contribute to the support of the king and his court. The smallest division of land capable of being taxed was called an Hi; next came the ahapuaa, which had to contribute one hog monthly to the king ; then came the okana, a piece of land comprising several estates or villages ; and lastly, the moku, which consisted of a whole island or district. The feudal system governed all relations between the various classes. Each class contributed its tax to the class immediately above it, and thence tribute was paid in bulk to the king. The material of taxation consisted of articles of food, such as hogs, fish, bananas, and sweet potatoes, kukui nuts with which to make torches, feathers with Avhich to make SOCIAL ORGANIZATION 261 cloaks and helmets, and calabashes in which to de posit the food and treasures of the chiefs. Later on it included vast quantities of sandal-wood, which was so squandered in the trade with foreign nations that the tree, for purposes of trade, has by now become practically extinct. Besides this, there was a labour tax, by virtue of which certain days in every moon had to be em ployed by the people hi cultivating the taro patches of the chiefs. In addition to this, all public works demanded the free and unrewarded labour of the people, without distinction of class. Fish-ponds and heiaus absorbed an enormous amount of labour, OAving to the difficulty of excaArating and transport ing the stone. Lastly, every district was subject to irregular de mands such as were occasioned by the visit of a chief with relatives and retainers. When it is re membered what a large retinue a prominent chief might bring with him, and the comprehensiveness of their needs, it may readily be understood that these irregular taxes were by no means the least irksome. It is no wonder that sometimes the in habitants of a district became almost as restive un der the inconveniently protracted attentions of oue of their chiefs as the Kona people in general be came during the sojourn of Captain Cook. The most radical changes made by Kamehameha in the government of the islands were in the direc tion of centralizing all power in his own person. All the lands of the kingdom, he proclaimed, were his absolutely, by right of conquest. Everything the people possessed, their time, their labour, even their families, were his, and Avhile the persons of 262 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC his subjects were always at his disposal for military service, their property was his to be apportioned, as he chose, among his followers. The old system of district chiefs was regarded as dangerous, inasmuch as it left the chief the undis puted monarch of a whole district, and afforded temptation and opportunity for rebellion. Kame hameha had experienced the inconvenience of this method of distribution in the case of Keoua and Keawemauhili. So he minimized the chances of sedition by giving the chiefs land in detached por tions, far apart, so that nowhere would one chief be strong enough to risk a show of disloyalty. For the same reason, he thought it good that the more ambitious and restless chiefs should have plenty to.do around him, instead of being allowed to stay at home and meditate revolt. This was a piece of policy he may have learned of Alapainui, who was king in Hawaii when Kamehameha was a boy. At any rate, wherever the king went, the court was swelled by the attendance of the boldest warriors and highest alii in the land, among whom the king lavished his favours and commands. The court of Kamehameha was formidable alike in numbers and on account of the etiquette re quired. Attendants of all kinds performed all sorts of duties. Kahili bearers gracefully waved their feather standards above the royal head; spit toon bearers were busy in their humbler way ; sleep watchers stood prepared to attend his majesty should he feel disposed to doze ; stewards kept cala bashes full of provender at hand to tempt and ap pease the royal appetite; massageurs were by his side to offer the grateful solace of lomilomi, should SOCIAL ORGANIZATION 263 he feel fatigue. Or if the king were on business bent, here were the messengers ready to run leagues with his messages; here were the spies ready to ferret out the secrets of his enemies; here the prophets and astrologers ready to counsel him as to the decrees of fate ; and here were those very prac tical servants, the executioners, ready to shed, blood for their master's security or pleasure. Or again, should the king be disposed to relaxation, there in a moment were the musicians beating their drums or twanging their strings ; there were the hula dancers gliding forth with graceful but licentious move ment ; there the buffoons to make his majesty merry ; there poets and historians to delight and instruct at once with the name-songs of olden heroes and the battle-lyrics of bygone days. Kamehameha's reign became famous for the at tention deA'oted to the meles, or historical chants, and many a one which is still preserved we owe to the days of peace when the court of the king occu pied itself with hearing and committing to memory the deeds of Kualii and the demi-gods of the pre historic times. Altogether the etiquette of Kamehameha's court might not have proved uncongenial to the Grand Monarque. For every transgression there was one uniform penalty, — death. It was death to remain standing if the king's name were mentioned in a mele, so an audience must needs have been exceed ingly attentive to the poets who sang their songs ; death, again, if you remained standing whilst the king's food or water or clothing was being carried by; death, once more, to wear any of the king's clothing. 264 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC But why prolong the list of offenses? It is cer tain that in these times the chance of living to a green old age was not brilliant, and the man who never crossed the king's shadow, or stood at an elevation above the king, or did this or that, or omitted to do this or that, certainly deserved never tp die at all. Kamehameha kept up the court etiquette rigidly, believing that any relaxation of discipline would impair his influence. He also employed a large staff of informers and spies, preferring for this pur pose the ladies of the court. He believed either that few men were so wise that they could not be re vealed as foolish in the hands of the women, or else that few women were so incompetent as not to be able to twirl around their little finger the most reticent of conspirators. The trustiest men in the whole court were selected as Governors of the several islands, and their proved fidelity had much to do with the estab lishment of the royal power on a solid basis. It is significant of this that when the monarch was shorn of much of his power by the Revolution of 1887, the abolition of the governorships was one of the very first steps taken in framing the new constitution. In the appointment of Governors Kamehameha always had regard to fidelity and capacity rather than to rank. Indeed, he knew that a governor not of high rank would have so much less chance of be coming the king's rival rather than his representa tive. John Young was made Governor of Hawaii and proved a very able administrator, while Keeau moku received the reward of his long and signal services by being created Governor of Maui. SOCIAL ORGANIZATION 265 The minor officials of the kingdom, such as tax- gatherers, heads of districts, district magistrates, and the like, were appointed by the Governors. At the court Kamehameha took no step without con sulting the four great Kona chiefs, who had raised him from obscurity to supreme power. To these was now added Kalanimoku, "the iron cable of Hawaii," who acted as Treasurer and Prime Min ister, and, in allusion to his distinguished services, received from the English sailors the alias of " William Pitt." Kamehameha preserved in his policy a judicious mean between the old traditional methods of gov ernment and those such as western civilization was in due time to bring into force. With regard to the kapus, the king remained as strict as ever. He saw a most powerful engine of state in the respect paid by the people to traditional customs, and maintained the whole code, especially that part which hedged about the king's divinity, with the utmost severity. Barbarous as Avas the system, Kamehameha, from his own point of view, was undoubtedly right, and, until the Hawaiian had been enlightened by the introduction of the new law of the Gospel, it was certainly preferable for them to follow a harsh and capricious law rather than be given over altogether to moral anarchy. Kamehameha II probably did more harm than good by abolishing the kapus before the people had any thing to put in their place. Negative and destructive work alone can never advance the morality of a nation, but may only expose it to those seven-fold worse evils which are always awaiting the per mission to enter. 266 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC With regard to agriculture, Kamehameha showed himself thoroughly in earnest in promoting the true welfare of his subjects. Agriculture, it is true, was in a very primitive state. The earth brought forth so spontaneously and abundantly that very little labour was necessary to procure a crop of taro, yams, sugar-cane, bananas, gourds for calabashes, wauke for kapa cloth, awa for strong liquors, and the implements used did not go beyond the oo stick of hard wood, sharpened at one end and flattened like a spade at the other, with which to break up the harder clods. Yet, on occasion, very extensive works were car ried on. Terraces were built on the slopes of the mountains, the taro-patches were banked round to retain the water, and ditches for irrigation were constructed which were miles in length. All these works Kamehameha encouraged by every means in his power, in order that the ravages of war might be as speedily as possible repaired. To the same end he adopted strong measures for the extermination of the bands of brigands, thieves and murderers, who had taken advantage of the disturbed condition of the country to establish their dens in various localities. By and by it could be said, as it was said of Saxon England at the close of Alfred's reign, that " the old men and the chil dren could sleep unharmed on the highways." In dealing with foreigners Kamehameha dis played uniformly the most remarkable shrewdness, intelligence and tact. Mr. Ellis relates that the king on many occasions prevented the murderous intents of certain chiefs from being carried into effect against the sailors, and it Avas his constant SOCIAL ORGANIZATION 267 endeavour to show every mark of friendship to those who visited his dominions, rendering to the captains who touched at his ports the promptest and most acceptable aid. He had learned, while on Hawaii, during the truce with Keoua, to what profit the visits of the foreign ships could be turned, and now that the opportunity was afforded him, he took care to turn his experience to practical ac count. So he protected the white men wherever they chose to stay, showed them abundant hos pitality, set an example of fair dealing, and soon gained such confidence that a considerable and legitimate trade was established between Hawaii and the continents bordering on either side of the Pacific. To this enviable reputation he owed not a little of the peace and prosperity which characterized the remainder of his reign. XXIX SOJOURN IN HAWAII FROM 1796 TO 1802 "No more the thirsty entrance of this soil Shall daub her lips with her own children's blood; No more shall trenching war channel her fields, Nor bruise her flowerets with the armed hoofs Of hostile paces: those opposed eyes, Which, like the meteors of a troubled heaven, All of one nature, of one substance bred, Bid lately meet in the intestine shock And furious close of civil butchery, Shall now, in mutual, well-beseeming ranks, March all one way and be no more oppos'd." THE immediate occasion of Kamehameha's visit to Hawaii was, as we have seen, the suppression of the revolt of Namakeha, but, this accomplished, he stayed on in various parts of the island, principally in Hilo, for the greater part of six years. Hawaii, the island of his birth, was also the home of his affections, as well as the largest and, up to this time, the most important part of his dominions. Thus the king found ample em ployment in making the tour of the districts, en couraging people in the construction of fish-ponds and taro-patches, and in the erection of heiaus for the worship of the gods. But what occupied his energies most of all was the building of a flotilla of ships and canoes in 268 SOJOURN IN HAWAII FROM 1796 TO 1802 269 which he might be able to pay his anticipated visit to Kauai. Nowhere was there in the islands better material for this than in the dense forests behind the village of Hilo, and here, week after week and month after month, the woods echoed with the crash of falling trees, from which might be fash ioned the peleleu, or war canoes, such as the king desired. But Kamehameha was no longer satisfied with the open canoes which had contented his fore fathers and, under the direction of a white carpen ter, James Boyd, the natives succeeded in building several small decked vessels such as were more in accord with the ambitious views of the monarch. The ships were equipped with all sorts of stores obtained by all sorts of devices and at all sorts of times. For instance, the wreck of Captain Barber's ship, Arthur, on what has since been known as Bar ber's Point, proved quite a godsend, inasmuch as it provided one or two more cannon for the royal armament. In such ways as this Kamehameha's fleet grew to a formidable size. It was at this time that the incident occurred which showed that the king, with all his barbarity and revengeful disposition, could yet occasionally exhibit a generous and forgiving spirit. One day there were brought into Kamehameha's presence the fishermen of Puna who in the skirmish of 1783, al ready referred to, had so nearly diverted the stream of history by beating the king about the head with a paddle. In accordance with the barbarous custom of the time, their wives and children were dragged with them to share whatever punishment might be awarded. There was little doubt in the minds of those who stood by that the punishment would be 270 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC death, and the courtiers suggested, perhaps with an eye to their own pleasureable participation in the performance, that the culprits should be stoned. Greatly, however, to their surprise and doubtless to the surprise of the fisherfolk themselves, Kame hameha released the men unharmed, and immedi ately after published a decree known as Mamalahoe, "the decree of the splintered paddle," forbidding, under penalty of death, any of those wanton raids such as that in which he had so nearly come to grief. This was a great victory for the king, since it had been gained over himself. Kings are not always so willing to pass retrospective judgment upon their own escapades. We may be quite sure that if the incident created surprise, the surprise, to the Puna people at least, was a truly pleasant emotion. The most important event in connection with Kamehameha's stay at Hilo was the birth of an heir to the throne. Sons the king had already in plenty, some of them grown up, but all these were out of the question so far as the succession was concerned, be cause of the comparatively low birth of their mothers. Kaahumanu had, we may remember, made a bargain on her marriage that her own chil dren were to be considered heirs to the exclusion of all others, but Providence had not blessed this lady with the issue she desired. However, Keopuolani, the latest wife of Kamehameha, fulfilled in every re spect the requirements of a queen-mother. She had in her veins, as we have seen, the very bluest blood in all the islands, such rank as the king himself was fain to acknowledge on public occasions by ap proaching her upon his knees; she connected him also with the ancient and legitimate royal line ; and SOJOURN IN HAWAII FROM 1796 TO 1802 271 now, to crown all, in the year 1797 she presented him with a son through whom the dynasty might be carried on after his decease. The only circumstance which had anything of the nature of a contretemps Avas that the birth took place at Hilo instead of at Ewa. For as there was a proper place for chiefs to be buried, there was also a place in which it was meet that high chiefs should be born. This was Kukaniloku, an ancient sanctuary built by Nana- inaoa, in the Ewa district of Oahu. Chiefs born here were born to rule, " born in the purple," and were entitled to rank as the very highest kapu chiefs. In the sanctuary of Kukaniloku himg the sacred drum, Hawea, and whenever the sound of this startled the inhabitants of the village, it was known at once that a chief was born destined to play a conspicuous part in the drama of his country's history. It had been Kamehameha's fond design, prescient in this as in other matters, to fulfill every require ment of Hawaiian superstition, and to have his heir born in the auspicious spot. But his intentions were frustrated by the sudden illness of Keopuolani, and the young prince had to be content with Hilo as a birthplace. In this respect he was no worse off than many of his betters, and had he proved as strong and as brave as some of his Hilo-born progenitors, he might still have made a much kinglier figure than he did as the first successor to the illustrious founder of the line. Disappointed as Kamehameha may have been at his son's birthplace being as it was, he was still vastly pleased to have an heir and delayed no longer than the boy's fifth year in proclaiming him heir- apparent, consecrating him to that position in the 272 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC temples by all the sacred rites known to the priest hood. The boy was named Kalaninuiliholiho, " the great blackness of the heavens," but for short he was generally called Liholiho, and afterwards Kame hameha II. It may have been set down by the people to some divine participation in the above-mentioned rites that in the year 1801 a terrible eruption from the crater of Hualalai, in the Kona district, occurred. Perhaps it was the fairy godmother Pele coming to the baptism of Liholiho as heir, or perhaps, foresee ing that the boy was destined to abolish her cult, she was endeavouring to give him some taste of her dis pleasure. Hualalai is a crater upwards of 8,000 feet high in the western part of Hawaii, in North Kona, a district not nearly so actively volcanic as some other parts of the island. So much the greater therefore was the consternation of the people when suddenly the lava streams burst forth from the western slope of the mountain and rolled down in a fiery tide towards the Nawili Point. The fish-pond of Paiea was swalloAved up by the devouring ele ment, villages and cocoanut groves were swept be fore it and, as it rolled on to the sea, it threatened to spread out in a broad sheet of pahoehoe and lick up all the country in its fiery jaws. Sacrifices were made to Pele in vain, holocausts of hogs made no difference to the irate goddess, and but one hope re mained. This was that Kamehameha, the friend of Pele, should come and exert his influence with the 'deity and stop the lava flow. Kamehameha came and, cutting off some of his hair, which was es teemed peculiarly sacred, offered this as a peace- offering to the goddess. Whether this was the love- SOJOURN IN HAWAII FROM 1796 TO 1802 273 lock for which the capricious Pele had been pining or not we cannot tell, but certain it is that, a day or two after, the tide of fire stayed its course and the villagers of North Kona once more breathed a little freely. Never since that day has Hualalai ventured to open its fiery mouth. Shortly after this Kamehameha, fearing perhaps that Pele might be claiming locks of hair in other places besides Hualalai and so leave him bald, left the island of volcanoes for the middle land of Maui. XXX KAMEHAMEHA STAYS AT LAHAINA "The sunrise broken into scarlet shafts Among the palms, and ferns and precipices; The blaze upon the waters to the east; The blase upon the island overhead; The blaze upon the waters to the west; Then the great stars that globed themselves in heaven, The hollower bellowing ocean, and again The scarlet shafts of sunrise." KAMEHAMEHA, in visiting Lahaina, was coming to a town which had been for many generations a royal court. In olden times it was called Lele, and it was here that Kakaalaneo first planted the bread-fruit tree which now flour ishes so well in the locality. In 1793 Vancouver's description of " Raheina," as he calls it, shows that the inter-island wars had seriously impaired its for mer beauty and importance. He says : " The village of Raheina is of some extent to wards the northwest part of the roadstead. It seemed to be pleasantly situated on a space of low or rather gently elevated land in the midst of a grove of bread-fruit, cocoanut and other trees. To the eastward the country seemed nearly barren and un cultivated, and the shores were bounded by a reef on which the surf seemed to break with so much 274 KAMEHAMEHA STAYS AT LAHAINA 275 force as to preclude any landing with our boats. In the village the houses seemed to be numerous and to be well inhabited. A few of the natives visited the ships ; these brought but little with them and most of them were in A'ery small and miserable canoes. These circumstances strongly indicated their pov erty, and proved what had been frequently asserted at Owhyhee that Mowee and its neighbouring islands were reduced to great indigence by the wars in which for many years they had been engaged." The present writer would like to give Lahaina a much better character, though it is no longer so im portant as when it was the headquarters of the North Pacific whale fishery, and though the heat is at times more oppressive than anywhere else in the islands. But no change of fortune can take away the delight of the bathing on that wonderful coral beach, or the glories of the marvellous sunsets, Avith all the sky between Lanai and Molokai glowing with gold and crimson as the purple shadows of the islands deepen into the dark. And then, what un surpassable valleys lie behind the town, valleys which open up a land of delicious coolness, a wilder ness of fruits and flowers, a paradise of ferns, a land of rushing waters. Just out of Lahaina, the scenery is such as is often depicted in views of Palestine. Enormous boulders of stone, perpetually recurring- streamlets or dry torrent beds, low scraggy bushes, clumps of kukui, or candle-nut tree, with silvery foliage, — all makes a picturesque foreground for the magnificent mountains illuminated with all the glory of the Hawaiian sunlight. Well, it was to a spot thus favoured by nature and rich in historic and legendary association that 276 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Kamehameha came in 1802 on a state visit, attended by the host of peleleu which had been constructed during his long sojourn at Hilo. A suitable residence had already been prepared, since, a year or two before, two foreigners had built for the king a two-story brick house, a wonderful edifice in the native eyes. This building, known as the Brick Palace, stood for over seventy years on the site of the present market. It was a well-built structure, forty feet by twenty, divided on each floor into four rooms by well-boarded partitions. In the next reign it was used as a warehouse. So de lighted was Kamehameha with this new abode that he stayed here over a year, making Lahaina the headquarters from whence he collected the trees from the people of Lanai, Maui and the adjacent islands. At Wailuku the taxes were paid on a square rock in the middle of the Iao River by all who crossed the stream. All kinds of goods were re ceived, some paying in kapa, or mats, or baskets, and some in dogs, hogs, fowl or fish. The king also filled up the time by consecrating many heiaus in different parts of the island, using the customary barbarous rites and training his youthful heir to participate in the various func tions of royalty. A favourite Maui idol which gained much attention at the time was Keoloewa, a wooden image clothed in white kapa, with the head and neck formed of wickerwork and covered Avith red feathers to resemble the skin of a bird. On the head was a native helmet, and long tresses of human hair hung down over the shoulders. With the usual large distended mouth, it was not a pleasing deity to view. KAMEHAMEHA STAYS AT LAHAINA 277 It was while at Lahaina, moreover, that Kame hameha became the proud possessor of a new ac complishment, that of riding on horseback. In May, 1803, Captain Cleveland, who was on his way from California to China, landed on the islands and brought Avith him the first specimens of the equine race the natives had ever seen. He landed a mare and foal at Kawaihae, in Hawaii, as a present for John Young, and, two days later, conscious no doubt that it would not do to honour the subordinate without remembering the superior, he sent a horse and mare for the king. The lio, as the animals were called, excited unbounded admiration and in the king's heart a new ambition was conceived. Kame hameha was well advanced in years, but he was not to be conquered, and, however amusing his first at tempts at horsemanship may have been, he suc ceeded ere long in becoming a thoroughly good equestrian. At the present day all Hawaiians are good horse men, riding down some of the most dangerous palis with little or no diminution of speed. Drunken men, with arms and legs moving like the sails of a windmill, will gallop about recklessly, and yet by a miracle never seem to fall off. From childhood the boys and girls take to the wiry little mountain steeds as they take to the sea, and it is a picturesque sight to watch a company of men in scarlet shirts and garlanded straw hats, and women in the long, flowing, yellow pau, riding out on some moonlight excursion. It is interesting, as we watch, to remem ber that in this, as in so many other things, Kame hameha, old as he was, led the way. Yet with all his vigour there were at this time 278 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC several reminders of the lapse of years and of the inevitable passing away of earthly things. First, came the death of his old friend Kameeia moku, at a good old age, at Puuki, in Lahaina. He had been a brave and faithful soldier, counsellor and friend, and left a son equally devoted, the well- known chief Hoapili, who was afterwards entrusted with the disposal of Kamehameha's bones. A still greater loss came in the death of the " Crab of the Evening," the illustrious Keeaumoku, who passed away in 1804. His restless heart had found its ideal at last, the kingmaker had found and acknowledged his king, and now, as Governor of the Windward Islands, he passed peacefully away from the scene of his many vicissitudes, according to the prophecy of Keaulumoku. There was great grief through all the land, and part of the dirge which was sung in his memory has been preserved by Mr. Ellis, as follows : "Alas, alas, dead is my chief, Dead is my lord and my friend; My friend in the season of famine, My friend in the time of drought, My friend in my poverty, My friend in the rain and the wind, My friend in the heat of the sun, My friend in the cold from the mountains, My friend in the storm, in the calm, My friend in the eight seas, Alas, alas, gone is my friend, And no more will return." With singular appropriateness might we place these words into the mouth of Kamehameha, for every expression is literally true. XXXI RETURN TO OAHU "Thus great in glory from the din of war Safe he return' d without one hostile scar." IT may have been the death of his old friend Keeaumoku which caused Kamehameha to de sire a change of scene. At any rate, soon after the sad funeral rites, the king gathered together his fleet and army and sailed once more for Oahu. The fleet was at this time of no mean propor tions. Besides all the canoes which connected with the olden times, there were about twenty small ves sels of from twenty to forty tons burden, some of them copper bottomed. For a schooner and a sum of money he also obtained from a Mr. Shales a brig of 175 tons. This vessel, the Lelia Byrd, had been aground in California and leaked badly, but was eagerly seized by the king as a means of undertak ing, on his own account, a little trade with China. The king's carpenter, George McClay, put in the ship a new keel, and nearly re-planked her, and she afterwards made two or three voyages to China with cargoes of sandalwood. Finally, she sank near Canton and the king's trading venture came to an untimely end. It may be surmised that Kamehameha had not entirely forgotten that Kauai was still nominally independent. Indeed, the anxiety to recruit the fleet 279 280 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC had been in great part due to the desire to take pos session of the " garden of the north." In 1805 the preparations to this end were pushed on most vigor ously and the coveted isle would doubtless have been compelled to yield but for another intervention of the powers unseen through which the expedition was postponed and almost half the army destroyed. This mysterious visitation was the great pesti lence, known as the Mai Okuu, which broke out among the troops and spread with such alarming rapidity that nearly half the army perished. It is impossible to say exactly Avhat the disease was, but it is believed to have been cholera. Kamehameha himself was attacked but recovered, only, howeA7er, to mourn the death of more of his staunch friends and counsellors. Indeed, only Kalanimoku was now left, and the king must have returned to his task saddened by the feeling that his own work was al most over. The death of his great chiefs Avas half his own death : like Arthur in the " Idylls " he might have said : ' ' And they, my knights, who loved me once, the stroke That strikes them dead is as my death to me." Two years later, or less, another misfortune came in the alarming illness of Queen Keopuolani. She was staying at Waikiki when she was attacked and the kahuna who was called in declared that her sick ness was sent by the gods, who had been offended be cause certain men had partaken of the kapu cocoa- nuts. It appears rather hard that the offense should have been Ari sited upon the innocent queen, but it shows how thoroughly every one believed in the RETURN TO OAHU 281 solidarity of the nation and its unity of interest, that no one could sin Avithout the whole body of the peo ple sharing the suffering. But Kamehameha, like Joshua in the case of Achan, was swift to avenge the iniquitous act which had produced such far-reach ing consequences. Ten men were seized as victims, and would undoubtedly have been slain had not the queen recovered almost as suddenly as she had been taken ill. In such case the king was bound to show leniency, so he only executed three out of the ten who had been arrested. Pour encourager les autres, they were sacrificed in the heiau at the foot of Leahi, or Diamond Head. We are able to form some idea of the king's style of living at this time from the description given by Mr. Alexander Campbell, a Scotch sailor who ar rived about 1809 and spent about a year in Oahu. He gives one of the first descriptions of Honolulu that we possess. It was a village, he says, of several hundred huts, well shaded Avith groves of cocoanut trees. Close to the shore was the king's house, surrounded by a strong palisading, and distinguished from the adja cent dwellings by the British colours hoisted from the house, and by a battery of sixteen carriage guns Avhich belonged to the Lelia Byrd. The ship itself, meanwhile, lay unrigged in the harbour. " At a short distance," he adds, "were two large store houses built of stone, which contained the European articles belonging to the king." The royal fleet was hauled up high and dry on Waikiki beach, and sheds were built over them to protect them from the sun and rain. One small sloop was employed as a kind of packet-boat to ply between Oahu and 282 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Hawaii, in order to keep the king in touch with all parts of his dominions. Captain Harbottle, an old resident, we are told, generally acted as pilot. From Campbell we also learn of the singular scene which was witnessed when Kamehameha's fa vourite brother, Keliimaikai, " the good chief," went the way of all flesh in this same year, 1809. A great funeral was always an occasion for un restrained anarchy and license, and though this time the license was more moderate than was the rule in previous reigns, still the conduct of the natives was most frightful and revolting. The knocking out of teeth and the general wailing were but mild manifestations of the universal grief ; there was a general casting off of clothing and all the ordinary restraints of decency were forgotten wan tonly and completely. It might have been expected that Kamehameha would have taken precautions to stop so shocking an exhibition, but when appealed to by the captains of the foreign vessels in port, he replied that such was the law and it was impossible for him to alter it. Probably he was right. It was only by long ex perience of true civilization that the Hawaiians would be able to gain such control over their feel ings as would enable them to mourn like men rather than like distracted children. Even a generation or so ago it was possible to see exhibitions of frenzied grief among the natives which were but a little re moved from the madness of the old heathen days. Kamehameha had had so many griefs of late that he may be excused if he speedily forgot them and turned himself once more to the task of govern ment. RETURN TO OAHU 283 In 1810 the British man-of-war Duke of Portland, under Captain Spence, visited the islands, and Kamehameha bethought himself of all that Great Britain had promised him through Vancouver. No, not of all, for he seems to have overlooked the prom ise of the missionaries, and remembered only the promise as to ships and guns. So he brought on board a magnificent feather cloak to be taken as a present to King George III, and dedicated a letter to the same monarch reminding him pointedly of Vancouver's promise to send him a vessel with brass guns. It is interesting to note this little episode which connects the two kings. Separated as they were by ten thousand miles of sea and land, Kamehameha and George III were almost exactly contempora neous. Yet, what a contrast between "Farmer George " and the " Napoleon of the Pacific " ! Per haps if they could have changed places, a king of England, leading his armies in person, would have tasked the genius and courage of the Corsican and outshone the lustre of the " Iron Duke." XXXII THE CESSION OF KAUAI "The man is noble, and his fame folds in This orb o' the earth." KAUAI, "the garden of Hawaii," had, with its island satellite Niihau, so far remained outside the dominion of Kamehameha. The exception, as we have seen, was due more to the compelling force of storm and pestilence than to the prowess of the Kauai warriors. But Kame hameha was another Bruce in pertinacity and, hav ing marched so far towards his goal, he was not likely to give up at the last lap. So far from this, every period of leisure allowed him by his other duties only intensified his longing to gain posses sion of the garden isle. The ruler of Kauai was at this time the chief Kaumualii, who as a youth had attracted the fa vourable notice of Vancouver. For some time this able chief had been under the tutelage of the wily Inamoo, but he had now taken the reins of govern ment into his own hands and was justifying all the promise of his early years. It was testified of him by Mr. Stewart, a missionary, that " he never knew of a word or action of his that was unbecoming a prince, or even inconsistent with the character of a pious man." Brave in war and the best surf-swim- 284 THE CESSION OF KAUAI 285 mer in the islands, as well as the only Hawaiian of his time able to read and write, he seemed predes tined to success. His success, however, did not lead him into a fool's paradise. He was intelligent enough to per ceive that however well drilled and armed his war riors might be, they were in no respect equal to those of Kamehameha. He was not blind to the ultimate destiny of his island realm, and even seems to have contemplated flight to the American conti nent in the last extremity, for he ordered the me chanics in his employ to build him a ship in which, if need were, he could leave the land of his fathers of which fortune threatened to dispossess him. Meanwhile, however, he contented himself with negotiations and on several occasions sent presents and messages to the conqueror of Oahu. Kame hameha reciprocated in friendly fashion, but al lowed the young chief to see that the surrender of Kauai was necessary before peace could be regarded as secure. At last Kaumualii, feeling the hopelessness of de fending his patrimony by force, sent his cousin Kamahalolani to Oahu charged with the task of ap proaching Kamehameha and laying before him an acknowledgment of feudal dependence. The submission was not quite abject enough for the proud spirit of Kamehameha, and he demanded that the Kauai chief, instead of treating through ambassadors, should come himself and in person make the cession of the islands. On his own part, he assured Kaumualii, there need be no fear as to his safety. For that he would pledge his honour. Unfortunately, the memory of Keoua's end on the 286 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC beach of Hawaii was not yet faded from the minds of men, and Kaumualii may be excused for doubting whether Kamehameha's honour was a sufficient pledge with such a matter at stake. Happily, how ever, another pledge was forthcoming, thanks to Kaumualii's friendly relations with the white men. Among the foreigners then in Kauai was a genial American captain, Jonathan Windship, engaged in the sandalwood traffic. He had been attracted to Kaumualii by his intelligence, as shown by the al ready mentioned fact that he was the only native who could read and write. He was desirous, more over, of terminating the long hostility which, though smothered, still smouldered unintermittingly be tween the chiefs of Hawaii and Kauai, and foresaw, in the union of the islands, security for good govern ment such as was otherwise impossible. So Captain Windship came to Kaumualii and counselled him to sail with him to Honolulu to meet Kamehameha. His presence as passenger on a white man's ship would to a certain extent minimize the risk of treachery and, to show that he considered the risk of the very slightest, he left behind in Kauai his mate as a surety for the life of his charge. With this arrangement Kaumualii was content, and in due course arrived in Honolulu. Here Kame hameha acted in the most generous and honourable manner. He came on board the ship as soon as it reached Oahu, and when Kaumualii had laid the lordship of the island at his feet, bade him rise and remain Governor of Kauai for the rest of his life, on the one condition that he recognized Kamehameha as his feudal lord and Liholiho as his heir and suc cessor. THE CESSION OF KAUAI 287 Kaumualii was then induced to land and was treated with the greatest consideration and hospi tality. But Kamehameha in this negotiation showed himself infinitely superior to the chiefs who sur rounded him. They could not endure the thought of Kaumualii going back on such easy terms. It was to them gall and wormwood that this chief, after so prolonged a resistance, was returning home in peace, and they perhaps saw in his friendliness with the whites a possible menace to the continued prestige of their king. So, going to Kamehameha, they endeavoured by the use of every specious art to obtain permission for the assassination of their guest. To his honour, Kamehameha indignantly re fused and the chiefs retired baffled and confused. But even Kamehameha's refusal was not suffi cient to induce them to forego their murderous de sign, and Kaumualii would doubtless even yet have fallen a victim but for the vigilance of the white chief, Isaac Davis. Hawaiian chiefs knew other ways of dealing out death beside open assassination, and. when Kaumualii was invited to partake of a sumptuous luau, or feast, spread for him on the beach of Waikahulu, it was intended that a poisoned calabash should do the work as easily and effectu ally as the blood-drinking spear. Davis, however, heard of the plot and sent the prince a warning. So it came to pass that the chiefs sat down to their feast, eagerly expecting the guest in whose honour the banquet had been spread. But, lo, in stead of Kaumualii, there came a messenger who reported that Captain Windship had been obliged to sail at short notice, and that the princely visitor had gone back to his home in Kauai. It is needless 288 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC to say that from this moment the feast lost its savour, and the pleasurable anticipation of Kau mualii's sudden illness and mysterious death had to remain unfulfilled. The only unhappy sequel of the incident was the discovery that the good intentions of the chiefs had been betrayed by Isaac Davis. It was no doubt in revenge for this that, shortly after, in April, 1810, this able and humane counsellor himself met the fate from which he had saved the hereditary ruler of Kauai. XXXIII DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE AND ITS EFFECTS "Now I see Peace to corrupt, no less than war to waste." THE last years of Kamehameha's reign were years of great advance in trade with for eign nations. The king, as we have seen previously, had keen commercial instincts and was not slow to perceive the advantages his country might derive from the fostering of foreign trade. Unfortunately, instead of developing the re sources of his country, he, in many instances, ex hausted them and obtained in exchange merchan dise of somewhat doubtful value to the people, such as guns, ammunition, liquors, silks, and other lux uries from the Oriental world, for which, it may be surmised, he gave a good deal more than the real value. The exhaustion of the national resources is illus trated by the sandalwood trade, which for fifteen or twenty years continued to be the staple export trade of the Hawaiian Islands. Eighty or ninety years ago, the sandalwood tree (Santalum ellipticum), or Iliahi, as the natives called it, was common throughout the islands. It was a straight, handsome tree, from fifty to eighty feet high, and from two to three feet in diameter at 289 290 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC the base. Its hard, fragrant wood, increasing in fragrance with age, was known to the natives as laauala, and was the first article of commerce which attracted trade to the islands. The trade was with China, where an immense quantity of the wood was sold for use in the manufacture of incense, or to be carved into boxes and fancy articles. It was bought by the picul of a hundred and thirty-three and a half pounds, and the price varied from f 8 to f 10. Everywhere the people groaned under the labour tax which compelled them to spend their time in the forests and among the mountains cutting san dalwood. Even in the next reign the missionaries relate that they passed through villages almost de populated, owing to the inhabitants being all away in the mountains for sandalwood. They had to search for the coveted timber, fell it, cut it into pieces eighteen inches in diameter and from six to eight feet long, and then, like so many packhorses, carry their loads down to the royal storehouses, where, in spite of the enormous quantities des patched to the Canton market, as much again was suffered to rot and decay. It was inevitable that with no attempt to replenish the forests from which the sandalwood was hewn that such wastefulness would in time bring about a cure not to the advan tage of the royal revenues. After a time, when the evil fruit was almost mature, an attempt was made to prevent further deforestation by placing a kapu on the remaining trees, but matters had gone so far that the trade died a natural death, and has never been revived. Only a few trees, since Kame hameha's death, have appeared here and there in the forests. DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE 291 There was, however, another trade which, unfor tunately for the islands, seemed little likely to be self-exhausting, viz. — the liquor traffic, which more than anything else has ministered to the deteriora tion and demoralization of the native races of the Pacific and counteracted the efforts made for their civilizing and Christianizing. Before the coming of the white man neither fer mented nor distilled liquors were known to the Ha waiians. The only indulgence resembling that in spirituous liquors was the awa-drinking custom. Awa was made from an infusion of the roots of the awa plant (Piper methysticum) , which is still ex tensively cultivated. It was first chewed and then placed in a large calabash of water, where it was allowed to remain for some time, and then strained. After this it was ready for drinking. But the con sumption seems to have been almost more cere monial than social, like the drinking of Soma in India, and was apparently confined to the chiefs and priests. The plant was of too slow a growth to be easily obtainable by the common people. It was also used medicinally to cure skin diseases and pre vent corpulency. The difficulty of making it in any large quantity was sufficient to prevent its working extensive moral harm. The effect of drinking awa, moreover, was narcotic and stupifying, but not in the strict sense of the word intoxicating. But the coming of the white man linked the Ha waiian not only with the blessings but also with the curses of civilization, and, as the weeds grow more luxuriantly than the flowers, so the curses natural ized themselves in the soil more rapidly than the blessings. 292 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC Before 1800, some Botany Bay convicts intro duced into the islands the knowledge of distilling, and grateful posterity has recorded the name of one William Stevenson as the first practitioner of the art. Professor Alexander gives the following account of the method employed : " The root of the ki plant ( CordyUne terminalis ) was first baked for days in the ground, after which it became very sweet. It was then macerated in a canoe with water to ferment, and in five or six days was ready for distillation. The rude still was made of iron pots, procured from ships, with a gun- barrel used as a tube to conduct the vapour. The liquor obtained in this way was nearly pure al cohol." It would appear that the natives had used the ki before to obtain a kind of beer, but this new knowl edge of distillation had very dangerous conse quences. A still became one of the most cherished possessions of every chief of consequence, and the fire-water was not long in gaining favour as an ar ticle of consumption. Moreover, the islanders were not dependent upon the home-brewed article for their supply, as the traders, eagerly watching for an opening for their nefarious trade, soon began the importation of large quantities of rum and gin. This latter was of a quality which earned in time the designation of " sand-paper " gin, a soubriquet which is self-explanatory. It is not surprising that Kamehameha, open, even more than the other chiefs, to the influence of the foreigners, should have himself fallen under the spell of this baleful importation ; and for a time, we DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE 293 are told, the king drank to excess. It even seemed that the reign which, notwithstanding its dark blots, had attained a pitch of glory unprecedented in Hawaiian annals, was doomed to set in shame and contempt, and that the king who had con quered till no human enemy was left to conquer, was himself to be overcome by the "bottle-imp." Such had been the fate of the great Macedonian; such seemed likely to be the fate of the Napoleon of the Pacific. But Kamehameha was now to reap the fruits of his sagacity in surrounding himself with wise coun sellors, whose advice, untinged with flattery, he knew was like the oracles of the gods. It is to the everlasting credit of the white races that, though they produced sailors and merchants such as those who imported ruin into the Paradise of the Pacific, they also produced men like Young and Davis. It is also vastly to the credit of Kamehameha that in all his intercourse with white men he never failed to regard Young and Davis as the type of men whom he desired as the pillars of his throne. Davis, as we have seen, had perished a victim to the treachery of the chiefs, but Young remained, and it was John Young who now, in Kamehameha's hour of peril, came forward to convince him of the necessity of abandoning the use of the foreign liquors. It needed no small courage on the part of Young to in terfere with the appetites of an autocrat and it was no easy task to convince an incipient dipsomaniac of the inclination of the plane upon which he was walking. But Young did not shirk his task and it is to the credit of Kamehameha that he did not resent the advice tendered. The king first of all consented 294 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC to restrict his allowance of grog to a small fixed quantity per diem, and later on, seeing the need of stronger measures, abandoned the use of intoxi cants entirely, and became a noble example to his people in a time of terribly rapid demoralization. Not content with a merely negative use of his influ ence, he exerted his royal authority to abolish the manufacture of intoxicating liquor, and near the end of his life summoned a great assembly of the leading men of Hawaii at Kailua, at which the de cree was promulgated forbidding all further manu facture and ordering the destruction of all existing stills. Other events in the life of Hawaii's first monarch may strike the imagination more, but perhaps no other event in his long career displays so truly the greatness of the man, who, under tempting circum stances, in the evening of his days, after long toil and bloody conflict, refuses to acquiesce in ease, but remains strenuous to the last, fighting against the moral enemies of his country with all the zest and courage he had displayed in his conflicts with the great chiefs of Hawaii. Kamehameha the Great, pagan as he was, put to shame his Christian suc cessors to the throne. Liholiho, who came to the throne as Kame hameha II, though playing no small part in the in troduction of Christianity, discarded, like another Rehoboam, the old counsellors of his father and spent his time in idleness and drunken revelry. Kamehameha III, with many noble traits of charac ter, shared the vices of his predecessor, and for a time all laws were practically abrogated, except those against murder, theft and sedition, while dis- DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE 295 tilleries and grog-shops multiplied on every side. The reign of Kamehameha IV began with bright hopes but ended in disappointment and sorrow, the great tragedy of the reign being the shooting by the king, while drunk, of his private secretary, Mr. Neilson. So the introduction of the fire-water cast a shadow upon the throne from above and under mined it from beneath, and no small share of the influences which led ultimately to the downfall and destruction of the kingdom was directly the work of the abuse of liquor in the court of the ill-fated Kalakaua. Alas, that the white men who in many cases were his chosen counsellors had neither for their king nor for themselves the courageous spirit of John Young. With the subsequent history of Hawaii in view, we can afford to regard the resistance of Kame hameha to the liquor trade, whether we consider him personally or as the ruler of his people, as a piece of moral heroism lighting up, as with a flash of sunlight, these barbarous and benighted times.1 'After the introduction of Christianity, a woman, personat ing the goddess Pele, declared to the missionaries that "not Pele, but the rum of the white men, whose gods you are so fond of," had destroyed more of the king's men than all the volcanoes in the islands. xxxrv KAMEHAMEHA'S LAST TOUR "Willing nations knew their lawful lord." THE king was now seventy-five years old and had well earned a period of repose, but so far from yielding to the calls of nature in this respect we find him in 1811 starting on a com prehensive toUr throughout his dominions. Leaving Honolulu on his own schooner, the Keoua, he intended to superintend in Hawaii the collection and exportation of the sandalwood from which he was deriving the bulk of his revenue. The journey, however, was interrupted by what might have proved a very serious accident. The fleet had hardly arrived off Lanai, when it was discovered that the Keoua had sprung a leak, and for a few moments it looked as though the king and his reti nue were to end their career in the deep waters of the Maui channel. But they were saved from a watery grave by the bravery and skill of an Ha waiian sailor, Waipa by name, who plunged into the sea and, thanks to his expertness as a diver, suc ceeded in nailing a piece of canvas over the leak, so that it was possible for the ship to put back into port at Honolulu. Here Captain Jonathan Windship once more came to the rescue and gave the king passage on 296 KAMEHAMEHA'S LAST TOUR 297 board his ship for Kealakekua Bay. It must have occurred to Kamehameha as he landed that times had greatly changed since the English navigator ex piated with his life his discovery of the group. Now he, the king, was travelling in the white man's ship and using the white men as the tools of government. No longer were they gods in his eyes, but no longer were they foes and strangers. Nor was he to them any longer a savage and barbarian, but a Icing whose word they could trust and whose judgment they could respect. After a stay of some days in Hawaii, the king sailed for Maui, where he stayed at his Brick Pal ace in Lahaina, superintending the collection of the taxes. From thence he went to Molokai to fulfill similar duties in that island. The wily old monarch evidently believed it necessary to see to his own tax- collecting, and we may be quite sure he allowed neither chiefs nor people to rob him of his dues. At the same time he used his visit, not merely to receive benefit through the gathering of taxes, but to initiate measures which might conduce to the prosperity of the island and restore the resources which had been so ruinously wasted. The sandal wood trade had led to worse evils than deforesta tion. So many had been pressed into service for the finding and felling and transportation of the timber that there had been none left to cultivate the fields. Consequently, agriculture had completely ceased, and when the time came for the people to reap the harvest of the land, there had been nothing to reap. The gods, Ku-puhipulu and Ku-moku-halii, were in voked in vain. No food was forthcoming to be taken with the red fish in the sacred calabash to the tern- 298 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC pie of Lono ; much less did any remain for the use of the people. A famine broke out and threatened serious consequences. Of course, since prevention is better than cure, it had been better if Kamehameha had been wise be forehand and seen to it that the selfish policy of the sandalwood trade did not interfere with the essen tial industries of the nation. It must be confessed, however, that once he realized the state of things, he did his best to repair the mischief. Believing that the best way of giving advice is to set a good example, he set his retinue to work tilling the ground and himself took the " digger " in hand and laboured as vigorously as the youngest. The piece of ground at which he worked personally is still pointed out by the admiring inhabitants. It was a sight to extort admiration from men of any time, this stern old despot, oo in hand, surrounded by the proud nobility of Hawaii, digging and planting the ground which by their thoughtless policy they had permitted to lapse from cultivation. No wonder the people followed the king's example with a good heart and, thanks to that glorious climate, where seasons are almost unknown, the worst effects of famine were soon averted. Nor did the king stop here. He was ready to con fess that in his haste to get rich he had over reached himself, and at once promulgated a decree by which the young sandalwood trees became kapu. We may suppose, moreover, that this threatened ex tinction of the sandalwood called his attention to the need for intervention in another matter. To se cure the yellow feathers used in the manufacture of the royal cloaks, large numbers of birds were every KAMEHAMEHA'S LAST TOUR 299 year trapped and strangled. There was really no need to kill the birds, since it is said that only one feather was taken from each bird, but with true Hawaiian recklessness killing was the usual prac tice. Even in Kamehameha's day the result was observable in the gradual extinction of the species from which the feathers were obtained. The king was now in a reforming mood, so he ordered that from henceforth the birds should, be set free when the needed feathers had been plucked, that other plumes might grow in their stead. To any one acquainted with the Hawaiian character, it will occur that the man who could at all rise to the height of considering the future and of retrench ment in matters of this kind, has every reason to claim a very exceptional position among his felloAV countrymen. And exceptional Kamehameha was in other re spects, for, old as he was, on August 11, 1813, he welcomed the news that his august spouse Keopuo lani had borne him another son. This was Kaui- keaouli, who came to the throne on the death of Liholiho, under the title of Kamehameha III. This happy event took place at Kailua. XXXV FOREIGN COMPLICATIONS "Far our bad neighbour makes us early stirrers, Which is both healtnful and good husbandry: Besides they are our outward consciences, And preachers to us all." THE last chapter of Kamehameha's life is oc cupied with resistance to foreign invasion. It was evident that, as foreign nations, or rather their representatives abroad, became ac quainted with the exceptional advantages of Ha waii, the island kingdom would have more to fear from outside encroachments than from internal re bellion. It was probably the anticipation of this which led Kamehameha years before to consent to the English protectorate proposed by Vancouver. In the succeeding reigns the kingdom became the football and shuttlecock of several nations in turn, but Kamehameha himself was not to pass away without experience of the difficult task of defending his conquest from foreign greed. But he may fairly be said to have proved equal to the demands upon him and, had his successors done as well, the integ rity of the realm might have been secure for many generations. The nation from whom Kamehameha received at tention too close to be pleasant in his last years was 300 FOREIGN COMPLICATIONS 301 Russia. Perhaps we should rather say that the nationality of those who troubled him was Russian, for the nation itself treated him, so far as appears, with perfect courtesy. The real author of the trouble was Governor Baranoff, the Russian Governor of Alaska, who as early as 1809 appears to have the design of forming a commercial colony in the islands. He had inau gurated a similar scheme in California where, in de fiance of the Spanish government, he planted a col ony at Bodega Bay and fortified the post. Two years later this colonially disposed Governor sent a ship called the Attawelpa to the islands on a sealing expedition. Kamehameha had developed with the sealers quite a trade in salt, as he possessed near Honolulu a small circular lake so impregnated with salt that as much as two or three hundred bar rels of fine, hard, crystallized salt was obtainable per annum. This was sold to Russian vessels from Alaska and other points in Northwest America. Some of it went as far as Kamchatka and was used for curing seal-skins and fish. The Attawelpa was, however, wrecked at Waimea on the coast of Kauai, and the valuable cargo was left in the care of Kau mualii. It was fortunate for the owner that Kame hameha did not claim the wreck for himself, as he had done the preceding year in the case of John Jacob Astor's ship, the Lark, driven ashore at Ka- hoolawe. Baranoff, however, did not forget the cargo of the Attawelpa, and in 1815 sent Doctor Scheffer to procure its restoration. Scheffer landed first at Kailua, where Kamehameha was staying, and after a very friendly reception was sent on his way on board the Millwood. Arrived at Kauai, he 302 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACDJIC regained his property, erected a storehouse, and started business as a trader. After this Russian ships began to make their appearance so often as to excite alarm. First came the Discovery, a Russian seal ship, with thirty Ko- diak Indians on board, all of whom were left at Waimea with Scheffer. A little while after came the Ilmen, a brig, on the way from Mexico, for re pairs, and about the same time there arrived at Honolulu the Myrtle. The ship, sent by Baranoff, landed a force of men at Honolulu, who built a block-house, mounted guns and hoisted the Russian flag. Kamehameha's suspicions had already been excited, and when he heard of this last hostile move, he sent a force under the command of Kalanimoku to watch, and if necessary, to oppose the invaders by force. The Russians, however, did not wait for Kame hameha's warriors, but sailed for Kauai, where a fort and breastwork were erected at Waimea. Here Scheffer had for some time been intriguing to gain from Kaumualii possession of Kauai, offering, ac cording to some, to lease the whole island for a number of years, or to obtain the valley of Hanalei. But Kamehameha was equal to this emergency also. First of all, he ordered the construction of a strong fort in Honolulu, the position of which is marked by the present Fort Street. It was about a hundred yards square, and was built by Kalanimoku under the direction of John Young. It seems to have included the fort which the Russians had left unfinished. About sixty guns were mounted and others placed on the Punchbowl Hill, so that the city of Honolulu, which had now grown to be a town FOREIGN COMPLICATIONS 303 of six or seven thousand inhabitants, was able to feel comparatively safe. Having secured Honolulu, Kamehameha now sent orders to his vassal Kaumualii on Kauai, com manding the immediate expulsion of Doctor Schef fer. That gentleman, however, thinking discretion the better part of valour, at once gathered up his possessions and sought refuge on the brig. Then he sailed to Hanalei and thence to Honolulu, where the king's orders were again given for his departure. Once more Scheffer complied, and the Russians took their leave, only the Myrtle, an old and unseaworthy ship, returning to sink in the harbour. Baranoff's attempt thus ended in complete fail ure, and it would appear that the Russian govern ment in no way countenanced his schemes, for, when a Russian war-ship called soon after at the islands, the captain expressed himself as perfectly satisfied with Kamehameha's action. Yet it took some time to allay the suspicions of the people with regard to the Russian designs. To wards the close of the year another Russian vessel, the Rurick, arrived and for a time great agitation prevailed as to the object of its coming. However, on the captain disowning sympathy with Scheffer, confidence returned, and a remarkable interchange of hospitality took place. Kamehameha remitted all charges for pilotage and anchorage, had the Rurick towed into port by eight double canoes, and supplied the ship with an abundance of provisions. One little misunderstand ing took place while the Russians were surveying the harbour, owing to the fact that the strangers set up little flags along the shore, but the common 304 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC sense of John Young came to the rescue, and when he substituted brooms for flags the people were ap peased. Then the festivities were resumed and a grand mock fight was given in honour of Captain Kotzebue, at which sixty chiefs displayed their prowess in the hurling and catching of spears. There had been no fighting for a long time now, but Kamehameha seems to have kept his troops in a high state of efficiency and ready for any emergency. He had not arrived at the state of feeling which prompted Kalaimoku some years later, after a re bellion in Kauai, to dismiss the prisoners who were brought before him with a present of spelling-books and the injunction to go home and live in peace. Some years after the death of Kamehameha, Mr. Ellis entered the house of a chief named Miomio, and remarked upon the splendid way in which the spears and other warlike implements on the walls were kept. The chief replied that Kamehameha al ways required his warriors to keep their weapons bright and polished. It was a proof of his influence that this order appears to have been everywhere obeyed until obedience had become a habit. Kotzebue departed from the islands on December 14, 1816, and on this occasion, for the first time, salutes were exchanged between the guns of the ship and those of the fort. Kamehameha was rapidly winning recognition for his kingdom among the powers of Europe and America, and these last years were for the most part years of honourable peace and prosperity. One untoward event, however, has to be recorded of this last two or three years. Kamehameha had purchased in 1816 a ship called the Forester from FOREIGN COMPLICATIONS 305 Captain Piggott, and had changed its name to Kaahumanu, in honour of his favourite wife. In March of the next year he sent her, laden with san dalwood, on a voyage to Canton, expecting to re ceive a handsome return in Chinese goods. Instead of this, however, there was a loss of about $3,000. The vessel came back nearly empty, and in debt. Captain Adams explained that the Chinese govern ment would not recognize the Hawaiian flag, that some of the money had been stolen, and so much de manded for pilotage and port dues that nothing remained to fit the vessel for sea. Hence the debt. Kamehameha was naturally chagrined, but his character comes out well as he makes even his mis fortune a source of profit. He reasoned that if port dues were so profitable in China, they might very well be so in Honolulu. So, instead of $40 for an chorage, he decided that from henceforth every ves sel anchoring in the outer harbour should pay $60 and $80 for entering the basin, or inner harbour. Thus making friends of adversity, the king con tinued his trading ventures undauntedly, and was not always so unlucky as with the Kaahumanu. XXXVI THE DEATH OF KAMEHAMEHA "Take him up: — Help, three o' the chief est soldiers; I'll be one. — Beat thou the drum, that it speak mournfully; Trail your steel pikes. Though in this city he Hath widow' d and michilded many a one, Yet he shall have a noble memory." FOR seven years previous to his death Kame hameha had been living at his favourite Ha waiian residence, Kailua. This town, situ ated on the shores of a fine bay on the Kona coast, had at this time a considerable population. Some years afterwards, Mr. Ellis counted here 529 houses and estimated the number of inhabitants as nearly 3,000. Neat houses, shaded with cocoanut and kou trees, extended along the seashore, and the ground around was cultivated wherever possible, so that small gardens appeared among the barren rocks on which the houses were built and, wherever soil could be found in sufficiency, the sweet potato, water melon and tobacco plant struggled for existence. The great drawback was the want of water, none be ing nearer than four or five miles, and that only in small pools. Consequently, one of the best presents Kamehameha could obtain from a passing ship was a cask of water, and most of the vessels accustomed to trade with Kailua were careful to remember this. 306 THE DEATH OF KAMEHAMEHA 307 Here then Kamehameha spent the evening of his days, and of him it may truly be said, as of Moses, " his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated." Eighty-two years of age, he yet kept a keen and vigi lant eye on every part of his dominions and upon every department of his government, sending orders day by day to almost every island of the group, and watching narrowly the execution of his decrees and the administration of his laws. He kept his kiai- moku, or police officials, busy, and as late as 1818 had three men executed at Kealakekua for petty vio lations of the kapu. He defended his severity by saying that in all his enterprises his success had been owing to the strict attention he had paid to the service and requirements of his god. So the altars smoked on the neighbouring hills, the priests of Kaili received their victims, and Kamehameha re mained in some respects a barbarian to the last. Unlike his successor, he saw in the kapu the moral bond Avhich kept his throne and kingdom se cure, and was determined not to relax his rule in matters relating to the ancient religious customs of the people. Even in the cruel custom of infanticide he re mained an ultra-conservative, and when John Young haled before him a man who had broken the back of his child across his knee in a fit of temper, the king refused to see any cause for interfering with the personal liberty of the subject. It may appear strange that, with so many white men coming and going and around him, no gleam of Christian truth appears so far to have penetrated his dark old heart. But the white men he was ac customed to see around him were not very zealous 308 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC witnesses for their religion, nor, it must be con fessed, very shining examples of its influence, and Kamehameha was allowed to die as he had lived, a heathen. Had he been permitted to live a year longer, he would have been able to welcome the first band of missionaries, but it is doubtful whether he would have viewed with much favour the effort to break down the power of the priests and the author ity of the kapu. It is said that in his retirement at Kailua he heard of the change which the new faith had made in Tahiti, and earnestly desired that teachers should visit his people, but in all probability his thoughts about Tahiti were mostly of a material and worldly character. The dream had once taken possession of him to conquer Tahiti and make himself Emperor of the Pacific, and he had even conducted negotia tions with Pomare I with a view to marrying his daughter Kekauuohe to the king of Tahiti, and re ceiving the daughter of that monarch as a bride for his heir Liholiho. The marriage would probably have been ratified, had not Pomare died while Kamehameha was waiting for a ship to take Kekau uohe to Tahiti. So the scheme came to nothing, and the dream of conquest faded. There were to be no more conquests for Kame hameha. He had come into the near presence of that grim enemy of man before whom all alike, kings and peasants, men of war and men of peace, have to yield their homage. It became gradually more evident to all around that the " lonely one " was nearing the close of his earthly career. No more would he poise his swift-darting spear upon the field of battle, or utter the war-cry which rose THE DEATH OF KAMEHAMEHA 309 triumphant above the din of the fiercest conflict. Warriors in the dim halls of Milu would feel the stir of his coining, and rouse themselves from their ghostly sleep. A couch is set for him in the midst of the slain, and the great company of the Hawaiian shades await in trepidation the coming of the last and greatest of them all. Years before Kapihe, the priest of Kuahailo at Kalapaua, had prophesied that, when Kamehameha died, the god Kuahailo would take his spirit to the sky and accompany it to the earth again, and give it a body beautiful and young in which he could re sume his rule over the island kingdom. Many peo ple believed the prediction, as Romans of old be lieved in a Nero redivivus, but no one could deny at present that Death had sealed the monarch for his own. The kahunas gathered round the prostrate giant and muttered incantations, but all proved useless. They desired to resort to the extreme means of offer ing human sacrifices to avert the hand of death, but a gleam of humanity lighted up the smileless coun tenance, and with melancholy resignation to the fact that his rule was over and that he was no more the king, he replied : " No ; the men are kapu to the king." He referred to his son Liholiho, who, at the prospect of his father's death, had departed for Kohala, in order that he might remain unpolluted for the ceremonies which were before him. The story of these last moments is so well told in a nar rative drawn up from the witnesses and published in the Moolelo Hawaii in 1838 that the quotation will be pardoned : " The illness of Kamehameha became so great 310 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC that the native doctors could not cure him. Then said the priest, ' It is best to build a house for your god, that you may recover.' The chiefs, sustaining the advice of the priest, built a sacred house for his god Kukailimoku, and a kapu took place at evening. The people, apprehending that the priest and chiefs were urging Kamehameha to have men sacrificed to his god for his recovery, were seen to fly, through fear of death, and remained in their hiding places till the tabu was over. Probably the king did not assent to the proposition, but was heard to say, ' men are tabu for the king ' — alluding to his son. After the worship, the king's disease increased, and he became helpless. When another tabu day arrived for the new temple, he said to Liholiho, ' Go to the worship of your god — I cannot go.' Then was ended his praying to his feather god, Kukailimoku (an image of Juggernaut-like form, made of net work and feathers) . But he assented to the propo sition of another worshipper who, having a bird-god called Pua, said, ' The sick will be cured by it,' though the body of the god was the bird alae, that is eaten. Two houses were therefore erected; but while occupying them, he ceased to take food and became extremely weak. His wives, children and chiefs, perceiving this, after three days, conveyed him to his dwelling house. ... In the evening the feeble king was borne from his sleeping house to the front house, and took a mouthful of poi and a little water. The chiefs asked him for his final charge ; but he made not the least answer. He was lifted back to his sleeping house; and near mid night brought again to the front house, where he took another mouthful of food with water. Kaikio- THE DEATH OF KAMEHAMEHA 311 ewa then addressed him thus, ' Here are we all, your younger brethren, your king, and your foreigner; lay down for us your charge, that your king and sis ters may hear.' Not fully comprehending, he with difficulty enquired, ' What do you ask? ' The chief repeated, * Your charge for us.' He made an effort and said, ' Proceed only according to my policy, until ' not able to finish his sentence, he em braced the neck of the foreigner and drew him down for a kiss. Hoapili was another whom he em braced, and pulling him down, whispered in his ear, and was then carried back to his sleeping house. In an hour or two, he was borne again, partially, into the front house, while most of his body remained in his sleeping house. He was once more replaced; and about two o'clock (May 8th) , 1819, he expired." The greatest of the Hawaiians was no more. Well did the queen Kaahumanu express the fact when in reply to the suggestion of the chiefs that the body should be divided among them, she said : " The body belongs to the new king ; our part, the breath, has gone." It would be impossible to describe the consterna tion which followed. The death of the king was lit erally the abolition or the suspension of law. In other monarchies the cry is, " Le roi est mort; Vive le roi! " Not so in Hawaii. When the king died an interregnum followed, during which anarchy was let loose, and the people delighted to show in every possible way that they were beside themselves, avowedly, on account of grief. During this period of license men became demons. Not content with the ordinary signs of mourning, such as cutting off the hair, knocking out the front 312 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC teeth, and tattooing the tongue, they threw off their clothing, burned one another's houses, clothes and property, took revenge for every remembered or im aginary wrong, and initiated a veritable reign of terror. In many cases there was only too much legiti mate cause for terror, for the people, as they fled to the mountains, knew that there would soon be prowling about the streets that awful functionary known as the mu-ai-kanaka, or the "man-eating mu," on the lookout for human sacrifices to form Kamehameha's " companions in death." Moreover, in the temples, the kuni sorcerers were at work, using their unhallowed rites to discover any who had been engaged in praying the king to death. Sitting round the kuni-ahi, or broiling- fire, the priests worked their charms, strangling a dog, decapitating a fowl, and placing the carcasses on the broiling-stones, praying meanwhile that the culprits might speedily sicken and die. Then the priest would sleep, and in his sleep, if his prayer had been strong, there would be revealed to him the guilty party or parties. It is needless to say that a priest often used his imagination or his private grudge to eke out the deficiencies of his inspired vision. Hence the terror of the people and, even in Christian times, we hear of the natives, as at the death of Keopuolani, taking refuge with the mis sionaries to protect their lives and property from these cruel abominations of paganism. Meanwhile, the immediate entourage of the dead king was busy with the funeral rites. Even in re cent years one has been made aware of the enormous amount of work involved in preparing for a royal THE DEATH OF KAMEHAMEHA 313 funeral in Hawaii, and although the ceremony of a hundred years ago was vastly different from that of to-day, it was not less but more hedged about with the details of a meticulous etiquette. The corpse was first enveloped in wrappings of banana, taro, or palm leaves, and placed in a shal low trench. Over this a fire was kept burning to hasten decomposition, and for ten days prayers were repeated over the temporary grave. Then the body was disinterred and the flesh stripped from the bones. The latter were tied up in a bundle with cimet, and made into what was termed a unihipili, by being covered with kapa and red feathers. The deification of the bones was now complete, the sacri ficial hog was offered, and the heir returned from his seclusion on the tenth day after his father's death. But there still remained a very important part of the ceremony, namely, the disposal of the bones. This ceremony was known as huna-kele, and con sisted in the concealment, by some intimate friend of the deceased, of the unihipili. Before death some trusty friend would be chosen for this office. " I do not wish my bones to be made into arrows to shoot mice with, or into fish-hooks," the chief would say, and his comrade would swear the vow of secrecy. Strange methods were adopted to ensure this secrecy. In the case of Kualii, an Oahu chief of the seventeenth century, the kahu, or friend, chosen to perform the huna-kele, took the bundle and went off as every one supposed to hide it in a cave, or sink it in deep water. Instead of this, he ground the bones into fine powder, and mixed it in a calabash of poi. When the feast was over, the chiefs enquired 314 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC whether he had faithfully performed his duty for his dead friend. The kahu, with conscious pride, pointed to the stomachs of the chiefs and related how he had hidden his master's bones in a hundred living tombs.1 The bones of Liloa were sunk in the deep waters off Kekaha, in Hawaii, and at the death of Umi, his friend Koi secretly took away the body, leaving an other in its place, and deposited the hero's bones, some say in the great Pali of Kahulaana, others say in a cave at Waipio at the top of the Pali over which the cascade of Hiilawe hurls its foaming waters. The bones of some were laid up in the sacred shrine of the temple of Honauaau, others rested in a cave at the head of the Iao Valley, others again found a fiery home in the crater of Kilauea, whither they were flung as an offering to Pele. It may be supposed, therefore, in accordance with custom, that no little care would be taken to pre serve inviolate the last resting place of Kame hameha. And inviolate it has probably remained. As soon as the king had breathed his last, Kalai moku expressed the feeling of the chiefs that the occasion was exceptional by exclaiming, " This is my thought; we will eat him raw." This sugges tion, however, was overruled, and it was determined to go on with the huna-kele. The friend chosen for the last sad offices was, ac cording to one account, Hoapili, according to an other, Hoolulu, and what was done with the bones no man knows to this day. Mr. Ellis supposes that Liholiho may have carried a portion of them about 1 Fornander, II, 283. THE DEATH OF KAMEHAMEHA 315 with him as an amulet, but it is generally believed that somewhere in a cave in the district of North Kona, perhaps among the hills behind Kailua, the remains of the first monarch of Hawaii found repose. In testimony to the truth of this belief, it is said that, soon after the death of Kamehameha, one of his most trusty friends was encountered by two natives as he was returning from the moun tains. He stopped them and sternly enquired whether they had seen any one that day passing to the hills. They denied having seen any one, and the story goes that had they answered otherwise, the chief, who is called Hoolulu, would have slain them both. Years afterwards, King Kalakaua tells us, when there was no longer any desire to conceal the bones of the dead, Kamehameha III, on a visit to Kailua, almost prevailed upon Hoolulu to unbosom himself of the secret. They started together for the hills for that purpose, but when Hoolulu saw others following beside the king, he turned back and the mystery remained undivulged. During the reign of Kalakaua a singular attempt was made to discover the bones by resort to some thing resembling the ancient sorcery, including the employment of inspired swine. But the bones which were thus procured, though deposited with cere mony in the Royal Mausoleum, are not generally re garded as having any overwhelming claim to au thenticity. The mystery of the bones of Kamehameha re mains, therefore, unsolved, and we need not be sorry that such is the case. As was said of Moses, when the great lawgiver was laid to rest in a valley of the 316 THE NAPOLEON OF THE PACIFIC land of Moab, so it may be said of Kamehameha, sleeping his long sleep among the hills of Kailua, — " No man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day." What advantage was it for Hawaii to possess the bones when she had lost the spirit? The Hawaii of the after-time with all its boasted advance into the full glare of civilization's light, could only " sweep heroic dust for hour-glass sand." It was in vain, with the blight of leprosy and other forms of death upon the race, — the terrible legacy of her contact with the civilized world, — for her graves to remain, to " implore her people to be strong and not afraid." If Kamehameha inspires men now as when he lived, it must be mainly men of another race who will learn to claim him, a brother worthy of honour and renown. If he rule now, it must be over the half-legendary heroes of the past, not over their de generate offspring of to-day. Yet Kamehameha could not altogether die. There was something after all in the prophecy of Kapihi that he would come again and rule. Sometimes, in the silent night, some imaginative native may still see the oio, or spectral procession of Kamehameha and his warrior host. Many an one has been ready to swear to his appearance in the valley of Waipio, and instances are not wanting of men left dead in the ghostly track. Even as recently as 1887, the night before Princess Likelike passed away, the writer heard men declare that the long procession of kings and chiefs, headed by the giant spectre of the first Kamehameha, had been seen passing si lently through the Nuuanu Valley. It was indeed Kamehameha I who ruled long after his own death. He overshadowed all his prog- THE DEATH OF KAMEHAMEHA 317 eny, and was the real king till the sceptre dropped from the hands of his last successor. Alas, then there were no longer the same men around the throne ! Here is a story which is also the story of the race. A man in the southern part of Kona retired to rest, but was transported in his sleep to the spirit world. Here he saw Kamehameha, who enquired of him as to the govermnent of Hawaii, and of the welfare of Liholiho and his other children. He then requested the man to return to earth and take cer tain messages to Liholiho and to the chief Kuakini. If he fulfilled his embassy, he promised to show him special favour. If he failed the penalty would be death. The man returned home, told what he had seen, but, instead of setting out at once for Kailua, he stayed at home to dress a hog, and prepare pro visions for the way. The food was prepared, but before the man could taste thereof, he was dead. And Hawaii, for all the world like this man, with the commands of Kamehameha upon her heart, has chosen to dally and defer, to eat and to drink, — and to die. Alas, the greatest child of the Pacific " mai ka po mai," — " from chaos until now," the Alexander, the Caesar, the Alfred of his race, has appealed in vain to his posterity ! It is in the humble hope that he may still appeal to others, who have inherited the domain he won, and who, in spite of all difference of colour, are still his brothers in blood, that this memoir has been penned. Glossary Of principal Hawaiian terms used Ahupuaa, a piece of land taxable one hog monthly. Akn, a fish frequently subject to kapu. Akua, a divinity. Alii, a chief. Anaana, a species of witchcraft, used to prooure an enemy's death. Anu, the place of an oraole in a temple. Aubuhu, a narcotic* plant (Tephrosia piicatmia), used to drug and catob fish. Aumakua, a household divinity. Auwalalua, a mythical sea-monster. Auwe, the Hawaiian wailing. Awa, an intoxicating drink brewed from the Piper methysticum. Hale, a house. Hale mua, the apartment of the men. Hale noa, the apartment of the women. Haole, a white man. Heiau, a temple. Hokeo, a calabash trunk, carried by the chiefs. Holua, a game resembling a toboggan slide. Hunakele, the ceremony of conoealing the bones of a dead chief. Ieie, an Hawaiian creeper, the Freyeinetia Arnotti. Hi, a small taxable division of land. Iliahi, ''the sandal-wood tree, Santalum ellipticum. Imu loa, the great oven, used for human sacrifices. Iwipolena, a beautiful scarlet bird, prized for its feathers. Kahiki, "the old country," i. e., Tahiti. Kahili, a feather standard, the insignia of a chief. Kahu, a guardian, nurse, keeper. Kahuna, a priest. Kanaka, a man ; pi. Kanaka. Kapa, cloth made from the wauke, or paper mulberry. 318 GLOSSARY 319 Kapu, or tabu, a restriction plaoed upon plaoes, things, persons, and days. Kaua, war. Kauila, an Hawaiian wood, Alphitonia ponderoaa. Ki, or Ti, Cordyline terminalis, a plant from the root of which a beer is brewed and a spirit distilled. Kilokilo, a species of diviners. Lama, an Hawaiian tree, Mdba Sandwicemis, the seeds of which are eaten by the natives. Lani, the heavens, a word incorporated into many royal names. Lehua, the first slain in battle, offered as a sacrifice. Lei, a wreath or garland. Lele, the altar in a temple. Lio, a horse. Lomilomi, an Hawaiian form of massage. Luau, a native feast. Lunapai, the herald sent to summon warriors to battle. Mai okuu, a disease, probably cholera. Maile, a fragrant shrub, Alyxia olivaeformis, much used for leis. Malo, a loin cloth. Mele, an Hawaiian song, or saga. Moi, a king. Moku, a district comprising an entire island. Mokumoku, a form of boxing. Mu-ai-kanaka, "the man-eating mu," a priest who chooses human viotims for the sacrifice. Noni, a native tree, Morinda citrifolia. Ohia, a native forest tree, Eugenia Malaccensia. Oio, a spectral procession of the chiefs. Okana, a division of land made for purposes of taxation. Okolehao, a spirit distilled from the ki plant. Oo, an Hawaiian hoe. Opelu, a fish frequently put under kapu. Pahe, a game played with darts. Pahoa, a dagger Pahoehoe, a sheet of hardened lava. Palaoa, an ornament of bone or ivory, insignia of the ohiefs. Pali, a precipitous cliff. Papa-he-nalu, the "wave-sliding" or surf-board. Pau, a long, flowing garment worn by women on horseback. Pea, a oross or sign placed at the entranoe of a city of refuge. 320 GLOSSARY Peleleu, a war-canoe. Pilipili, headlong. Polulu, a long spear. Puloulon, the kapu stiok, sign of a tabu. Puhenehene, an Hawaiian game. Pnuhonua, a oity of refuge. Uki, an Hawaiian herb, Dianella odorata, Ulua, a fish used iu the sacrifices. Unihipili, a bundle made from the bones of a dead chief. Wahine, a woman. Wai, water. Wauke, the paper mulherry (Broussonetia papyrifera), from which the kapa is made. Index Adams, Capt., 305 Akea, an early king of Hawaii, in Alae, a place in Hawaii, 183 Alapa, a famous brigade, 43, 46 Alapainui, king of Hawaii, 17, 20, 24 f., 262 Alexander, Prof., quoted, 292 Anderson, Peter, 240 Arthur, The, 269 Attawelpa, The, 301 Baranoff, Russian Governor of Alaska, 301 Barber, Capt., 269 Bingham, American mission ary, 162, 168 Bodega Bay, 301 Bolabola, in the Society Is lands, 57 Boyd, James, carpenter, 269 "Brick Palace," The, 276, 297 Britannia, The, 224 Broughton, Capt., 251 f. Brown, Capt., 233, 236 Campbell, Alexander, 281 f. Cannibalism, The question of, 63 f. Canton, Trade with, 216 Chatham, The, 214 China, Trade with, 279, 305 Clerke, Capt., 56, 99 Cleveland, Capt., 277 Colnett, Capt., 163 Cook, Capt. James, 54, 55-68, 69-86, 87-106, 214 f . Daedalus, The, 217 Davis, Isaac, 14, 157, 170, 191, 201, 240, 287 f. Diamond Head, in Oahu, 246, 281 Dibble, Rev. Sheldon, historian, 64, 94, 113, 184 f. Discovery, The, 56 f., 214, 219, 226 Disease, Introduction of, 66, 86 Dixon, Capt., 161 Douglas, Capt.. 104, 165 Duke of Portland, The, 283 Duncan, Capt, 163 " Eappo," a chief, 103 Eke, a mountain mass in Maui, 41, 42 Eleanor, The, 166 f. Ellis, Rev. William, ri5 f., 181, 249, 266, 278, 306 Ewa, a district in Oahu, 123 f., 233 Fair America, The, 166 f., 201 Feather cloaks and helmets, 61 f. Felice, The, 163 Fishing, Methods of, 116 Forester, The, 304 Fornander, Abraham, historian, 55, 60, 89, 117, 124, 208 f., 314 Fort Street, 302 Gaetano, Juan, Spanish dis coverer, 56 321 322 INDEX George III, of England, 216, 225, 227, 283 Gooch, Mr., 217 f. Gordon, Capt., 233 Gore, Eieut, 65, 98 Governors, Appointment of, 264 f. Great Britain, asked to assume protectorate, 227 Haalou, a female ambassador of Kamehameha, 182, 190. Halaea, a chief in Kau, 108 Halaula, a place in Hawaii, 140, 147 Halawa, a place in Hawaii, 16, U5, 156 Haleakala, extinct volcano in Maui, 28, 38, 41, 69 Halemanu, The cannibals of, 64 Hamakua, a place in Hawaii, in, 114, 183 Hana, a district in Maui, 28, 53, "7 Harbottle, Capt., 282 Hawaii, largest island of the group, passim Heiau, Dedication of a, 193 f . Hergest, Eieut., 217 f. Hewahewa, a priest, 259 Hikiau, heiau of, 77 Hilo, a town in Hawaii, 134, 137, 184, 224, 254, 268 Hoakau, a chief, ill Hoapili, a chief, 152, 278, 314 Holoae, a priest, 35 Honaunau, a city of refuge, 125, 129, 134 Honolulu, chief city of the islands, 245, 302 f. Honuaula, a place in Maui, 162 Hoolulu, a chief, 314 Horse, Introduction of, 277 Hua, a chief, 259 Hualalai, Crater of, 272 Iao, valley in Maui, 24, 42, 171 ff. Ikuiwa, a month, 16 Ilmen, The, 302 Imakakalaloa, a chief, 109, 112 Inamoo, regent of Kauai, 230 Intemperance, Effects of, 291 f. Iphigenia, The, 163 lackal, The, 233 Jarves, historian, 114, 117, 168, 222 Kaahumanu, wife of Kame hameha, 29, 31, 50, 52, 150 f., 219, 225, 270, 311 Kaahumanu, The, 305 Kaakau, a priest, 27 Kaawaloa, a place in Hawaii, 73 Kaeokulani, king of Kauai, 198, 210, 216, 230 f. Kahahana, king of Oahu, 51, 68, 1 18 f. Kahai, uncle of Kamehameha, 143 Kahaikalani, a chief, 108 Kahaluu, a place in Hawaii, 35 Kahanana, a chief, 30 Kahekili, king of Maui, 18, 19, 29 f., 43 f., 47, 118 ff., 142, 157 f., 178 f., 198 ff., 228 Kahului, a place in Maui, 42, 174 Kahulunuikaaumoku, daughter of a Kauai priest, 236 Kaiana, a chief, 152, 163 f., 216, 242 ff. Kailikea, a priest, 78, 103 Kailua, a place in Hawaii, 35, 115, 129, 299, 306 " Kalaehohoa," War of, 32 Kalaimamahu, brother of Kamehameha, 113 Kalaimoku, a chief, 243 Kalaipahoa, the poison goddess of Molokai, 179 f., 211 Kalakaua, King, 12, 152, 315 Kalanikapule, son of Kahekili, 13. 173. 230, 234 f., 240 ff. Kalanimalokuloku, brother of Kamehameha, same as Keli imaikai, 155 INDEX 323 Kalanimoku, a chief, 14, 265 Kalaniopuu, king of Hawaii, 17, ^1 f., 34 f-, 44 f ., 68, 70, 81, 89, 106 f., 117 Kalauao, a place in Oahu, 234 Kaleopuupuu, a priest, 36 Kalo, the man eater, 64 Kalola, wife of Kalaniopuu, 46, 167, 176 Kalola, one of Kamehameha's wives, 113 Kamakahalei, a chiefess, 60 Kamanawa, one of Kame hameha's kahus, 19, 45, 127, 211 Kamapuaa, the pig-god, 187 Kameeiamoku, one of Kame hameha's kahus, 14, 19, 45, 127, 169, 278 Kamehameha I, passim Kamehameha II, 40, 265, 271 f., 294 Kamehameha III, 294, 299, 315 Kamehameha IV, 295 Kamehamehanui, nephew of Alapainui, 24 Kamohomoho, younger brother of Kahekili, 155, 221, 234 Kanaina, a chief, 97 Kane, one of the chief gods, 76, HI Kaneakama, maker of the poi son goddess, 180 Kanekapolei, a chiefess, mother of Keoua, 96, 141 Kanekoa, an uncle of Kame hameha, 143 Kaneohe, a place in Oahu, 246 Kaopuiki, 10 Kaopulupulu, a priest of Oahu, 119 f. Kapakahili, a chief, 173 Kapalipilo, War of, 28 Kapihe, a priest, 309 Kapiiohokolani, a king of Oahu, 25 Kapoho, a place in Hawaii, J45 f • Kapoukahi, a prophet, 182 Kapu, Institution of, 81 f. Kapukoa, an Oahu hero, 1.23 Kau, a district of Hawaii, 108, 133, 254 Kau, a priest, 77, S3, 90, 101 Kauaawa, the " bitter " war, 142 Kauai, one of the Eight Is lands, passim Kauhi, half brother of Kame hamehanui, 25 Kauhi, an Oahu hero, 123 Kauhikoakoa, a Maui chief, 124 Kaula, or Bird Island, 66 Kaumualii, king of Kauai, 217, 284 ff ., 303 Kaunakakai, a place in Molo kai, 242 Kaupo, a district in Maui, 32, 42, 49 Kauwiki, a fortress in Maui, 28, 32, 127, 200 Kawaihae, a place in Hawaii, 92, 143, 182, 206 Kealakekua Bay, in Hawaii, 52, 72, 82, 104, 135, 161, 166, 220, 254 Kealia, salt marsh in Maui, 46 Kealiiokaloa, son of Umi, 55 Keaulumoku, a seer, 31, 49 f., 127, 140, 148 f . Keawe II, a chief of olden time, 125 Keaweaheulu, a high chief, 134, 211 Keawemauhili, half brother of Kalaniopuu, 44, 121, 125 f., 142, 172, 183 Keaweopala, son of Alapainui, 27 Keawepoepoe, a chief, 229 Keeaumoku, a high chief, 14, 27, 29, 50 ff., 127, 135 f., 140 f., 191, 206, 211, 278_ Kekaha, a place in Hawaii, 314 Kekaulike, father of Kahekili, 19, 24 Kekauuohe, daughter of Kame hameha, 308 Kekiopilo, a prophet, 68 324 INDEX Kekuapoiula, wife of Kaha hana, 122 Kekuawahine, a warrior, 136 Kekuhaupio, Kamehameha's tu tor, 21, 23, 32 f., 44, 96, 128 f. Kekuiapuiwa, mother of Kame hameha, 17 Kekuokalani, a chief, 40 Kekupuohi, wife of Kaiana, 244 Keliimaikai, brother of Kame hameha, 155 f., 191, 207, 282 Kendrick, Capt, 233, 236 Keolocwa, an idol, 276 Keopuolani, wife of Kame hameha, 141, 152, 176 f., 270, 280, 299, 312 Keoua, Kamehameha's accepted father, 17, 24, 26 Keoua Kuahuula, half brother of Kivaalao, 125, 132, 140 f., 183 f ., 192 f., 198 ff. Keoua Peeale, a warrior, 141 Keoua, The, 296 " Kepaniwai," Battle of, 175 Kiha, a hero of the old time, 11, 212 Kiha-pu, the magic conch, 212 Kiheipukua, a place in Maui, 44 Kikane, ambassador of Kame hameha, 177 f., 198 Kilauea, famous crater in Hawaii, 143, 184 f., 314 King, Capt., 74, 77, 89, 91, 99 f ¦ King George, The, 104, 161 Kipuhula, a place in Maui, 155 Kiwalao, son of Kalaniopuu, 46 f., 104, no, 112 f., 125 ff. Koa, a chief, 77, 100 f. Koalaukane, brother of Kalani kapule, 234 Kohala, a district in Hawaii, 16, 17, 114, 149, et passim Koi, a chief, 218 Koihala, a chief of Kau, 108 Kona, a district in Hawaii, 73, 114, 127, et passim Koolau, in Maui, 42, 119 Kotzebue, explorer, 304 Ku-kaili-moku, Kamehameha's war-god, 35, 112 f., 191, 207, 211, 247, 310 Kuahailo, a god, 309 Kualii, Chant of, 28, 164 Kualoa, in Oahu, 1 19 Kukaniloku, an ancient sanctu ary, 271 Kukuipahu, a place in Hawaii, 71 f. Kuluiau, the rain goddess, 212 Kuoho, a priest, 67 La Perouse, explorer, 162 Laamaomao, the wind god, 212 Lady Washington, The, 233, 236 f . Lahaina, a town in Maui, 25, 29, 49, 54, 274 f ¦ Lamport, Capt. Brown's mate, 237 Lanai, one of the Eight Is lands, n, 168, et passim Lark, The, 302 Launuipoko, a place in Maui, 241 Laupahoehoe, a place in Hawaii, 144 Laupahoehoehope, War of, 149 Leahi, or Diamond Head, 246, 281 Lehua, a small island in the group, 66 Lelemahoalani, a Kauai chief ess, 60 Lelia Byrd, The, 279 Liholiho, Kamehameha II, 272, 294, 309, 317 Likelike, Princess, 316 Liliha, mother of Keopuolani, 176 Liloa, a chief of olden time, 11, 35, 48, "I, 3H,. ,. , Lono, one of the chief gods, n, 20, 58, 60, 66, 79 f., 206, 213 Maalaea Bay, in Maui, 42 Mahihelelima, a chief, 31 Mai Okuu, a disease, possibly cholera, 280 INDEX 325 Maikikini, a temple in Hawaii, 182 Makaiouli, an Oahu hero, 123 Makawao, a place in Maui, 42 Makena, a place in Maui, 42 f . Malae, a place in Oahu, 122 Malo, David, historian, 55, 66 " Mamalahoe," Law of the Splintered Paddle, 146, 270 Manona, wife of Kekuokalani, 39. Maui, one of the Eight Islands, 16, et passim Maulili, a place in Maui, 156 Mauna Kea, volcano in Hawaii, 38, 51, 71 Mauna Loa, volcano in Hawaii, 72 McClay, George, carpenter, 279 Meares, Capt., 104, 163 Metcalf, Capt, 166 f. Milhvood, The, 301 Milu, an ancient chief, god of the dead, 44, in Miomio, a chief, 304 Mokuohai, Battle of, 139 Molokai, one of the Eight Islands, 24, et passim Moo, a soldier, 144 Mookini, an heiau, 75 Murray, " the Armourer,1' 199, 201, 231 Myrtle, The, 302 Naeole, foster-father of Kame hameha, 18, 20, 45 Nahaolelua, the two white men, 170 Namahana, mother of Kaahu manu, 29, 52, 243 Namakeha, brother of Kaiana, 166, 254 f . Neilson, Mr., 295 Niihau, one of the islands, 57, et passim Niulii, a place in Hawaii, 115 Nootka, The, 163 Nootka Sound, 159, 216 Nuuanu Valley, in Oahu, 244 f., 316 Nuuanupaahu, a chief, log Oahu, one of the Eight Is lands, passim Olupue, an idol, 179 Oluwalu, a place in Hawaii, 170, 177 Paakalani, an heiau, 76, 112, 200 Paao, a priest of the olden time, 81, 259 Paauhau, a place in Hawaii, 184 Pahua, a hero of Oahu, 123 Pakini, an heiau, 112 Palea, a chief, 74, 77, 85, 94, 96 Pali, The, in Oahu, 245 f. Papa, female progenitor of the Hawaiians, 197 Paumakua, a priest of ancient times, 36 Pearl Harbour, 233 f. Pele, the volcano goddess, 21, 42, 186 f., 272 Peleioholani, a king of Kauai, 25, 36 Phillips, Mr., 95, 98 Piggott, Capt., 305 Pili.an ancestor of Kalanioouu, 28 Pinau, an Oahu hero, 123 Pine, wife of Kekuhaupio, 135 Pomare I, of Tahiii, 308 Portlock, Capt., 161 Prince Lee Boo, The, 233 Prince of Wales, The, 163 Princess Royal, The, 163 Providence, The, 251 Puakea, an Oahu hero, 123 Puna, a district in Hawaii, 21, 109, 114, 145, 254, 270 Punchbowl, The, 302 Pupuka, an Oahu hero, 123 Puukohae, a fortified hill, 172 Puukohola, an heiau, 182, 190 f. Puuloa, a place in Oahu, 122 Queen Charlotte, The, 104, 161 326 INDEX Resolution, The, 56 f. Rurick, The, 303 Russia, Complications with, 300 f. Ruth, Princess, 188 Saavedra, Alvaro de, Spanish explorer, 55 Sandalwood, Trade in, 289 f. Sandhills, Battle of the, 40 ff., r, IM • Sandwich Islands, named from the Earl of, 65 Scheffer, Dr., 301 ff. Shales, Mr., 279 Spence, Capt., 283 Tahiti (Otaheite), 72, 308 Ukanipo, the shark god, 212 Ulukou, a place in Oahu, 229 Umi, a hero of ancient times, 48, 314 Upolu, a place in Samoa, 259 Vancouver, Capt. George, ii, 19, 105, 157, 214-227 Waahia, a poet of ancient times, 58 Waialae Bay, in Oahu, 161 Waialua, in Oahu, 123 Waianae, in Oahu, 121, 232 Waikapu, a place in Maui, 43, 45 . . Waikiki, a place in Oahu, 122 f ., 222 Wailua, in Maui, 70 Wailuku, a town in Maui, 29, 42, 58, 174, 276 Waimanu, a place in Hawaii, 201 Waimea, a place in Kauai, 60, 61, 66, 163 Waimea, in Hawaii, 183 Waipa, a sailor, 296 Waipio, a place in Hawaii, no f., 183, 200 Watman, William, a sailor, 88 "William Pitt," alias of Kala nimoku, 265 Windship, Capt. Jonathan, 286L, 296 Young, John, 14, 156, 169 f., 175, 191, 201, 219, 240, 247, 264, 277, 293 Printed in the United States of America Ml'!!1 ¦ til III 11 iiililll! il iinr > :!l! 'Ill ! ! I