Part 25

"Tell me of the dream before I sleep, good Kaoleioku," urged Umi, pleasantly, "and perhaps some god may whisper an answer to it in my slumbers."

"Well thought," replied the priest; and he related his dream to Umi as he conducted him to a room in the large hale and pointed to a pile of soft kapa on a low platform.

The priest bowed and retired, and Umi, who had rested but little for three days, threw himself upon the kapa-moe and slept soundly until the sun was high in the heavens.

The young chief awoke greatly refreshed, and, after his morning bath, sought the presence of the priest, who since daylight had been busily engaged in despatching messengers to his friends in various parts of the district, and even to Puna and Hamakua, and arranging for supplies of arms, provisions and other warlike stores. Against the walls of the enclosure a number of long sheds had been hastily constructed, under which, screened from observation from without, men were repointing spears and ihes, and repairing slings, daggers and other weapons. In fact, the enclosure began to assume the appearance of a military camp rather than the peaceful habitation of a priest; and as Umi looked around him he appreciated for the first time that a step had been taken which could not be retraced, and that the lives of himself and many of his friends could be saved alone by destroying Hakau, in whose heart lived no feeling of mercy. But, as the conflict had been forced upon him, he accepted it without fear or regret, and his courage would not permit him to doubt the result.

Umi greeted and thanked the priest for the warlike preparations visible on all sides, and over their morning meal together were discussed the resources and details of the coming struggle. It was not believed that a sufficient force could be rallied in the district to make head against the battalions of the king in open fight, for news of the ripening rebellion was spreading in the neighborhood and would soon reach Waipio.

"What we lack in spears must be made up in cunning," said the priest, confidently. "The gods are with us, and the means of victory will be pointed out."

"Perhaps," replied Umi, thoughtfully; "but sometimes the direction is vague and we are apt to mistake it. Olopana failed to interpret correctly the will of Kane, as sent to him through his high-priest, and was driven by the floods from Waipio, and compelled to return to Kahiki, the land of his fathers."

"True," returned the priest, not a little astonished at Umi's knowledge of the ancient chiefs of Hawaii, "and we must not fall into the same error. The gods, perhaps, have already spoken. 'Let the spears of Hakau be sent beyond the call of the Kiha-pu,' are the words that have come to me, but I can find no interpretation of them. We must make sacrifice at once, and consult the kaulas."

"That would be well," said Umi; "yet it may be that a hint of their meaning, if nothing more, has been sent to me. I slept with the words this morning, you will remember, and now I recall that a whisper advised that we should take to our counsel Nunu and Kakohe, of Waipio."

"You have made the way clear!" exclaimed the priest, earnestly. "I know the men well. They are priests of influence and large learning. They were the advisers of Liloa, and are now the enemies of Hakau."

"The same," said Umi; "I have met them both."

"Then will we despatch a discreet messenger for them at once," returned the priest, rising abruptly. "Every moment is precious, and their counsel may be the voice of the gods."

And now, while the messenger is on his way to Waipio, it may be in place to make some further mention of the two priests in search of whom he was sent, as they contributed in no small measure to Umi's final success, and were thereafter rated among his confidential counsellors.

Nunu and Kakohe were chiefs of distinction and belonged to the priesthood. They were both learned in the lore of the gods and the traditions of the people, and were so highly esteemed by Liloa that he frequently invited them to the royal mansion, and late in life spent one or more evenings with them in each month, when he listened to recitals of the traditions of his fathers, and mistier lines of demi-gods and heroes stretching backward in unbroken thread to the morning of creation. They were among the few who could recite the sacred genealogical mele of Kumuhonua, the Hawaiian Adam, and he loved to listen to the naming of the generations from the first man to Nuu, of the great flood, and thence to Wakea, and downward still nearly sixty generations to himself. Some differences existing between the genealogies of Hawaii and Maui, Liloa had sent them to the latter island to confer with its priests and historians, with the view of reconciling their disagreements. Their mission was successful, and what is known as the Ulu genealogy was the result of the learned conference.

These were among the friends of Liloa who, for the sake of the father and the honor of the royal line, had patiently and earnestly sought to divert Hakau from his barbarous practices. But he had scorned their kind offices, made light of their learning, and finally denied them admission to the palace. He hoped by his cruelty to drive them from Waipio; but in the prophetic flames they had read their future, and from within the sacred anu of the temple voices had come to them enjoining patience; so they sat down and waited.

Arriving at Waipio, the messenger of Kaoleioku had but little difficulty in finding the two priests of whom he was in search. It was some hours after nightfall, but on inquiry he was directed to their humble dwelling on the south side of the stream, and soon stood at their door. It was dark within, and on making his presence known two men appeared at the opening. The messenger saluted them politely, and, observing but a single person, they cautiously stepped from the door and inquired of the visitor his business with them.

By their garb and bearing he knew them to be priests, but that was not enough; he could afford to make no mistake, so he dissembled and said:

"I have probably been misinformed; this is not the house of Monana, the fisherman?"

"My friend," said Nunu, "your words do not mislead us. Whether for good or evil I know not, but you are in search of Kakohe and Nunu, and they are here. If you have business with them, speak; there are no listeners."

The messenger answered by unfolding from a piece of kapa an ivory talisman carved from a whale's tooth, which he handed to Nunu, with a request that he would examine it. Stepping to a fire still smouldering near the oven of the hut, the priest threw upon it a handful of dry bark, which in a moment burst into a flame and enabled him to inspect the palaoa. Returning and addressing a few words to his companion, the priest said to the messenger:

"You are from Kaoleioku, of Waipunalei."

"I am from Kaoleioku, of Waipunalei," repeated the messenger, bowing.

"How long since?" inquired the priest.

"Late this morning," was the answer.

"You must have traveled swiftly, for the paths are rough and the distance is a long day's journey," suggested the priest, cautiously.

"My feet have known no rest," was the brief reply.

"What news bring you of Kaoleioku?"

"None."

"Then why are you here with this palaoa?"

"Because so commanded by Kaoleioku."

"There are rumors of coming troubles on the borders of Hamakua. Has Kaoleioku sent you to tell us of them?"

"I am here to say nothing of Kaoleioku, but to say for him, and to say only, that he prays that Nunu and Kakohe will meet him under his own roof at Waipunalei without delay."

"And nothing more?"

"Nothing more."

"You are discreet."

"I am simply the bearer of a message; and now that I have delivered it, I am waiting for such answer as you may desire to send back with me to Kaoleioku."

"When will you return?"

"To-night."

"Then tell Kaoleioku that his friends Nunu and Kakohe will be with him by this time to-morrow. Now come," continued the priest, "there is meat in the mua, and you must eat, for there is a wearying journey before you."

The messenger was led into an adjoining hut, where meat and poi were set before him, and half an hour after he was scaling the hills east of the valley of Waipio.

Although the messenger was silent, the priests felt assured that there was a gathering of spears in the neighborhood of Waipunalei, and that Kaoleioku was secretly inciting a revolt. They knew that Umi was somewhere among the hills of Hilo, and felt strong in hoping that at the proper time he would be found at the head of the movement.

Hakau had very much underrated the power of the priesthood, and did not discover until too late that in seeking to persecute and degrade Umi, who had been given charge of the gods and temples by Liloa, he had provoked the hostility of a class which at that period of Hawaiian history no sovereign could safely defy. If the tabus of the moi were sacred, those of the high-priests were none the less inviolable, and the strongest chiefs in the group were those who held in greatest respect and enjoyed the largest friendship of the priesthood. Like the temporal rulers, the priests inherited their functions, and were as jealous of their prerogatives as royalty itself. It was through them that the civil as well as the religious traditions of the people had been brought down and perpetuated, and through their prayers and sacrifices only that the gods could be persuaded to accord success to important undertakings.

In the veins of some of the priests ran royal blood, and from time to time they left their heiaus and became distinguished as warriors; but under no circumstances did they ever relinquish their sacred rights. They not unfrequently possessed large landed estates, the title to which remained inalienably in the family. Such, for example, was the Kekaha estate, in the district of Kona, Hawaii, which was the gift of Liloa to Laeanui, and which remained with the descendants of that eminent high-priest until the days of Kamehameha I.

Such a warrior-priest of goodly possessions was Kaoleioku, of Waipunalei. He was the high-priest of the temple of Manini, at Koholalele, which was consecrated, as before related, in the time of Liloa. Although for some years he had seldom officiated, except on important occasions--preferring the quieter life of his estate at Waipunalei--he was greatly respected by the people of the district, and his influence proved a tower of strength to Umi.

IV.

True to the answer returned to Kaoleioku by his messenger, Nunu and Kakohe reached Waipunalei the following night; and when they saw the warlike preparations, and learned that Umi was present and that the acclaim of revolt was to be raised in his name, they wept for joy. It was past midnight, and their limbs were weary, but they could not sleep. At their request the door of Umi's room was pointed out to them, and they went and sat down beside it. For an hour or more they did not speak. Then, when all was still within the walls, in a low tone they began the legendary chant of the kings of Hawaii. As they proceeded with a record which few on the island beside themselves could correctly repeat, their voices rose with their enthusiasm, and in a few minutes hundreds of half-naked men crept from their barrack lodgings and stood listening to the metric sentences of the learned historians. As they reached the name of Kiha, Umi stepped without the door. The priests recognized him and rose to their feet. Then, continuing the mele, they chanted the name of Kiha, of Liloa, of Hakau, and finally of Umi, represented as having wrested the sceptre from his unworthy brother, who was hated by his subjects and abandoned by the gods. With this they dropped on their knees before him and boldly saluted him as moi of Hawaii.

This acquainted many of the warriors present for the first time of Umi's rank, and the wildest enthusiasm seized them. They asked to be led at once to Waipio, and were only quieted when Kaoleioku appeared and assured them that their patriotic wishes would soon be gratified.

At first Kaoleioku deemed this early development of the purposes of the movement untimely, if not, indeed, unfortunate. Many preparations remained to be made. It had been a suggestion of Umi that a part of the rebel forces should be sent to Waipio by water; but the canoes necessary for the expedition had not been secured, and not more than a thousand warriors had reported. Secrecy could no longer be maintained, and immediate and open action appeared to be now unavoidable. Yet it was through Nunu and Kakohe that his plans had been thwarted, and while he felt annoyed at what they had done, he retired, hoping they had acted advisedly in the matter.

The conduct of the priests was explained and approved the next morning. They urged immediate action. Hakau was not prepared for a sudden attack. For many years there had been no wars of consequence, and such of his supporters as the king could hastily summon to his assistance would be improperly armed and without discipline.

Their advice was for Umi to raise the standard of revolt at once. This news they would take to Waipio, with the further information that, although preparing for rebellion, Umi would not be strong enough to act for some time. Alarmed, Hakau would consult the high-priest Laeanui, who, notwithstanding their relations, was secretly his enemy, and a plan could be devised to induce the king to send his household guards and immediate followers to the mountains on some religious errand, when Umi, apprised of the situation by fires kindled at intervals on the hill-tops between Waipio and Waipunalei, could swoop down with a few hundred resolute warriors and seize the king and the capital, and thus with a bold stroke achieve a bloodless triumph.

When the priests had developed this plan of action Kaoleioku rose to his feet and exclaimed with excitement:

"The gods have instructed you!"

"You have spoken truly; the gods have indeed instructed our friends!" said Umi, impressively; "for was it not said in your dreams that the victory would be bloodless if the spears of Hakau were sent beyond the call of the Kiha-pu?"

"The meaning is now plain," returned the priest, reverentially. "The gods are with us, and we will be directed by them."

All the details were then carefully arranged, and the two priests returned to Waipio. It was soon rumored that they brought news of Umi, and Hakau sent for them, as had been expected. Fear had somewhat humbled him, and he greeted them with what seemed to be the greatest friendship and cordiality. He even chided them for absenting themselves so long from the royal mansion, where their visits, he assured them, would always be welcome. They assumed to be greatly gratified at his protestations of good-will, but secretly despised him for his shallow hypocrisy.

When questioned by the king the priests frankly informed him that they had left Umi and Kaoleioku together no longer than the day before, and advised him to lose no time in despatching to the mountains all the men he could summon, to gather fresh feathers of rare birds with which to redecorate his god of war.

Hakau was startled by this advice, for the ceremony of kauilaakua was never performed except in times of war or other imminent peril.

"What!" he exclaimed, with assumed astonishment, "shall this be done because Umi lives, and you have seen him with the high-priest of Manini?"

"No; not because Umi lives," replied Nunu quietly, "but because he is preparing for rebellion."

"Rebellion!" repeated Hakau, angrily. "Does he expect to be able to maintain himself in Hilo?"

"His aims reach beyond Hilo," ventured the priest.

"To Puna?"

"Beyond Puna."

"To Kau?"

"Beyond Kau."

"Then he must aim at the whole island," exclaimed Hakau, savagely.

"At the whole island," repeated the priest, maliciously.

"He shall have land enough to bury him, and no more!" hissed the king. "But you are croakers, both of you. Before considering your advice I shall consult Laeanui and the seers of Paakalani, and hear what the gods say of this wide-spread conspiracy, as your fears and cowardice tell the story."

Hakau abruptly dismissed the priests, and despatched a messenger for the high-priest Laeanui, but it was late in the afternoon before he could be found. He was old and venerable in appearance, and his hair, white as the snows of Mauna Kea, fell to his knees, covering his shoulders like a veil.

They had met but rarely since the death of Liloa, for the old priest seldom left the temple grounds, and Hakau as seldom visited them; and as the bearded and white-haired prophet entered the royal mansion, all bent respectfully before him, and a feeling of awe crept over the king as the priest stood silently and with folded arms before him.

"My greeting to you, venerable servant of the gods!" said the king.

The priest bowed, but remained silent, and Hakau resumed abruptly:

"I have learned that Umi and a priest named Kaoleioku are plotting treason together in Hilo, near the borders of Hamakua. What know you of Kaoleioku?"

"A man to be feared if he is in earnest," replied the priest curtly.

"Have auguries of the movement been invoked?" inquired the king.

With a gesture the priest replied in the negative.

"And why not?" continued Hakau, impetuously. "What are priests and temples for, if not to guard the kingdom against coming dangers?"

"If it so please them, the gods answer when they are asked through sacrifice," replied the priest; and then, with rising anger, he continued: "Your father respected the gods, and came to the temple when he would consult them, and his son must do the same."

"Well, then," said Hakau, discovering that the priest neither loved nor feared him, "I will be at the temple to-night, some time after sunset, and have you there the best of your diviners."

"I shall await your coming," replied Laeanui, briefly, as he bowed low and retired.

"Although he gave me his daughter," muttered Hakau, as Laeanui left the room, "he has no love for me, and I as little for him. But no matter; I must not quarrel with him now. Wait until I have dealt with Umi and his confederates, and then--" But he did not finish the sentence, for he suddenly recollected that the high-priesthood was an inherited position, like his own, and its bestowal was not a royal prerogative. There were bloody means of creating vacancies, however, and these flashed through the wicked brain of Hakau.

The night that followed was dark, with a steady wind from the northwest and occasional showers. It was some time after sunset before the king entered the outer gate of the heiau of Paakalani. He was accompanied by four attendants, two of whom bore a muzzled pig and two fowls; the others were trusty friends. A kukui torch was kept burning in front of the house of the high-priest, another between the altar and inner court, and a third near the entrance of the royal retreat, with which that heiau, like many others, was provided. Toward the latter Hakau and his party proceeded, and were soon joined by Laeanui and a number of officiating priests and kilos.

Entering the royal hale, a few words passed between the king and Laeanui, when the attendants of Hakau were relieved of their burdens and sent without the enclosure. The kaika, or large sacrificial drum, was then sounded with three measured strokes, and in a few minutes six officiating priests, three of them with knives in their hands and the others bearing torches, made their appearance. To them the pig and fowls were entrusted, and, preceded by the torch-bearers, the king and high-priest, followed by the attendants of the temple, with measured pace moved toward the altar.

Reaching the place of sacrifice, the high-priest uttered a prayer to the godhead, and separate supplications to Kane, Ku and Lono, intoned by the assisting priests, when the fowls were decapitated and their headless bodies placed upon the altar. The priest watched them until they were motionless, and then opened them and carefully examined the heart, liver and entrails of each.

The king glanced anxiously at the priest, but the latter made no response. The pig was then ordered to be slain. The throat of the animal was cut and its bleeding body was also placed upon the altar. The flow of the blood was scrupulously noted, and, after the respirations had been counted and the animal ceased to breathe, the body was hastily opened. The spleen was removed and held above the head of the priest while another prayer was spoken, and then the other organs were separately examined.

Completing the inspection, Laeanui stepped back from the altar.

"Well," said the king, impatiently, "what say the gods?"

"The gods are angry, and the portents are evil," replied the priest.

"Then promise them a hundred human sacrifices," exclaimed Hakau. "If their favor is to be purchased with blood, I will drown the heiau with an ocean of it. But," he continued, "I am not satisfied with these auguries. Let me hear from the anu."

Immediately behind the altar was the entrance to the inner court of the temple. Within, and about three paces back from the door, which was covered with a wide breadth of kapa, was placed the anu, a wicker enclosure four or five feet in diameter, in which stood the oracle. On each side of the entrance were carved images of Kane, Ku, Lono and other Hawaiian deities, while at intervals of three or four feet along the walls a score or more of gods of lesser potency stood guard above the sacred spot.

To the last request of Hakau the priest replied: "The king shall hear from the anu."

The lights were then extinguished, and all except the king and high-priest retired some distance from the altar, that no whisper of the oracle might reach them. Hakau was nervous as he stepped with the priest in front of the entrance to the inner temple. A prayer was uttered by the priest; the kapa screen was drawn aside by hands unseen, and the king stood looking into the intense darkness of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

"Speak!" said the priest, withdrawing behind the altar, and leaving the king alone before the anu.

"Speak!" repeated a hollow voice from within the sacred enclosure.

For some minutes Hakau remained awed and silent; then, in a voice which scarcely seemed to be his own, he said:

"Great power, I hear that dangers threaten."

"Dangers threaten!" came like an echo from within.

"How may they be averted?" inquired the king.

For a time there was no answer. Finally a voice from the anu replied:

"Do homage to Kane; make glad the war-god of Liloa!"

"So do I promise," answered the king; "but will that give me victory?"

"Victory!" was repeated from the anu.

Elated at what he had heard, Hakau continued:

"Now tell me, mighty spirit, whether Umi--"

"Nothing more!" interrupted the voice from within, as the kapa suddenly dropped before the entrance.

"Well, thanks for so much," said Hakau, turning and joining the priest at the altar, and repeating to him, with some favorable additions, the words that he had heard. Darkness hid the smile upon the lips of Laeanui.

"The day after to-morrow we will hold here a festival to Kane, and the altar shall be heaped with offerings," said the king. "To-morrow I will send my people to the mountains to gather feathers of sacred and royal colors, and Kaili, the neglected war-god of Liloa, shall be made glorious in new plumage and glad with abundant sacrifice."

"It is well," replied the priest.

"Now let the conspirators marshal their spears!" continued Hakau, confidently, "and we will make short work of them. They cannot be punished in the hills of Hilo. With a showing of weakness we will lure them to Waipio, and not one of them shall escape. We will cut off their retreat, and close in their faces the gates of the puhonui!"