Chapter II (2)

The land in which Punia lived was Kohala, Hawaii. After the death of his father there was left Punia and his mother, Hina. Their occupation consisted in the cultivation of sweet potatoes, and in this way they were supplied with food; but they had no fish or meat.

THE LOBSTER CAVE.

One day Punia said to [his mother] Hina: “Let me go down to the lobster cave where father used to go and get us some lobsters.” Hina replied: “No, that cave of lobsters is a dangerous place; no man can escape alive from that place. When a person goes down he will never come up again, the sharks will eat him up.”

Kaialeale. This was the name given to a very large shark which lived in that neighborhood and he was king of all the sharks [349] which lived near this cave of lobsters. There were ten sharks under him; he was the eleventh.

At the second request made by Punia of his mother, he went on down until he arrived directly over the lobster cave; there he saw Kaialeale [350] and the other sharks asleep. Punia then called: “I wonder if that great shark called Kaialeale is still asleep. If he is I can dive down and come up at that point over yonder where I will get two lobsters, and my mother and I will have something to eat with our potatoes in the uplands.” While Punia was talking to Kaialeale the rest of the sharks woke up. Kaialeale then said to the other sharks: “Let us watch and see where Punia dives, then we will dive in after him.” Punia had a stone in his hand while he was talking which he threw out beyond the point where he spoke about diving to get the lobsters. When the stone struck the water the sharks made a dive for the place leaving the cave of lobsters unguarded. Punia then dove down and secured two lobsters and then addressed the sharks: “Here there, Punia has gone down and he has two lobsters, giving him something to live on. This will keep my mother and myself alive. It was the first shark, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth, the tenth, it was the eleventh shark that told me what to do, the one with the thin tail. He was the one that told me what to do.” When Kaialeale heard this from Punia, he ordered all the sharks to come together and get in a row. He then proceeded to count them, and sure enough there were ten of them, then he looked for the one with the thin tail. When he found the one he said: “So it was you that told Punia what to do. You shall die.” After this shark was killed, Punia called out: “So you have killed one of your own kind.” After this Punia returned home to his mother.

After they had eaten the two lobsters they were again without any fish, so Punia again asked his mother: “Let me go down and get us some more lobsters from that cave.” The mother replied: “Your last trip probably was the one in which you came home safe. This trip may be your last. Don’t go down.” Punia, however, rose and went down to the cave of lobsters. When he came to the place, he called out as he did at the first time. Then when Kaialeale and the other sharks woke up he threw a stone toward the other side away from the cave. When the stone struck the water the sharks went after it. Punia then dove down and again got two lobsters. After he got ashore he called out to the sharks as he did at the other time and then counted out the sharks from the first to the tenth, and then named the tenth one as the one which told him what to do. “The one with the large stomach,” said Punia. Kaialeale then proceeded to count the sharks and when he found the one with the large stomach, he was killed by the others. Punia then followed out the same line of conversation as used by him at the former time.

Punia thus continued deceiving the sharks until all were killed except Kaialeale. After this Punia hewed out two sticks each a yard long; he next procured the two necessary sticks, [351] a hard and a soft one, to make fire; then he procured some charcoal and kindling wood; then he prepared some food, salt, an opihi [352] shell and put all these things into a bag. With this [bag] Punia proceeded to the beach and when he got directly over the cave, where Kaialeale was sleeping, he called out: “If when I dive down Kaialeale should bite me and I die and my blood should come to the surface, then my mother will see it and I shall come to life again. But if when I dive, Kaialeale should open wide his mouth so that I am swallowed whole, I shall die and will never be able to come to life again.” While Punia was talking, Kaialeale was listening, and he said to himself: “I will not bite you for you might come to life again. I shall open my mouth wide enough for you to walk in. So this is the time when I shall kill you. Yes, you shall die; nothing will save you.” Punia then dove down with his bag, when Kaialeale opened his mouth and Punia walked in. As soon as Punia got into the mouth it tried to close up, but Punia took the two sticks he had hewed out and stood them up which kept the mouth open. He then rubbed the two sticks and when the fire was started he placed on the coals; he next took out his opihi shell and began to scrape the inside of the shark and after he had a ball of meat he proceeded to cook it and when cooked he sat down and with his potatoes he made his meal, while the shark was swimming here and there through the ocean. This scraping hurt the shark so much that he could not keep still; he was forced to go here and there. Punia was carried around in the shark for about ten days, when at last the shark began to grow weak and it made its way back toward land, arriving outside of Kona, at a place called Alula, directly out of Hiiakanoholae. Punia on the other hand became bald, from being in its belly; the work of the rascal.

When Punia heard the breakers on the shoals, he said: “If this is near the line of breakers I will be saved, but if I am to be taken to the edge of the deep sea, I will die.” When Kaialeale heard this he said: “I shall take you there then, where you will die by me. You shall die; nothing will save you.” When they reached there, Punia again said: “If this is where the surf breaks I shall be saved, but if I am to be taken to the dry sand near where the grass grows by the seashore, I will die and will not be saved.” Kaialeale upon hearing this took Punia until he reached the shrubs. When the shark attempted to return he was caught in the dry sand and there he laid.

When the people saw this great thing they came to look at it, and as they gathered around the shark, Punia heard the people talking, so he called out: “Be careful or you will kill me.” The people then took out their wooden knives [353] and cut the shark open. Punia then came out. He was without any hair, being completely bald.

This was the only place where there were any people, all the rest of the place round about Keaukaha was inhabited by ghosts.

After Punia got out of the shark he proceeded on his way and saw several ghosts with nets all busy tying on stones for sinkers to the bottom of the nets; this place was near the beach. At sight of the ghosts he placed his hands at his back and began wailing and recounting in a chant the different places where he used to go fishing with his father. In this Punia was trying to deceive the ghosts in order to save himself.

Alas, O my father of these coasts!
We were the only two fishermen of this place,
Myself and my father,
Where we used to twist the fish up in the nets,
The kala, [354] the uhu, [355] the palani, [356]
The transient fish of this place.
We have traveled over all these seas,
All the different places, the holes, the runs.
Since you are dead, father, I am the only one left.

At the sound of the wailing one of the ghosts heard it and so spoke to some of the others: “I hear a voice as though wailing. There it is recounting the places where he used to live with his father.” One of the ghosts replied: “It must be the sound of the wind or else it is the hooting of an owl.” Another one replied: “Let us listen for the voice.” While they were discussing, Punia was listening too, and when they ceased talking and began listening, he started to wail again, saying:

Alas, O my father of these coasts!
We were the only two fishermen of this place,
Myself and you, my father,
Where we used to twist the fish up in the nets,
The kala, the uhu, the palani,
The transient fish of this place.
We have traveled over all these seas,
All the different places, the holes, the runs.
Since you are dead, father, I am the only one left.

When Punia ceased wailing, one of the ghosts said to another: “Our nets will be of some use now since here comes a man who is acquainted with this place and we will not be letting down our nets in the wrong place.” They then called out [to Punia]: “Come here.” When Punia heard this call he went up to the ghosts. They then asked him: “What are you crying about?” Punia replied: “I am crying because of my father; this is the place where we used to fish. When I saw the lava rocks, I thought of him.” The ghosts then said to Punia: “Well and good, you shall show us how and where to cast the nets and we will work under you.” Punia assented to this saying: “All right, if you carry out my instructions and do as I tell you we will catch all the fish you want. This is what I want you to do: Two of you must swim out with me while the rest shall stay ashore here; and when I call to some of you to swim out to us then come. When I stick up two fingers, that will mean that I want two to come; and if I stick up one finger, then I want one to come. That is the way the fish of this place are caught, because the bottom is all open and there are several places where the nets must be let down.” The ghosts all heard the instructions of Punia. Punia after this swam out with two of the ghosts, and after some little time he called out to the two ghosts to open out the nets and said: “When I give you the order to dive, then you must dive down and don’t come up again until I pull on the nets, for I see there is a large school of them here.” When the ghosts dove down Punia dove in after them and twisted the nets tangling up the ghosts and killing them. After these two were killed Punia came up to the surface and called out to those ashore holding up two fingers. Two more came swimming and again they were killed. He next called out and held up one finger and that one was also killed. Punia continued this deceit until there were but very few of the ghosts left alive. When the ghosts saw that Punia was the only one to be seen in the sea they called out to Punia: “Where are the rest of our companions?” “They are here,” replied Punia. “They are twisting up the kala, the uhu, the nenue, [357] the palani and the transient fish of these waters.” The ghosts that were left then said one to another: “They are not killed.” Punia then held up one finger, calling for only one. One came out. Punia called for two and two swam out. Punia continued to do this until all but one of the ghosts were killed.

KAAO NO PUNIA.

Ike Punia oiai ma ka Lua Ula i ka Moe o na Mano.—Me ke Akamai Make
Umi Iaia.—Koe o Kaialeale ke ’Lii Mano.—Olelo Maalea Punia i wahi e
Komo ai i ka Opu.—I ka Hamama ana, Hoa Oia ia Loko me ke Ahi.—Oweli
ka Mano a Ohule o Punia.—Hui Punia me na Uhane Lapu.—Alakai Ia i ko
Lakou Make iloko O ka Wai, koe Hookahi.

O ka aina i noho ai o Punia, o Kohala i Hawaii, make ka makuakane, ola o Punia me ka makuahine me Hina, o ka laua hana ka mahi i uala, a loaa ka ai, aohe ia.

KA LUA ULA.

I aku o Punia ia Hina: “E iho au i ka luu ula na kaua i ka lua ula a kuu makuakane.” Olelo mai o Hina: “Aole, o na lua ula, aohe kanaka ola. Iho aku no ke kanaka e luu pau no i ka mano.”

No Kaialeale. He mano ia, oia ke ’lii o na mano e ae, e noho ana i ka lua ula. He umi mano malalo ona, oia ka umikumamakahi.

I ka lua o ka olelo ana a Punia i ka makuahine, iho keia a maluna pono o ka lua ula, e moe ana o Kaialeale a me na mano e ae. Kahea iho la keia: “Ke moe nei no paha ua mano nui nei, o Kaialeale ka inoa. Kuu luu aku no auanei ia a ma kela lae la, ea ae, loaa no na ula elua, ola no wau me kuu makuahine, hoi aku no me na uala ola no ka noho ana o uka.” Ia Punia e olelo ana, ala na mano a pau loa a me Kaialeale. I aku o Kaialeale i ka nui mano: “E nana pono kakou i kahi a Punia e luu ai, alaila, luu aku kakou.” Aia ma ko Punia lima he pohaku. Nou aku la ia ma ka lae ana i olelo mua ai i na mano, a haule ka pohaku i lalo o ke kai. Popoi aku la na mano ma ia wahi, hakahaka ka lua ula. Luu iho la o Punia a loaa elua ula, ea ae la a kau i luna, olelo aku i na mano. “A-ha-ha! luu iho nei no o Punia loaa na ula elua, ola.” “Ola no maua me kuu makuahine, na ke kahi o ka mano, na ka lua, na ke kolu, na ka ha, na ka lima, na ke ono, na ka hiku, na ka walu, na ka iwa, na ka umi, na ka umikumamakahi o ka mano au i hai mai nei. Na ka mano hiu wiwi, nana au i hai mai nei.” Lohe o Kaialeale i keia olelo a Punia, kahea i na mano a pau e moe pono. Helu keia a pau he umi. Nana ma ka hiu a loaa hookahi mano hiu wiwi. I aku o Kaialeale: “Nau ka i hai aku nei o Punia, make oe.” A make ia mano, kahea mai o Punia. “A-ha-ha! make no ia oukou hoa ia!”

Hoi o Punia ai me ka makuahine a pau keia mau ula, make hou i ka ia, olelo aku no o Punia: “E iho hou e luu ula na laua i ka lua ula.” I mai ka makuahine: “O ko iho ana paha ia i ola ai oe. Keia iho ana paha make oe. Mai iho oe.” Ku ae la o Punia a iho, a hiki i ka lua ula, kahea iho. Ala o Kaialeale a me na mano a pau: Nou keia i ka pohaku ma kekahi aoao, lilo na mano i laila. Luu iho la keia loaa elua ula. Ea ae la i luna a kahea aku i na mano, e like me na olelo mua, hai aku keia, na kekahi o ka mano, na ka lua o ka mano, pela a hiki i ka umi o ka mano, nana au i hai mai nei. Na ka mano opunui. Helu hou o Kaialeale i na mano, a loaa ka mano opunui, pepehi ia iho la make ia mano. Olelo hou aku no o Punia e like me na olelo mua i hala.

Pela no ka Punia hoopunipuni ana a pau na mano i ka make, a koe o Kaialeale hookahi. Kalai o Punia, elua ku laau, he iwilei ka loa, he aunaki me ka aulima, he nanahu me ka pulupulu, he ai, he paakai, he opihi, he pahoa, a loko o ke eke.

Iho o Punia a maluna pono o ka lua a Kaialeale e moe nei, kahea iho o Punia: “Ke moe nei no paha ua mano nui nei o Kaialeale! Ina i luu au, a i nahu o Kaialeale ia’u, a make au, puai i kuu koko i luna, ike kuu makuahine, ola hou wau. Aka, i luu au a hamama o Kaialeale a hele ku au i loko, make au, aole au e ola.”

Ia Punia e olelo ana, ke hoolohe nei o Kaialeale. I iho o Kaialeale: “Aole au e nahu ia oe, e ola oe, e hamama ana au a akea kuu waha, a hele oe i loko, eia ka ko mea e make ai oe ia’u. Make oe, aole ou wahi e ola ai.” Luu aku la o Punia me ke eke ana, hamama mai ana ka waha o Kaialeale.

Hele ku keia i loko, popoi ka waha, kukulu keia i na koo laau ana elua, akea o loko a hakahaka, hia ke ahi a a, hoa ka nanahu, wa’u keia i ka io o ka mano me ka opihi, pulehu, o ka ai, noho no keia ai, ka ka mano ahai no i ka moana. Ua nui loa ka eha o ka mano i keia mau hana a Punia i loko o ka opu. Nolaila, ahai ka mano ia ia nei a anahulu i ka moana, nawaliwali ka mano, hoi a pae i Alula, aia i Kona ia wahi e kupono la i Hiiakanoholae. O Punia hoi, ua helelei ka lauoho i ka noho i loko o ka opu, ka hana a ka eu.

A lohe o Punia i ka owe o ka nalu i ke kohola, olelo ae: “Ina he kunanalu keia, ola au, aka, ina e lawe ia au a ke poi ana o ke kai make au.”

Lohe o Kaialeale, olelo iho: “E lawe ana au ia oe a hiki i laila, aia ka kou wahi e make ai ia’u. Make oe, aole ou wahi e ola ai.” A hiki laua nei i laila, olelo hou iho o Punia: “Ina o ke poi ana keia o ka nalu, ola no wau, aka, ina e lawe ia au a ke one maloo, e pili ana me ka nahelehele, make au, aole e ola.” Lawe hou o Kaialeale a hiki i laila, i hoi mai ka hana paa i ke one maloo.

Ike mai la na kanaka i keia mea nui, hele mai la e nana, a lohe o Punia, kahea ae: “E akahele iho i ke kanaka o pepehi iho.” Hele mai la na kanaka me ka pahoa, kakaha i ka opu o ka mano. Puka ae la o Punia aohe lauoho, ua hulu ole.

No ku ’kua. O kahi kanaka iho la no ia, he ’kua wale mai no ma Keaukaha a me uka ae.

Hele mai la o Punia ma ia wahi mai, a ike mai la i keia poe akua e hikii pohaku upena kuu ana i ka lae kahakai. Pea ae la na lima o Punia i ke kua, a uwe helu mai la i kahi a laua e lawaia ai me ka makuakane. He hoopunipuni keia hana a Punia i ke ’kua, i pakele ia i ka make.

Auwe no hoi kuu makuakane o keia kaha e!
Elua wale no maua lawaia o keia wahi.
Owau no o ko’u makuakane,
E hoowili aku ai maua i ka ia o ianei.
O kala, o ka uhu, o ka palani,
O ka ia ku o ua wahi nei la,
Ua hele wale ia no e maua keia kai la!
Pau na kuuna, na lua, na puka ia.
Make ko’u makuakane, koe au.

I loko o keia hana a Punia, lohe kekahi mau akua, a olelo aku i ka nui o ke ’kua: “He leo hoi keia e uwe nei, eia la ke helu mai nei i kahi a laua e noho ai me ka makuakane.” Olelo aku kekahi akua: “He wi makani paha, a i ole ia, he keu pueo.” Olelo mai kekahi: “E hoolohe hou kakou i ka leo,” ia lakou akua e hoopaapaa ana, e hoolohe ana keia, na lakou la ka hoolai, uwe hou keia.

Auwe no hoi kuu makuakane o keia kaha e!
Elua wale no maua lawaia o keia wahi,
Owau no o ko’u makuakane,
E hoowili aku ai maua i ka ia o ianei,
O kala, o ka uhu, o ka palani,
O ka ia ku o ua wahi nei la,
Ua hele wale ia no e maua keia kai la,
Pau na kuuna, na lua, na puka ia,
Make ko’u makuakane koe au.

A hooki o Punia i ka uwe ana, i aku kekahi akua i kekahi akua: “Pono ka upena a kakou ua loaa ke kamaaina, aole e lalau ke kuu ana o ka upena.” Kahea lakou nei: “Hele mai!” A lohe o Punia, hele mai la a hiki. Ninau aku lakou nei: “E uwe ana oe i ke aha?” I mai o Punia: “E uwe ana au i ko’u makuakane i ka maua kaha e lawaia ai, i ke ano wale mai no o ka pahoehoe, a, me he mea ala, oia okoa no.” I aku ke akua ia Punia: “Heaha la hoi, o oe ko makou kamaaina nana e kuhikuhi. I mau lawaia makou malalo ou.” “Ae,” mai o Punia. “Ae, ina oukou e hoolohe i ka’u olelo loaa ka ia a kakou, penei: Elua o oukou e au me a’u, o ka nui e noho, a kahea mai au e au ae, alaila au ae. E oku mai ana auanei au elua manamana lima, elua mea e au ae. Pela e loaa ai ka ia o keia wahi, no ka mea, he naele, he nui na kuuna.” Lohe pono aku la na akua a pau i keia olelo a Punia, au aku la o Punia me na akua elua, a liuliu. Kahea aku o Punia, e wehe ka upena a kaawale na kihi: “I olelo aku au ia olua e luu, alaila, luu mai, mai ea ae i luna o lilo ka ia, eia la he naho okoa no.” A luu na akua, luu aku la o Punia e wili i ka upena a hihia iho la a make. Ea ae la o Punia i luna a hea aku i uka, oku ae la. I elua la. Au mai la elua, make no, i hookahi la. Pela no ka hana maalea ana a Punia a koe uuku ke akua. “Auhea iho la ka nui o makou!” “Eia no,” wahi a Punia, “ke wili nei i kala, i ka uhu, i ka nenue, i ka palani, i ka ia ku o ua aina nei la.” “Aole hoi ha i make,” pela ke ’kua. Oku hou o Punia i ka lima, i hookahi la. Au mai ana, elua la, au mai ana. Pela ka hana ana a pau ke akua i ka make, pakele aku hookahi.

LEGEND OF PAMANO.