Note 8 — Introductory material (continued 3)

When the spirits looked and saw Kaulu and Kaeha returning, they said amongst themselves: “So Kaeha is not dead.” After this the spirit again tempted Kaeha and enticed him to go and play swing. So the spirits and Kaeha proceeded to where a swing was rigged up, when they remarked to Kaeha: “You take the first ride while we push the swing for you.” While this conversation was going on, Kaulu arrived and in a cunning way said: “Say, if you all wish to take a ride on the swing, I will pull the rope.”8 He then proceeded to instruct them how to ride the swing. “In my country we ride the swing by sitting facing one another to the full length or top of the rope; then the swing is pulled and the pleasure begins.” In this way all those spirits were killed, by the swing breaking. When the remaining spirits saw this trick played on them by Kaulu, they thought they would get even with him by again enticing Kaeha to go with them for rod-fishing. On this fishing excursion Kaeha was killed and he was put in the shell of a bitter opihi,9 the kind that sticks to the smooth boulders. On missing Kaeha, Kaulu went in search of him until he discovered him in an opihi; but on account of its smooth surface he was unable to get the opihi from the boulder, so he urinated on the opihi, which released Kaeha. This action caused all the opihi of this kind to become bitter to this day, and it has always been known from that day as the bitter opihi.