Note 80 — CONTENTS. (continued 3)

Famine was raging below Waiohonu, near Hana, Maui. The children, the men and the women were in great need. The famine had even reached as far as the konohiki’s80 place of residence, and the konohiki was also in distress on account of the famine. After that a widow had an idea to go and search for food for them. She said to the parents of her husband: “I am going to search for some mountain kalo for food for us; do you prepare the wood. You wait for me, and if the day passes by without my return, then you may conclude that I am dead.” She then started off to look for wild kalo. She followed the course of a stream. While going towards the mountain not a kalo could she find. It was already picked by those who had gone before. She kept on until she came to the tall woods when she found some mountain kalo. Others who had sought for food had not gone as far as this. She gathered enough for a large pile which she bundled conveniently for carrying. Then she kept going mountainwards, following the stream. She saw cane stretching out on the ground and then rising again, and bananas till they were over-ripe. She hastened to break some cane and to get some bananas, thinking to take home a bundle of sugar-cane. Kahuoi heard the cane snapping and the noise of the banana trees as they were thrown down. So he went along to see what it was, and saw this beautiful woman. When the woman saw the man, she was afraid, and said to him: “If this banana field and this cane are yours, I beseech for pardon before you for my wrong.” Kahuoi answered and said: “Why should it be wrong to take of the eatables? One must indeed be famished to search the source of food.” And because he was kindly disposed, the woman said: “Perhaps you have a wife?” He answered: “I have no wife; I came alone from my country. My parents were tired of me because I would not do any cultivating, therefore I was sent away, and I found this place and lived here, and now I have met you.”