Note 12 — PREFACE. (continued 4)

When they arrived at Kou,12 they left the canoe there and proceeded up Nuuanu, where they looked down toward Kaneohe and they saw the house with its open doorway as described by Puniakaia. The men then proceeded on down to the house and found Halekou the mother of Puniakaia sitting on some mats. The men extended their greetings and Halekou returned the same. Halekou then asked the men: “What has brought you here?” The men replied: “We have come on the request of a boy by the name of Puniakaia.” When Halekou heard this, she wept as well as the chiefs and common people, and said: “We thought that Puniakaia was dead; but we see now that he is still alive. What has he requested you to do?” “He told us that we come and tell you that you go and call for his fish, Uhumakaikai, and request that it drive some fish to Kauai; because Puniakaia made a wager with the king of Kauai, that in fifteen days he could catch a certain amount of fish, and that if this amount of fish was not caught within this given time, Puniakaia would be killed. Now this is the twelfth day and we have only three days left if Puniakaia is to be saved.” When Halekou heard this, she said: “I am afraid the fish will not obey my call; for he is the only one that could make the fish do his bidding; but I shall go and try.”