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But they coveted her, and they were friends, who shared their wives as they divided their popoi." "Panalua," said Kekela. "That is 'dear friend custom. We had it in Hawaii. Brothers shared their wives, and sisters their husbands." "These two were name-brothers, and loved as though they were brothers by blood," said Malicious Gossip.
The crash of a falling cocoanut awakened me at midnight, and I saw on my paepae Apporo, Flower, Water, and Chief Kekela Avaua, asleep. The chief had hung his trousers over the railing, and was in his pareu, his pictured legs showing, while the others lay naked on my mats.
A thoughtless reader might conceive Kauwealoha and his colleague to be a species of amicable baboon; but I have here the anti-dote. In return for his act of gallant charity, Kekela was presented by the American Government with a sum of money, and by President Lincoln personally with a gold watch. From his letter of thanks, written in his own tongue, I give the following extract.
Here I think Kauwealoha's pantomime had confused me; I have no more of his ipsissima verba; and can but add, in my own less spirited manner, that the ship was reached, Mr. Whalon taken aboard, and Kekela returned to his charge among the cannibals. But how unjust it is to repeat the stumblings of a foreigner in a language only partly acquired!
Here and there dancers fell exhausted, until by elimination the dance resolved itself into a duet, all yielding the turf to Many Daughters, the little, lovely leper, and Kekela Avaua, chief of Paumau.
It was not until Kekela, finding a long stick in the cave, thrust it through the white foam, that by catching its end in the whirling water I was able to fight through the roaring and smashing deluge. The cave was obscure and damp, its only light filtering through the moving curtain of green water. Black and crawling things squirmed at our feet, and darkness filled the recesses of the cavern.
To- mollow Kekela he get up, he put on blackee coat, he go see chief; he see Missa Whela, him hand tie' like this. He say chief: "Chief, you like things of mine? you like whale-boat?" "Yes," he say. "You like file-a'm?" "Yes," he say. "You like blackee coat?" "Yes," he say. He take Missa Whela he house, make him sit down with he wife and chil'en. Kekela he solly. One day Kekela he see ship.
On board of these was Kauwealoha, one of the pastors, a fine, rugged old gentleman, of that leonine type so common in Hawaii. He paid me a visit in the Casco, and there entertained me with a tale of one of his colleagues, Kekela, a missionary in the great cannibal isle of Hiva-oa.
Kekela he say; "why you want?" "This bad shippee, this slave shippee," the chief he say. "One time a shippee he come from Pelu, he take away plenty Kanaka, he take away my son. 'Melican mate he bad man. I go eat him; you eat piece." "I no WANT eat 'Melican mate!" Kekela he say; and he CLY all night he cly!
So the drums were beating on the palace lawn, and afternoon found the trails gay with pareus and brilliant shawls as the natives came down from their paepaes to the seat of government. Chief Kekela Avaua, adopted son of the old Kekela, and head man of the Paamau district, called for me.
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