far back and with all his might sent his spear whirring with a singing speed through the air. The crowd cheered with restrained admiration and waited tensely for the Oahu chief to throw. They expected this fine athlete to exceed the Molokai chief's thrust by a substantial gain, but to their dumbfounded amazement the Oahu chief's spear fell far short of the Molokai chief's mark.
"One of the lesser chiefs, a mischievous fellow, suspected his friend had not used bis full strength in the thrust and for some reason had forfeited the game. Little did he know, or care, of Kamanawa's wish to avoid trouble or discord while the Molokai chief was a guest in the village. Chief Maunalii disliked the Molokai chief intensely and strongly suspected his friend had deliberately forfeited the game.
"'I'll fix that fellow,' Maunalii said. 'I'll put him where he belongs! I'll challenge him to a game of bowling.'
"Maunalii was a skilled bowler, who had spent many hours rolling the large round stones great distances along the stretch of green. Without consulting Kamanawa, he went over to the Molokai chief who was gloating over all the prizes he had won. Besides getting back his own fine throw-net, his bone fishhooks, and his spears, he also had won a heap of soft hand-blocked tapa in delicate shades of pink and yellow, as well as his opponent's large calabash of personal treasures. Things were going just as he planned and his canoe would not be empty when he returned to Molokai.
"'How would you like to bowl a game with me?' Maunalii asked, coming up to the Molokai chief. 'I'm willing to put up my feather cape, a conch shell from Tahiti that you can hear all over the valley when you blow it, my finest adz, and also a feather god I saved when they destroyed our heiau.'
"The Molokai chief looked down at his trophies again. 'I don't know,' he said doubtfully. Then he looked at Maunalii, a greedy light showing in his eye, 'You'd put up the feather cape, the Tahiti conch shell, the adz, and even the feather god?'
"'That is what I said,' Maunalii replied, 'but you would have to put up your canoe.' He pointed to the trophies lying at the Molokai chief's feet. 'That kind of stuff every commoner has. But only Kamanawa has a feather cape better than mine. My cape is worthy of a high chief.'
"'But my canoe!' protested the chief from Molokai. 'My canoe is not like any canoe. It took four months to build. I went into the forest myself and chose the finest specimen of koa tree. I made sacrifices to the god of the mountain. The tree was blessed by a priest. I couldn't put up my canoe!'
"'You are afraid to risk your possessions in a game with me? I did not think the chief of Molokai would be afraid!'
"Angered though he was by the taunting words of Maunalii, he hesitated. He did not want to lose his trophies, and suppose he lost his canoe to Maunalii! How could he return to Molokai, not only empty handed, but in another's canoe? He would lose the respect of his people. On the other hand, if he won the bowling contest, he would return as a victor, the spoils heaped in the prow of the canoe. His people would see their chief wearing a royal cloak over his shoulders and a feather god mounted on the prow of his fine canoe.
"The Molokai chief wavered. 'Let me see the feather cape and the feather god.'
"'Of course, Maunalii agreed, 'come with me to my hale and you may see for yourself. Never have I seen a cape to equal mine in its beauty. Chief Kamanawa's cape may be larger but it is not as beautiful.'
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
