🧚 The Law of the Splintered Paddle

Would you know the story of the Splintered Paddle?1 It came to pass on the island of Hawaii in the year 1783.2 It is a true incident in the life of Ka-meha-meha, the great consolidator of the Hawaiian Kingdom.3

There are slightly different versions of the tale as frequently occurs when handed down verbally through different channels.4 The main points are substantially the same.5 The stalwart king descended to the plane of a highway robber and received his punishment.6 As a native writer says: “The foundation of the law of the splintered paddle was the greed and shame of a chief dealing with a common man.”7 But, like a true man, Ka-meha-meha made this incident the occasion of a decision to neither commit nor permit any more highway robbery in his kingdom.8 This then is the outline of the incidents which changed a king into a self-respecting and somewhat law-abiding citizen.9

Two Hawaiian chiefs of splendid physique were hurriedly climbing a zigzag path up the face of an exceedingly steep bluff bordering the little bay of Lau-pa-hoe-hoe.10 The moment they reached the summit they hastened to the edge that broke in a sheer precipice to the ocean’s brink.11 Eagerly they gazed over the far-reaching waters southward along the banks of the island.12 “There is no pursuit,” said the younger man.13 “No,” replied the elder chief, resting on his spear, “the men of Hilo have crawled back to their homes to heal their wounds.14 Their war canoes are not among the shadows on the water.15 Nor do their warriors move along the side of the white mountain (Mauna Kea).16 Our watchmen do not send the banner of smoke to the sky.”17

The two chiefs were of high rank.18 They could both trace their high chief blood through more than a thousand years of royal ancestors.19 However, the elder chief was of lower rank than the other, because his ancestry had not been guarded with the same jealous care that surrounded the birth of his friend.20 Among the Hawaiians the “Ahaalii” or “council of nobles” guarded the rank of each chief and assigned to him a place according to the purity of his blood-royal.21 The younger chief covered his face with his hands and uttered the Auwe—the Hawaiian wail for the dead.22 After a time he raised his head and spoke to his companion, whom we will call Kahai.23

“O my Kahai,” he said, “yesterday and the defeat at Hilo make my thoughts burn!24 How do the prophets chant the death of my chiefs and warriors?”25

“The singers in the war canoes sang softly, O King, while the boats were hurried along through the night.26 They sang of our friends whose bodies lie in the ferns.27 They pronounced curses upon the Hilo chiefs.28 They called the struggle ‘the bitter battle’ and that shall be its name in the coming days.”29

A shudder passed over the young man as he said: “My chiefs no longer lie in the ferns.30 In my thought I see the temple servants carrying the bodies of my friends to the altars of the gods.31 It is almost the hour for the evening sacrifice.32 The hands of the priests are red with blood.33 The bones of my choice companions will be used for fish hooks.34 Auwe-Auwe-e-e!35 Woe to me.36 My name is indeed The Lonely-one—The Desolate!”37

“O King! thou art Ka-meha-meha, ‘The Lonely One,’ the one supreme in royal genealogy, but not ‘The Desolate.’38 Your friends are with you.39 To-night your war chiefs would die for you.40 Your prophet has said: ‘The cloud of Ka-meha-meha shall rest on the mountains of all the islands.’41 So shall it be.42 The gods have said it.43 Your friends believe it.”44

Ka-meha-meha (The Only-Only) was an ideal chief.45 He was over six feet in height, strong and sinewy, excelling all other chiefs in athletic exercises, cruel to enemies, ruling his own household with a rod of iron, generous and brave among his friends, and filled with a fatalistic belief in his own destiny.46 At heart he was devoted to the interests of his country as far as he understood them.47 He believed that he knew best, therefore in after years when he became ruler over the group of islands he was thoroughly autocratic.48 The king’s will was to be the people’s will.49 His was a savage face, large-featured, often ferocious and repulsive.50 On the other hand it was capable of a vast range of playing passions.51

His uncle, Ka-lani-opuu, who ruled the large island of Hawaii at the time of the death of Captain Cook, had died in 1782.52 Ka-meha-meha had been chosen king by a number of influential chiefs in opposition to his cousin Kiwa-lao, the son of Ka-lani-opuu.53 War arose between the cousins.54 Kiwa-lao was slain in one of the early conflicts.55 Other chiefs, of the southern part of the island, refused to swear allegiance to Ka-meha-meha, and had continued the war.56 The favors of the war gods had been almost equally distributed.57 The last battle had been fought at Hilo.58 At the time when our story opens Ka-meha-meha’s attack had been repulsed with fearful loss on the part of his followers.59 At this time he was forty-seven years of age and just commencing the life work of a king and savage statesman.60

The king looked thoughtfully down into the valley where the wounded and wearied warriors were drawing the war canoes out of the inrolling surf.61 In the village could be heard wailing as the scanty news of the battle was hastily reported, and the people realised that some loved chief or friend would never return again to their homes.62

The king’s heart grew warm toward his faithful friends as he want down into the valley to tell them there was no pursuit, and they could seek rest and healing.63 While the chiefs were around the poi-bowl that evening he was very quiet.64 He was thinking of the bodies of his warriors laid on the altars before the gods of the southern districts of the island.65 He thought of the naked altars of his own Waipio temple, to which he had brought no captives to be slain in sacrifice.66 He imagined that he might go alone and do some daring deed, perhaps make a hurried raid upon some unsuspecting point of his enemy’s territories.67 He rose from his mat and quietly passed out into the darkness.68 He called a few strong boatmen and his favourite canoe steerer, launched one of the war canoes, and with sail and paddle sped southward.69

That night was rough for Hawaiian seas.70 Thunder reverberated in oft-repeated echoes from the sea cliffs.71 Thunder and lightning are rare in this part of the great Pacific.72 Heavy winds blew and dashed the waves high around the canoe.73 The natives say, “The chief was not in danger, because his steersman was skilful and watchful.74 The sea did not break over the boat, nor were they wet.75 Like a dolphin the boat ran over the waves.”76

It was a misty morning as he passed Hilo Bay, where the greater part of his enemies was encamped.77 His boat, far out in the shadows, was not noticed.78 He passed around a corner of the island and planned to surprise the natives of a noted fishing-ground, hoping to make captives and secure booty from some of the warriors against whom the recent battle had been fought.79

The morning light was touching the inland mountain tops.80 It rested, a silver star, on the snowy summit of Mauna Kea.81 It made a golden glory of the fire clouds of the volcano Kilauea.82 It glistened over the black beds of pa-hoe-hoe, or smooth, shining lava.83 It began to bring into strong relief the uplifted heads of the cocoanut trees of a century’s growth.84 The white foam of ocean waves began to be visible along the outer reef.85

The natives of Papai, a bay on the Puna coast, hastened into the sea to gather the delicacies which are usually found among the shell-fish along the reef, and also to set nets and snares for fish.86

As the mists rose from the waters, the oarsmen entered into the spirit of the adventure.87 Like a shark the war canoe dashed toward the fishermen.88

The people of Puna, looking toward the dawn on the sea, had noticed the boat far out.89 They asked each other, “What boat is this of the early morning?”90 After a little they counted the number of oarsmen.91 They saw that the newcomers were strangers.92 Then they asked a native who was visiting them, whose home was on the other side of the island: “O Paiea, do you know who this is?”93

Paiea looked, recognised his ruling chief and called out: “It is Ka-meha-meha!”94 Then the people were filled with fear, for the prowess of the chief was well known and greatly feared.95 They seized paddles and nets and snares and with the screaming women and children fled, rushing along the reef, falling into the deep holes, swimming and stumbling toward the mainland.96

The king, commanding the others not to follow, leaped from the canoe to attack two stalwart natives who had been aiding the weak to escape.97

The story, related by Kukahi, is that Ka-meha-meha did not succeed in overtaking any of the Puna people before they gained the shore and fled inland.98 Closely pursuing he called on them to stop; but with greater terror they continued their flight.99 Then he became angry and quickened his pace.100 A fisherman turned and threw his fishnet over the pursuing chief, causing him to fall down upon the sharp lava.101 “Blood crawled over the stones around the fallen body.”102 Then he tore the nets which entangled him and again rushed heedlessly on.103 While straining himself to see where the men were running, his foot broke through a thin shell of lava into a crevice.104 To pull it up was impossible.105