ishing with the men.

When Kahauokapaka returned from the fishing he was told that Malaekahana
had born a daughter. The chief went to the house; the baby girl had been
wrapped in swaddling clothes; Kahauokapaka at once ordered the
executioner to kill it.

After a time Malaekahana conceived again and bore a second daughter,
more beautiful than the first; she thought to save it. Not so!
Kahauokapaka saw the baby girl in its mother's arms wrapped in swaddling
clothes; then the chief at once ordered the executioner to kill it.

Afterwards Malaekahana bore more daughters, but she could not save them
from being killed at birth according to the chief's vow.

When for the fifth time Malaekahana conceived a child, near the time of
its birth, she went to the priest and said, "Here! Where are you? Look
upon this womb of mine which is with child, for I can no longer endure
my children's death; the husband is overzealous to keep his vow; four
children were mine, four are dead. Therefore, look upon this womb of
mine, which is with child; if you see it is to be a girl, I will kill it
before it takes human shape.[4] But if you see it is to be a boy, I will
not do it."

Then the priest said to Malaekahana, "Go home; just before the child is
to be born come back to me that I may know what you are carrying."

At the time when the child was to be born, in the month of October,
during the taboo season at the temple, Malaekahana remembered the
priest's command. When the pains of childbirth were upon her, she came
to the priest and said, "I come at the command of the priest, for the
pains of childbirth are upon me; look and see, then, what kind of child
I am carrying."

As Malaekahana talked with the priest, he said: "I will show you a sign;
anything I ask of you, you must give it."

Then the priest asked Malaekahana to give him one of her hands,
according to the sign used by this people, whichever hand she wished to
give to the priest.

Now, when the priest asked Malaekahana to give him one of her hands she
presented the left, with the palm upward. Then the priest told her the
interpretation of the sign: "You will bear another daughter, for you
have given me your left hand with the palm upward."

When the priest said this, the heart of Malaekahana was heavy, for she
sorrowed over the slaying of the children by her husband; then
Malaekahana besought the priest to devise something to help the mother
and save the child.

Then the