the west wind. He put each wind
into a cave, so that it might not blow. He sought in vain for the west
wind, but could not find from whence it came. If he had found the cave
in which it stayed he would have closed the entrance to that cave with
rocks. When the west wind blows lightly it is because Maui has got near
to it, and has nearly caught it, and it has gone into its home, the
cave, to escape him. When the winds of the south, east, and north blow
furiously it is because the rocks have been removed by the stupid people
who could not learn the lessons taught by Maui. At other times Maui
allows these winds to blow in hurricanes to punish that people, and also
that he may ride on these furious winds in search of the west wind."

In the Hawaiian legends Maui is represented as greatly interested in
making and flying kites. His favorite place for the sport was by the
boiling pools of the Wailuku river near Hilo. He had the winds under his
control and would call for them to push his kites in the direction he
wished. His incantation calling up the winds is given in this Maui
proverb--

"Strong wind come,
Soft wind come."

White in his "Ancient History of the Maoris," relates some of Maui's
experiences with the people whom he found on the islands brought up from
the under-world. On one island he found a sand house with eight hundred
gods living in it. Apparently Maui discovered islands with inhabitants,
and was reported to have fished them up out of the depths of the ocean.
Fishing was sailing over the ocean until distant lands were drawn near
or "fished up."

Maui walked over the islands and found men living on them and fires
burning near their homes. He evidently did not know much about fire, for
he took it in his hands. He was badly burned and rushed into the sea.
Down he dived under the cooling waters and came up with one of the New
Zealand islands on his shoulders. But his hands were still burning, so
wherever he held the island it was set on fire.

These fires are still burning in the secret recesses of the volcanoes,
and sometimes burst out in flowing lava. Then Maui paid attention to the
people whom he had fished up. He tried to teach them, but they did not
learn as he thought they should. He quickly became angry and said, "It
is a waste of light for the sun to shine on such stupid people." So he
tried to hold his hands between them and the sun, but the rays of the
sun were too many and too strong; therefo