filled his lungs
to the utmost, began the utterance of the sound _na-u-u-u-u_,
which he must, according to the rules of the game, maintain
continuously until the sun had disappeared, a lapse of about
two minutes' time. This must be done without taking fresh
breath. Anyone inhaling more air into his lungs or
intermitting the utterance of the sound was compelled by the
umpire to withdraw from the contest and to sit down, while
anyone who maintained the droning utterance during the
prescribed time was declared victor. It was no mean trial.]

[Translation]

_Song_

The cloud-piles o'er Kona's sea whet my joy,
Clouds that drop fain in fair weather.
The clustered dew-pearls shake to the ground;
The boys drone out the na-u to the West,
5 Eager for Sol to sink to his rest.

This my day for a plunge in the sea--
The Sun will be warming other shores--
Happy the tribes of that land of calm!
Fathomless, deep is my love
10 To thee, my passion, my mate.

The author of this love-song, _mele ipo_, is said to have
been Kalola, a widow of Kamehameha I, at a time when she was
an old woman; the place was Lahaina, and the occasion an
amour between Liholiho (Kamehameha II) and a woman of rank.
The last two verses of the poem have been omitted from the
present somewhat free, yet faithful translation, as they do
not seem to be of interest or pertinent from our point of
view, and there is internal evidence that they were added as
an afterthought.

The hulas on the various islands differed somewhat from one
another. In general, it may be said that on Kauai they were
presented with more spirit and in greater variety than in
other parts of the group. The following account will
illustrate this fact:

About the year 1870 the late Queen Emma made the tour of the
island of Kauai, and at some places the hula was performed as
a recreation in her honor. The hula ka-laau was thus
presented; it was marked, however, by such peculiarities as