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HISTORY OF THE HAWAIIAN PEOPLE

and taciturn in manner, and crafty and cruel in disposition.He made himself peculiar by having one side of his bodytattooed so as to appear almost black, while the other sidewas left its natural color. He had thus far successfullyresisted the attacks of both Kalaniopuu and Kame-hameha.

Peleioholani, the great king of Oahu who subduedMolokai , was succeeded by an incompetent son, Kumu-hana, who was deposed by his chiefs, and returned toKauai about 1773. They then elected Kahahana, a youngchief who had been brought up at the court of Kahekili,and had married his half-sister. Kahekili consented totheir going to Oahu on condition that the sacred land ofKualoa in Koolau and the palaoco pae (the whalebone andivory drifted ashore) should be ceded to him.

After Kahahana’s installation the council of Oahu chiefs refused to ratify this cession of the national em-blems of sovereignty to Kahekili. This latter, however,dissembled his resentment, for he was only too glad toreceive their help in his sanguinary wars with Kalanio-puu. Meanwhile he labored to poison the mind of Ka-hahana against his wisest counselor, the priest Kaopulu-pulu, whom he secretly accused of having offered thethrone of Oahu to himself (Kahekili). The weak andcredulous prince believed the slander, and caused Kao-pulupulu to be treacherously assassinated at Puuloa. Hewas already unpopular, and this murder still furtheralienated the minds of both chiefs and people from him.

Kahekili then considered that his time had come, andrecalled the auxiliary troops he had sent to Hilo . In theyear 1783 he mustered all his forces at Lahaina , andwithout warning sailed for Oahu , landing at Waikiki. Adecisive battle was fought in Nuuanu Valley, in which