ach at Kaupo, on the island of Maui,
where they were dwelling, and proceeded to the fishing ground. Having
arrived there, they were beginning to fish, when Maui-o-ka-lana saw the
light of a fire on the shore they had left, and said to his brethren:
"Behold, there is a fire burning. Whose can this fire be?"

And they answered: "Whose, indeed? Let us return to the shore, that
we may get our food cooked; but first let us get some fish."

So, after they had obtained some fish, they turned toward the shore;
and when the canoe touched the beach Maui-mua leaped ashore and ran
toward the spot where the fire had been burning. Now, the curly-tailed
_alae_ (mud-hens) were the keepers of the fire; and when they saw
him coming they scratched the fire out and flew away. Maui-mua was
defeated, and returned to the house to his brethren.

Then said they to him: "How about the fire?"

"How, indeed?" he answered. "When I got there, behold, there was
no fire; it was out. I supposed some man had the fire, and behold,
it was not so; the alae are the proprietors of the fire, and our
bananas are all stolen."

When they heard that, they were filled with anger, and decided not
to go fishing again, but to wait for the next appearance of the
fire. But after many days had passed without their seeing the fire,
they went fishing again, and behold, there was the fire! And so they
were continually tantalized. Only when they were out fishing would
the fire appear, and when they returned they could not find it.

This was the way of it. The curly-tailed alae knew that Maui and
Hina had only these four sons, and if any of them stayed on shore
to watch the fire while the others were out in the canoe the alae
knew it by counting those in the canoe, and would not light the
fire. Only when they could count four men in the canoe would they
light the fire. So Maui-mua thought it over, and said to his brethren:
"To-morrow morning do you go fishing, and I will stay ashore. But do
you take the calabash and dress it in kapa, and put it in my place
in the canoe, and then go out to fish."

They did so, and when they went out to fish the next morning, the alae
counted and saw four figures in the canoe, and then they lit the fire
and put the bananas on to roast. Before they were fully baked one of
the alae cried out: "Our dish is cooked! Behold, Hina has a smart son."

And with that, Maui-mua, who had stolen close to them unperceived,
leaped forward, seized the