curly-tailed alae and exclaimed: "Now
I will kill you, you scamp of an alae! Behold, it is you who are
keeping the fire from us. I will be the death of you for this."

Then answered the alae: "If you kill me the secret dies with me,
and you won't get the fire." As Maui-mua began to wring its neck, the
alae again spoke, and said: "Let me live, and you shall have the fire."

So Maui-mua said: "Tell me, where is the fire?"

The alae replied: "It is in the leaf of the a-pe plant" (_Alocasia
macrorrhiza_).

So, by the direction of the alae, Maui-mua began to rub the leaf-stalk
of the a-pe plant with a piece of stick, but the fire would not
come. Again he asked: "Where is this fire that you are hiding from me?"

The alae answered: "In a green stick."

And he rubbed a green stick, but got no fire. So it went on, until
finally the alae told him he would find it in a dry stick; and so,
indeed, he did. But Maui-mua, in revenge for the conduct of the alae,
after he had got the fire from the dry stick, said: "Now, there is
one thing more to try." And he rubbed the top of the alae's head till
it was red with blood, and the red spot remains there to this day.

III

PELE AND THE DELUGE

_Rev. A. O. Forbes_

All volcanic phenomena are associated in Hawaiian legendary lore
with the goddess Pele; and it is a somewhat curious fact that to
the same celebrated personage is also attributed a great flood that
occurred in ancient times. The legends of this flood are various,
but mainly connected with the doings of Pele in this part of the
Pacific Ocean. The story runs thus:

Kahinalii was the mother of Pele; Kanehoalani was her father; and
her two brothers were Kamohoalii and Kahuilaokalani. Pele was born
in the land of Hapakuela, a far-distant land at the edge of the sky,
toward the southwest. There she lived with her parents until she was
grown up, when she married Wahialoa; and to these were born a daughter
named Laka, and a son named Menehune. But after a time Pele's husband,
Wahialoa, was enticed away from her by Pele-kumulani. The deserted
Pele, being much displeased and troubled in mind on account of her
husband, started on her travels in search of him, and came in the
direction of the Hawaiian Islands. Now, at that time these islands were
a vast waste. There was no sea, nor was there any fresh water. When
Pele set out on her journey, her parents gave her the sea to go with
her and bear her canoes onward. So she s