Sister of the Sun by Coleman Clare;

Author:Coleman, Clare;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 1992-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

Paruru took Nika to visit Piho Clan, with hope that the sailor might find life agreeable on another islet. His sister Heka welcomed them both eagerly, arranged a feast, invited all the prominent people of the clan.

While fires were heating the oven stones, Paruru and Nika sat with the warrior's uncles and brothers in the shade above the beach. Nika had recently told a fine tale of a sea battle. Paruru urged him to repeat it in this distinguished company. He wished everyone to hear how well the outsider spoke.

"It is better," said the sailor, "if I make little boats." He took a brown bit of palm leaf and folded it into the crude shape of a boat, then pressed it into the sand. He enlisted the aid of the other men in making more, some from dried leaves and some from fresh.

"These brown ones are of our enemy," Nika said, placing the "boats" in formation. "They are heavy and slow. The green ones are of my land. Light and quick." He spoke of the weapons aboard, which flung stones a great distance. He explained how the vessels had to maneuver to point the huge weapons at their targets.

Paruru watched the looks of amazement on his kinsmen's faces as Nika revealed the foreign methods of battle. Finally Nika reached the part where burning ships were sent at night to set fire to the enemy fleet. To demonstrate, the sailor made a crude palm leaf torch, igniting it at a nearby cook fire. With the torch, he set alight one brown vessel after another.

"Aue!'' cried Crabs-sleeping.' "That is a quick way to get rid of them."

"But those craft ride high out of the water," argued an uncle. "With so many masts and so much rigging, they catch fire too easily." He turned to Nika. "It is good that your enemy did not use our kind of war canoe!"

Nika laughed and said this might be so. The men kept raising new points over the tactics he had described, sometimes arguing heatedly among themselves. By the time servers brought the meal, Paruru was satisfied that his sailor had made a strong impression.

The next day, the kaito-nui found Heka with a group of women, seated on mats in a grove of coconut palms. When he asked to speak with her in private, she sent the women away. "Everyone is glad to see you again," she said pleasantly, brushing back long hair that glistened beneath a braided headdress of vines and lavender morning glory. "And I hear that Nika has found many friends."

"I am happy to be your guest, sister. And so is Nika. He is with Crabs-sleeping now, searching for the black-lipped oysters."

"I heard that he is fond of pearl shells," she replied thoughtfully. "And we have the best. Is that what you wish to talk about?"

Paruru did not answer directly, but began praising Nika's skills. "He is talented at working wood. The foreign tool does wonders in his hands. I would like to see him learn to build canoes.

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