Planning their return

International artifact hunter Barge Huntley quickly loaded the yellow kayak onto the top of the rented black Explorer, threw his gear bag in the back, and, as he left the little bay and black sand beach, waved to the odd trio who'd just surprised him.

"See ya," the guy called. Randy Makapu'u was his name. The lucky schmuck was about to become owner of this land.

Barge nodded, thinking, "I hope to hell you don't."

Then again, he wouldn't mind running into either of the women. Pua Makua, Ph.D., the browner of the two, was as luscious as females got. The other, Tokelani Green, who said she was with something called the Pono Commission, was lighter and less buxom, but there was a certain sizzle about her.

Barge followed a Jeep trail across pahoehoe lava and through thickets of kiawe up to the highway, turned right back toward Kona, a half-mile later pulled onto the shoulder and got out of the truck. Leaning against the passenger door, he looked down the lava slope to where wind-whipped waves frothed on the rocks.

"That's the place," he said.

The place where he'd seen a 300-foot eel try to enter what Barge believed was a sea cave, and was turned away by a sharp poke to the eye.

The place Barge believed held the bones of Kamehameha the Great.

The place Barge would have to visit, and come better armed than the eel had, because somebody or something was in that cave.

The place where, at that moment, the young Oahu chief Kaneloa was being celebrated as a hero for swimming into the cave entrance even as the huge eel was trying to force its way in, and spearing the eel in the eye, forcing it to retreat shrieking in pain.

The word spread ahead of the procession as Prince To'o, the seer, led Kaneloa toward the Royal Residence of King Kavawai and Queen Tuberosa, the sister of To'o. As they passed, scores of Tubers ceased their preparations for the coming royal wedding and the arrival of Tokelani, goddess of whoopee, to cheer. Watching from the edge of the crowd with her cousin Pualani was the Princess Tuberosa La'a, soon to be betrothed, she hoped.

"Kaneloa!" people cheered, showering him with tuberose petals. "Kaneloa saved The Tube!"

"Long man, they call him," Pualani whispered with a lovely little leer and arched brow. "I see why."

The princess blushed, smiled.

"Make way for Kaneloa! He's on his way to meet the king and queen!"

"First things first, seer," Kaneloa said. "I must visit the Great King."

A whispered hush fell over the throng.

"A brave warrior who walks with the gods," the princess sighed. "Kaneloa ... I think he's the one."