The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-03-08
FFo@ chseve''s hlaai World efhs Pacific
xTRAoRDINARY SWIMMING FEAT


FFo@ cAseve,-'s blrHd HSrH ofhs Pacific.
EXTRAORDINARY SWIMMING FEAT.
IL was on the same track, by which we
have thus gained safely our Island homethat
a swimming feat was performed fow years
ago, 10y n native woman, IN peril which sur
passea all other achievements Of the kind on
recorl When about midway between the
outmost points Of Hawaii and Kahoolawc,
or thirty miles from land on either side,
small island vessel,poory managed and lcaky
las they generally are suddenly shifted car
go in a strong wind, plugged bows under and
went down, there being on board between
thirty and forty persons aud part Of them in
the cabin. This was Just after dinner on
Sunday. The natives who were un deck
were at once all together in the waves, with
no means Of Escape but tTrcir skill in swim
ming, A Christian man 10y the name of Ma
uae, who had conducted morning worship and
n Sabbath scrvice with the people in the fore
noon now called them round him in the wa
ter, and implored help from God for all
Then, as n strong current was setting IA the
to Hawaii, whittier they were bound they all
made in different ways for Maui and Kahoo.
lave.
Tho captain Of tho schooner, foreigner,
being unable 10 swim,was put by his Hawaii
an wife on an oar, aud they too struck out
together for the distant shore, but on Monday
morning, having survived the first night the
captain died, and in the afternoon of the same
day his wife landed on Kahoolawe. A float
ing hatchway from the wreck gave a chance
for life for strong Young man and his broth
or; but the latter persisted before the daylight
of Monday, while the former reached the H..
land in safety by sight or nine o'clock. \
feeble boy without any support swan the
EdHv riiH;anup 0t uuarty thirty rl,iira, and ar
rived safe to land before any of the others
Mauae and his wife had each secured a COW
cred bucket for buoy, aud three Young men
kept them company until evening, but all dis
appeared, one after another during the night,
either by exhaustion, or getting bewildcred
and turning another way, or becoming the
prey OF the sharks.
Monday morning the faithful pair were
pieces, she swan without anything till after
noon, when, Mauae also became too weak to
60 on. The wife stopped and lomilomicd
him Ga kind Of champooning common herc)
so that he was able to swim again until Ka-
hoolawe was in full view. Soon, however,
Mauae grew so weary that he could not even
hold TO the bucket and his faithful wife, tax
Z, l.
hair of her head, while she still hopefully held
on, gradually nearing the shore Her hus-
bands hands soon slipped from her hair, too
weak to keep thoir hold and she tried in vain
90 rouse him 10 further effort. She endeav-
ored, according to the native expression, to
hooiand kona manao,to make his hope spip,, to
inspire him with confidence by pointing to
the land, and telling him to pray to Jcsus;but
he could only utter few broken petitions
Putting his arms therefore around her neck
che held them fast on her bosom with one
hand and still SWAN vigorously with the 9th
'crr until near nightfall, when herself and her
now lifeless burden were within quarter of
n mile of the shore. She had now to contend
with the raging surf and finding the body of
hsr husband which she had borne so long,
stone dead, she reluctantly cast it off and
shortly after reached the land.
But there she was hardly better Of than at
sea, for the long exposure to the brine had
so blinded her eyes that it was some time be-
fore she could see; her strength was too much
spent to travel and the spot on which she
landen was barren lava, on the opposite side
of the Island to any settlement Food and
water she must find or die. Providentially
she obtained the latter in a rain that had re-
rssttiy fallen, and that was standing for her
in the cups of the rocks. Monday night,
Tuesday, "Wednesday and Thursday came
and went without relief while she kept on
gradually as she could towards the inhabited
parts of the Island. At last on Friday morn
in. when her mannioonn.h her swimming hope
that had held its head so long above the
waves, was fast sinking with her failing
strength, by gracious Providence she dis !
covered a water melon vine in fruit Eating
oao her eyes were enlightened" like iona
tAan's by the honey, soon after she was found
by a party of fishermen, ny them cared for
and conducted to their village, and the next
siHy transported by a canoe to J.ahana, |
whence the foundercd schooner had sailed /
tf-f one week before