Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-12-17
The scene ofthe feat is the Sand

, the volumes. The scene the feat is the Sand
witch Islands.
: One of the greatest attractions was water
: fall, about three hundred yards up the river.
It needed not the featsdone there to make the
! fall of the Wailnka or River of Destruction
worth looking at. The river ran for some
hundred yards or so in rapids, over rocks and
stones, the banks, crag and precipice, two
hundred feet high, whose rudeness was soften
ed and refined by tendrils and creepers that
hung down to the foaming water, which ill
naturally jerked them as it rushed by. A
huge rock divided the stream, one half of
which dashed petulantly on, and met a noisy
fate down the fall; while the other of mlder,
gentler nature, ran along n channel of solid
rock, and fell in one heavy stream depth of
about twenty-five feet, joining the rough
| waters below A little turmoil succeeded the
junction then they flowed quietly on like
brothers, arm-in-arm, till they fell again, and
soon were lost in the salt waters of the ocean.
The great delight of the natives is to go
down this fall. They sit in the channel ! have
described; they utter shout, scream of joy,
join the hands gracefully over the head, and
| one after another, the girls of Hilo descend,
emerging like sea-nymphs In the eddy below.
The figure, as it CLEANS for an instant in the
body of water appears to those standing below
quite perfect; and the gay shouts and laugh
ing taunt to follow, has led to the death of
many for there is some secret current that
not only browns, but carries away the body
too. The feat was attempted by three of our
men but none, think, did it twice.
The descent of the lower fall is a lesser feat |
and the sensation of going down ii head fore |
most delightful; even that, however, is often |
fatal; and during our stay here man was
lost merely through making false step from |
the bank. The surprising agility of the women
especially battles description One will sit by
your side on the high bank, and remain so till
you throw stone into the water with all your
force; then down she jumps, straight as an
arrow her feet crossed one over the instep of
the other, and energies with laugh, holding
up the stone. On first attempting to rise TO
the surface after going down the fall, the
water seems, from the force of the current, to
be matted overhead, and it is only by striking
out into the eddy that you can rise; this the
girls manage to perfection, They kick out
their feet both together, and replaiting their
hair with their hands, they float about the
edge with a grace that is beautiful to see.
Then the water is clear and blue not cold,
frosty half-thawed. As lazily one watched
the stream, down dropped from the lodges
overhead, and cut the bright water, what soon
a man or woman. These lodges
are fifty or eighty feet high yet none seemed
to regard it as q feat, and the merry laugh
told you it was done but TO surprise the Euro
pean. We appeared contemplate in our own
eyes as we skurried from the rain with our
but we soon yielded to wiser teach
ing, threw care away, got wet and dry again
without minding it, swan, and enjoyed it as
much as they did.