Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-02-02
now TITs KANAKAS SWIM.

! Every man. woman or child who has
/ svar Written home concerning the Sand
/ wieh Islanders. has described their " surf
/ boards - and their astonishing skill IN
o1Iitliug them through surf in which
no civilized man could live, as also their
! excellence in swimming and almost su-
perhuman endurance in the water.
! Travellers are apt to term hahaka
| half man, half fish. F" should say that
/ he was " one-third man and twO-thlrds
/ fish - for no fish that swims the ocean
could have any command over Itself IN
! breakers where the island boys and girls
sport for hours, as perfectly at home as
on dry land.
The surf- board is q piece Of thin plank,
/ five or six feet long by eighteen inches
| in breadth. When the long, green swells
| are rolling with terrific viOlence-with
din and crash that out thunders thunder
| itself. then men, women and children
| flock to the beach, and divesting them
| selves of their supertluous clothing, dash
/ into the breakers, board in hand with
a malicious agility, they dodge the heav-
! lest rollers, plunging beneath them as
they begin to crest and reaching the out
| side breakers, perhaps for their lightning
ride shOreward.
Malicious as their outward progress
through a boiling surf, which DO whale
boat would attempt, seemed to US, set
ting the force of suction and underthrOw
completely at defiance, we felt thrill
of horror as we looked upon couple OF
delicate-looking girls kneeling upon a
frail board, rushed in as if shot from a
bomb, upon the crest of a great, green
billow, which, raising its head as il came,
lust managing TO keep in such position
as to avoid the break of the roller, and
in less time than l have taken to de-
scribe, with screams of delight, they
dashed up to the very spot where we
were standing.
AS swimers they have no equals, men
and women appearing to possess equal
powers of endurance; and most aston
| ishipg facts of their aquatic feats are
recorded, one Of the most miraculous of
which is worth repeating. A large ma
/ tive canoe, having on board number of
natives, left one of the sbuthern Islands
J bound to the northward. When only
part OF the way across the Owyhee pas
! sage, where there is alwar-- heavy cross
| sea and furious currents, g squall struck
aud capsized her.
| Among the passengers was native
woman. the daughter OF chief, with
/ her husband, white man; the others
| being all Kanakas, they Of course struck
ont for themselves toward sh0re, dis
tance of some thirty miles but the
white man could not swim, and his true
hearted wife, directing him to put his
/ arms upon her shoulders, struck out Tor
/ the nearest land.
For hours and hours they toiled along,
! the fond woman inspiring the husband,
refusing to leave him. All day and
night they bufietted the angry currents,
till at last human nature gave way, and
/ the white man gave up the ghost.
Still clinging TO the cold clay, the
/ widow toiled on till at last becoming IN
sensible, her efforts relaxed, and she
| knew no more until she found herself re,
suscitated by some friendly hands, and
ON inquiry, found that favOring cur
rent had drifted her upon an island
where she had been discovered and
brought 10 life by her deliveTers.
Another instance, scarcely less remark
able, occurred during the period Of my
visit to Honolulu. At the time there
was large number Of whaling vessels il
mort. many of which were short Of mel
and consequently sailors wages were
very high, and large advances were
given TO any Kanakas who would ship
One ship, in particular, had lost th'
whole of one watch by desertion, RnC
finally had succeeded in obtaining he
complement The men, all kanakas
received their 500 each, as an advance
and went on board, and the ship got .un
der way. All went on very well for th'
| first day and night, and the captain wa
congratulating himself on his good luck
During the middle watch Of the secon'
night however, stepping out on deck
the captain was astOnished on finding NJ
one about, and asking the man at TIA
wheel what It meant, was told he didn'
. know what had become Of the people
but presumed they had gone below.
Calling the mate and mastering th
crew, be found to his CONSERVATION tina
every Kanaka had disappeared. The
must have deliberately Jumped over
board, determining to swim ashore,
distance Of sixty miles On boar
whaling ships the mates do not usual.
stand a night watch, the watch bein
generally in charge of the boat steerel
and in this instance the boat steerer wa
a Kanaka, and they all went off together
. The plot was probably hit upon befor
: | they left port, each man had receive
J his 500 ia advance, and they dellbS
rately formed their desperate plot tc
breaking their engagement.