The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-12-03

as Victims 10 the NengeaHCc "a thS byA"A1
from whose rule he was fleeing
They were all congratuIating them
selves on their safe escape, and with so
little trouble. when the mother said
"Ah, my son, / would that you had
taken with a Tonga bride; it is all l re-
greet"
as that all you regret, mother ?" said
the gallant young chief eff SO, per-
haps that may be accomplished"
at is too late"
perhaps not" he replied.
81 do not understand, my son."
Hold the boat here" he said.
He had now reached the deep water
which laves the p~recipitous shores of
HoOnga, and divesting himself of the
slight clothing which the custom of the
Tonga Islanders, save the single garment
about the loins, he babe them a brief fare
well and dived from the boat into the
deepest sea near the shore.
The faces of the whole party were
shrouded in wonder. What could this
mean? When they were in such haste,
why lose time thus? There was a mys-
terry which they did not understand.
Where and for what had the chief gone
How long he remains in the sea-
said one.
at is dangerous" said another.
"Who a live so long under water?'
asked a third.
"Hapai can live longer under water
it is said, han any other man, bat nc
human being can live so long as this y
said one of the men in a boat, with man.
ifest trouble in his voice.
At a moment when his long absence
was causing the greatest CONSERVATION il
the boats, a few bubbles appeared on the
water, and following them there arose t
the surface the form of Hapai, and il
his arms he bore the lost Eea, his Tongs
bride.
What did it mean? What, had the
beautiful and long missing girl been hid
den beneath the waves? There was M
installing the facts; their eyes did no.
deceive them, for the young girl em
braced them all, kissing the wrinkleC
cheeks of her lovers mother. A hund
red questions were vocifefated at once a
to whence she had came, to With tn,
5 young chief promised 10 reply anon.
The boats We're once more directe,
away from the FIJI islands. The della,
at Hoonga had unfortunately given tim
for an Organized party to be dispatches
after the fugitive chief and his people
and the two boats containing the emissar
les of the tyrant could be seen pulling il
the distance.
Hapai had prepared for such an emer
gency, and how babe the people raise tn
single sail with which each boat wa
provided, but at the SAME time he OF
dered them to keep On Using the oars.
The rtfsGers had only their oars t
: depend upon, and it was therefore i'm
possible for them to hold their ewn AZ t
= distance; still they pulled Oh after tn
{ fugitives for some thine, until it was onl
. too plain that they could not reach them
= and they were compelled to turn bac
: and report their failure to the tyran
whose orders they had attempted to fiji
Hapai and his adherents had mad
. good their escape, and now the youn
" chief found time to explain how an
where his young bride had been seGreteC
: Nearly a year before, While diving fo
: pearls, he had made the discovery of
4eave beneath the sea, only accessible b
an entrance fathoms below the surface {
: the waves.
5 At first he was about to promulgat
his curious experience, but sOmethin
e whispered to him to keep his secret, an
v he did so.
e When EOa was condemned to deaf
o with the rest of the family, he deter
mined to rescue her, at least, from tn
number, and TO secFete her there. H
persuaded her to trust herself to hin
They entered a canoe. The place of he
retreat was explained to her on the way
9 These women swim like mermaids. H
sprang into the sea and she dived ate
e him, rising in the wonderful cavern
e which was fifty feet long, with natura
d galleries worn by the action of the sea.
Here her lover brought the choices
r food and rich clothing, mats for her bed
and sandel wood oil to perfume her body
When he was ostensibly diving for pearl
he was only seeking his "pearl of grea
r price" his dearly loved EOa. The onl
e sadness she knew was elused by tn
tragic fate of her kindred.
|, The boat, under the direction of tn
young chief, safely landed at the Fl
Islands, where Eoa became the happ
t wife of Hapai.
y Here they remained until the death G
C the tyrant of Vavaoo, and they then re
: turned to their native land.
e The descendants of this happy coupl
still tell this story of how Their ancestO
: delivered his bride beneath the sea.
=