The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-06-13
LEApIae.
The Sandwich Islanders Diving into the Water
from . Precipios Ninety Feet High-Kxpsrt
Women Swimmers.

In the concluding article Of the skstches
published In the Nineteenth Century under
The title Of Round the world in the Sun
boam," occun the following vivid account
Of wonderful swimming. diving and leap
ing in b Sandwich Islands:
We eturned to the Sunbeam on Christ
ma day, and on the following day We wit
nessed nome extraordinary feats OF SWIM
ming performed by the natives Of the
island. A copious stream enters the sen
about q quarter Of q mile west Of the little
own Of Hilo. At n short distance from its
mouth It forces its way through n chasm In
the volcanic rocks, and then winds round .
precipitous crag of lava, at the foot OF which
Il forms q still pool, six fathoms in depth.
We had been invited to witness two noted
swimmer leap from the summit Of the crng
into the pool below. The whole popula-
ton turned out on the occasion and seated
themselves IN the grassy slopes above the
river awaiting the arrival of the two ath-
letes. Meanwhile n numbe Of the moro
youthful inhabitants Of Hilo, Of both sexes,
entertained us with a display of the art Of
swimming and diving. One active girl Temp
ed repeatedly from . height of twenty feet
into the river. In the intervals between
their performances these amphibious pco-
pie climbed up the rocks that over-hung
the river, where they gathered themselves
into the most picturesque groups Of bronze
colored yet shapely humanity. There were
few garments to mar the symmetry Of their
forms, but there was not the slightest faint
Of immodesty in the scene. A sculptor,
looking on with the cultivated eye Of n
trained artist, would have rcvelled in tho
graceful movements OF the forms displayed
before him while u painter would nave APP
preciated not less the harmonious colors Of
the picture, In which the olive fiesh-tints
formed such an admirable contrast to the
dark lavn-rocks on which the swimmers
reclined- Many n laborious student Of
the academy has rackcd his brain in the
vain effort to produce q composition on
canvas or in marble, with not one-half
the beauty or tho truth 70 nature Of these
fortuitous assemblagcs Of graceful figures.
An hour had passed away not unpleasant
" when the heroes Of tho day arrived.
They were to leap into the pool beneath
from the summit Of q precipice ninety feet
in height. Thirty feet below the edge .
crag iuts out fifteen feot from the face Of
the rock. 1t was necessary for the swim
mers to clear this projection. We were
seated ON the ledge Of rock near the edge
Of the water to witness the feat they were
about to perform. It was n point Of view
whence the swimmers were seen with strik-
ing effect. US they first appeared IN the crag
before US, n paused for a moment on its
brink before taking their tremendous leap
into b gulf beneath. II AF& g
As we looked up to the summit Of the
precipice the powerful forms Of these olive
colored men-notable specimens Of the M
tive races Of the Paci6c-stood out in mag
nidcent relief against the dark blue sky.
Each wore q green wreath fastened on his
brow, n trifiing touch which enhanced the
resemblance to those admirable products of
ancient art, the bronze figures Of the flying
Mercury in b museum ut Naples. As the
FIRST swimmer gathered himself together for
the leap, there was q breathless silence in
the crowd, a momentary glance Of hesita-
ton in the hero Of Hilo. succeeded by that
set look which q man wears who is deter
mined to do q chivalrous deed or perish In
the attempt. Then came q superb elastic
bound, an agile readjas:ment Of the balan 40.
and the athletic figure darted downwards
like nm arrow through the air, with q ire
mendous splash, disappeared feet down.
wards below the CLASSY surface, and after n
prolonged immersion, rose again to the
surface scathless, amid the enthusiastic
ovAtions Of the crowd.
The great feat was followed by n per
Torrance which, in n less ambitious coun-
try, would ave excited wonder. 1t was q
leap down . waterfall having n fall Of IF
teen feet. Not only did the two champions
take the leap, but even the nymphs Of Hilo,
in numbers, followed them. After disap-
pearing for q few moments In the seethinp
water ut the foot of the cascade, they re-
appeared laughing and talking, evidently
Regarding this feat as IN ordinary bathing
incident. :