The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-03-28
BY WORK AMONG THE LEP-
ERS.
Continued from Page IL

quitoes. Api talked of escaping. In
tact, in his bitter grief and anger, he
hardly knew what he said. He was re-
moved to the makai yard-so called be-
cause near the sea-where there were
n'any lepers waiting to be sent to Molo-
kai. The Luna set two men 10 watch
him, and threatened to handcuff him if
he did not remain perfectly quiet. That
vas Thursday. During the next day,
Api remained quiet, in kind OF stupor
II was useless to try to comfort him.
What was there to be done? What hope
pointed out for one condemned to lie
long punishment in that drear island,
where Death reigns supreme, working
silently day by day on his victims, set
ting hideons brand on the living, and
tnrtnrirg the dying by prolonged agony
and suffering?
Between Friday night and Saturday
morning, the Portuguese negro and the
native-Doth lepers-who were on guard
outside the door Of Apis room, heard
him crying, and going to the Luna, they
begged him 10 go and fetch the Sister.
81 don't care,'' said the latter,
roughly; let him die +"
Let ME go, them urged the
negro, "Ap; is sick, and we ought TO
do something for him. Lend me the
keys and let me 90 and fetch her"
The Luna refused, and went off to bed
OF course the others could do nothing
without the keys of communication, and
they sat down again. Soon Api became
qnief and left off moaning so they hoped
he had gone to sleep.
In the morning they waited in vain for
him to open his door and call for his
breakfast.
g. Perhaps ne is tired, he was awake SO
late last night" said one.
SO am gong to wake him." said the
native guardian of the makai yard.
q Perhaps he is ILL.,"
Let him Sleep" said the other
Let us go and ask the Sister to come
and see ii he is sick"
The negro left to go to the Dispensary;
the native opened the door softly to see
if the white man was still sleeping.
He was sleeping-the last, long sleep.
from which he awakened in eternity, his
half-open eyes turned tc the door as il
10 look for the noiseless shadow which
would come to beckon him away! On
In lire he wore the sad, weary expires
s:J., ii hopeless outcast-an outcast
from his family, from his home, and
from the society in which he had been
brought up; and outcast from the very
church in which his mother had led him
to pray in those far-of days when he
was as clean OF body as innocent of soul
By his bedside were three bottles, the
first containing his internal medicine.
the second containing some French bon
bons I had given him, the last was
empty, but it bore the label Tinct
Opi.," and it was drained to the very
last drop.
We, In the hospital, wept for him
remembering him with pity and
regret, and felt that he might
have been prevented from hurry
ing his soul SO rashly into the unknown.
And yet the brother of that dead man
was n member of the Board OF Health
who allowed the doctor to be maligned
by the Luna with impunity, and suffered
the doctor to leave the hospital, when
his treatment was becoming more and
more successful, rather than deprive the
Luna of his Office.
Those first three months at Kalihi
were months of incessant labor and diff.
cult problems; sometimes when there
were many lepers waiting to be exam.
ined or to be sent to Molokoi. we had
more than sixty inmates, all requiring
to be treated. Some had arms or legs
covered with loathsome sores; some
faces half eaten away by leprous ulcers
scarcely a wholesome patch on their
body; and all these required daily dress
ing. Many had to be attended to two or
three times day. One old man had
pulmonary disease, and had to be
day and night, for he had had |
twice, and could hardly be |
got To obey the Doctors order of keeping |
perfectly quiet.
AT The saline time, in the makai yard,
there was an old Chinaman, emaciated |
and decrepit, who had evidently been a |
confirmed opium smoker. Whenever ,
left him he would lie on the floor and |
cry Make" (die), Make" while the |
Luna and some of the men teased him |
laughing at him, and threatening to cut |
OFT his pig tail, as sometimes in his ray
lngs he would tie it round his neck, as if |
he were going to hang himself. For
three weary weeks the nights were spent |
in walking back and forth from the old
native to All Kong, the Chinese; while
IN the rainy season the pools of water in
he uneven ground were ankle deep.
But by constant soothing, a judicious
of Chinese tobacco, weak
lea, and gradually diminishing does of
pills, had the satisfaction of seeing All
Kong improved no less in outward ap.
oearance than in the condition of his
mind. Indeed, at the last, he grew
quite merry over trying to teach US to
speak Chinese, and correcting our pro
1unciation and accent. He afterwards
vent 10 Molokai, where he led an even.
tranquil life; nor did he ever, I believe,
'eturn to his opium smoking. Here
nay say that the lew Chinese who came
lnder my observation, were most docile,
rushing, affectionate and grateful, as,
indeed were all the natives end half
whites, who were in or passed through
he hospital
During the six months some one hum
lred anu two lepers were sent to Molo-
'al, and therefore only stayed with Us
or short time. But they were almost
ways most anxious to be treated by
,octor Lutz for the brief period Of their
tay, and were loud in their expressions
i gratitude and affection when they
'ent away. Indeed, those days of go
ny to Molokai were the sadest it has
yer been my lot to witness. For days
eiorehand, the friends of those going,
altered round the gates, and the tall,
ouble fence which shut the lepers from
ne outside world, wailing and weeping
sat there were no comfort for them.
'hen the moment came for parting, the
DOR beings chung to US, faint with weep
lg, unable for the most part to utter
ord OF farewell, for the sobs that wrung
leir breasts. They realized that thew
ere going to pass bourn whence they
Ill never return, nevermore look upon
le faces that wore smiles to cheer them: !
evermore hear the voices which spoke
ords OF love and friendship to them:
avermore revisit the home OF their