The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-05-03

ing huts under Diamond Head, in those
beautiful Sandwich Islands whore q set Of
commercial and political sugar-filibusters
have temporarily taken away her crown
from the rightiul sovereign, Queen Liliou-
kalani / shall tell the story imperfectly,
knowing so little as | do about the locality
and the language. but 1 asked three or
four questions afterward as to the Hawa-
iian words and phrases. and what follows
is, as far as 1 can remember. the manner
in which it Was related.
Thev are wonderful swimmers in the
Sandwich Islands. as IN almost all those
clusters OF the Pacific archipelagoes, and
Il is fine sight for such as love healthy
manhood to watch the amphibious people
play with the sea. IL is as much their
ZONE as the land. Fishing is quite as i'm
Portant to them as agriculture, and they
ell know the WAYS and the whereabouts OF
the creatures OF the deep and OF the reef,
as well as of the birds of the grove and
mountain slope. With nets OF the olona
fibre and swesp-rOpes Of ki leaves, they
draw the countless veriegated finny tribes
into the shadows of the lagoons and out
upon the sands, and have a trick-wnere
it is permitted-of placing under heavy
of a PLAINTIFF auhuhu-which intoxi-
Gates every fish coming within the intiu-
ence of its juice. Excellent boatmen, in
spite of the primitive character OF the ma
tive canoes, they make adventurous runs
from island 10 island, and are especially
skillful in handling little craft in the
midst OF surf or great breaking pillows. Ii
is a sight to see a Hawaiian canoe coming
ashore, with or without the anna, an out
rigper Of light wood which steadies the
fral craft. The sea birds skimming over
the rollers do not seem more at home in
the middle OF the huge Pacific surf than
the brown-skinned kanakGs padding to
land from q tishlng or calling excursion, IN
the evening. They understand the tricks
and dangers OF the coral barrier which
they must cross. and take the enormous
wave which rolls over it with shouts of
excitement and delight. If they are cap
sized it is nothing to them 60 long as no
sharks are about They really make the
white and blue breakers their play-fellOws
in their popular sport Of hee nalu, or surf
swimming. where party of these laugh
ing Water-babies of all ages, naked except
for a wreath OF sea weed or O wisp of bark
cloih. will go down to the reefs edge at
sunset, carrying long light boards OF koa-
wood, feet long and Is inches broad,
stained black and highly polished. Clasp
ing these, they swim boldly out to sea-
ward, diving, plank and all, under each
incoming roller as they meet it, until they
have gone as far out as where the ocean
feels the first OF the coral bottom, and
swells for its outer line of long billow.
Then, turning their iaces shoreward, they
lie down fiat upon the plank, balancing
themselves upon il and holding il with
feet and hands straight along the CLASSY
back of the great roller, which foams,
curls, leaps and thunders under them aa
they tear along tossed like bubbles amid
the milky spume and the vhirling sea-
lace, until they come drenched and shin
ing 10 the shore, or into the placid green
water inside the reef The very babies
learn to swim almost before they are able
to toddle, and as for the grown boys and
girls OF the islands, and its men and
women, the waves are as much their play
ground as the woods and meadows, and
there are instances where HaWaiians have
been thirty hours in the sea, after q cap
size, and have yet come safely TO land.
But one must be strong, and well, and
unencumbered for these long swims, and
sick man cannot sport with the ocean in
such fearless way, which is why Nina
Nina lost her first born. and bought with
his little life her husbands safety We
and tiny child upon her arms. under the
palm trees near Leahi. and nv friend-an
old resident-gave her ROOd-dgy in the
musical Hawaiian, calling her By the
name have mentioned.
What pretty word that is" said, ito
call woman by; what does it meant"
"Ohp' he answered, that's not her
right name, but one which the neighbors
have given her ever since a sad adventure
that she met with on Koko Head, round
yonder. AH-na-mi-na signifies regret for
the memory of anything, sadness, some
thing precious that Is gone sorry to lose ,
She is good and brave girl. and she has
got another baby now 10 play with, but
she can never forget the boy she was
obliged to leave to the sharks in the bad
time"
OF course, asked him for the story /;
and this is how he told il:
One day in the season OF the change Of
weather Mina-Mina, with her husband
and their little boy of about a year ola,
had gone in canoe over to Molokai to
fetch ironwood and shells. The man was
weak and Ill with fever, though recover
ing; but tho wife. like most Of these Ha-
waii2n women, could handle q paddle
with the best. and Ms-ea, her vounQ
partner, was quite strong enough to take
part in loading the craft and steering her.
So they were making the voyage home
ward under the little sail Of mat spread on
the bamboo mast, with the red bird
painted upon IL, and Mina-AIina was suck
ling her son OF eighteen months forward.
while her husband directed the boat; and
all had gone safely up TO about midway IN
the broad channel. Perhaps he was sing
ing her an ipo, love verse-for the peo-
pie are like birds and are always chirrup.
ing; or she. perhaps. was cooling a sleep
song to her small son, In the doves voice
which the island mothers have. But all
IN a moment one of those circular gusts
which sweep the sea at the change of
weather, came upon them without warn
ing out OF the clear sky over the smooth
sea. He was lanRuid and slow with his
fever; she was engaged with her child,
and had no time 20 let the sail fall or 10
fling overheard the heavy stuff in the bot
tom of the canoe. The gust forced the
gunwhale of IL under. though they both
leaned we'll 10 windward, and although
Mina-Mina reached over and cut the hal
lizards with her knife. In n moment the
little craft filed and sank from under
them, drawn down by her load, leaving
the three floating on the agtated sea, with
only one paddle, which Manao held.
Mina-Mina had swung her baby over 10
her back. and his little. round head. like
a cocoacus naanad wall forfh iron, Tho