The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-09-02

we wendell our way The inner cotrt
was festooned with flags and covered
with large mat. Upon the mat sat
or reclned several chefesses. | am
never able to account for the audacious
grace of these women, who throw
themselves upon the floor and stretch
their supple limbs like tigress,s, with a
kind of imperial scorn for your one
horse prophecies. Their voluminous
light garments scarcely concealed the
ample curves of their bodies, and the
marvellous creatures seemed to be
breathing to slow music, while their
slumbrous eyes regarded us with a
gentle Indifference that was more tan
talizing than any other species Of
coquetry.
At one side of the Enclosure sat a
group Of musicians, twanging upon
native harps and beating the national
calabash. Song after song was sung,
pipe after pipe was smoked, and bits of
easy and playful conversation filled the
intervals.
The great charm of a native feast is
the entire absence of all Formally.
Every man is privileged to seek whom
his heart may most desire, and every
woman may receive him or reject him,
as her spirit prompts. We noticed
that the Commodore was uneasy. He
was as plump as a seal, and the crowd
oppressed him. We resolved to get
the old gentleman out of his misery,
and proposed an immediate adjourn.
ment to the beach. The inner court
was soon deserted, and our little party
which now embraced, hgurativey,
several magnificent chiefesses, as well
as the primitive Hawaiian orchestra
moved in silence toward the sea. The
long, curving beach glistened and
sparkled in the moonlight. The sea
within the reef was like tideless river,
from whose pelucid depths, where the
coral spread its wilderness of branches,
an unearthly radiance was rtA cted. A
feet of tender canoes hoated to and
fro upon the water, and beyond them
the Dreaming reef flashed Ike grld e
of silver betting us in from all the
world.
The GROWING luxury OF savage life is
the multitudlnUus bondman who ant CT
pates your every wish and makes you
blush at your own poverty Of invention
by his suggestions of unlmagned joys.
Mats-broad, sweet and clean-,ay
under foot and served our purpose
better than Persian carpets. The sea
itself fawned at our feet, aud all the all
was shining and soft as though the
moon had dissolved in an ecstasy, and
nothing but a snap of cold weather
could CONCEAL her again. Wherever We
lay, pillows were mysteriously slipped
under our heads, and the wlllinges
hands in the world began an involun
tary performance of the lomi-lomi
Let me not linger upon the lomi-lomi
for there is none of it within reach; bu
l may say Of it, that before the skilfu
and magnetic hands of the MANIPULATED
are folded every nerve in the body il
seized with an intense little spasm o
recognition and lies happy. A dream.
less sleep succeeds, and this is followed
by an awakening into new life full o
proud possibilities.
We were lomi-lomied to the muir
murs of the reef, and during the inter
walls of consciousness saw an impromptl
rehearsal of the "Naiad Queen" il
operate FORM The dancing girls
being somewhat heated, had plunged
into the sea and were complaining t.
the moon in chorus Of fine harmonies
History does not record how Ion,
their sea song rang across the waters
| know that we dozed, and woke t
watch a silver sail waited along tn
vague and shadowy distance like
, phantom. We slept again and wok
to sense of silence broken only b
/ the unceasing monody of the reef
, slept and woke yet again in the waning
, light, for the moon had sunk to tn
ragged rim of an old crater and seeme
; to have large piece bitten out of he
glorious disk Then we broke cam
/ by the shore, for the air was trifi
). chilly, and withdrew to the s,cusion {
-, the Commodores lanai, where we tire
ourselves into hammocks and swun
until daybreak.