The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-06-09
A SACRIFICE.

A SACRIFICE.
/ II is only s. little story. I picked it up
upon the beach of Oahu, among the fish
ing huts under Diamond Head in those
beautiful Sandwich Islands. shall tell
the story imperfectly, knowing SO little
as do shout the locality and the lam
guage, but I asked three or four ques.
tions afterward as to the Hawaiian
words and phrases and what follows is,
as far as oap remember, the manner in
which il was related:
| They are wonderful swimmers in the
Sandwich Islands, as in almost all those
clusters Of the Pacific archipelagoes, and
1t is fine sight for such as love healthy
manhood to watch the amphibious peo
pile play with the sea. 1t is as much
their home as the land. Fishing is quite
las important to them as agriculture, and
they all know the ways and whereabouts
of the creatures of the deep and of the
reef as we'll as of the birds of the grove
and mountain slope. With nets Of the
olona fibes and sweep ropes Of ki leaves
they draw the countless variegated fnny
tribes into the shadows Of the lagoons
and out upon the sands and have trick
where it is permitted-of placing un-
der heavy stones beneath the water the
bruised roots of a plant-auhuh u-which
intoxicates every fish coming within the
influence of it's juice.
! Excellent boatmen, in spite of the
primitive character of the native canoes,
they make adventurous runs from island
to island and are especially skillful in
handling little craft in the midst Of
surf Of great breaking pillows. It is a
sight to see Hawaiian canoe coming
ashore with or without the MEAN out
rigger Of light wood which steadies the
frail craft. The sea birds slimming over
the rollers do not seem more at home
in the middle of the huge Pacific surf
than the brown skinned Kanakas pad
ding to land from fishing or sailing
excursion In the evening. They under
stand 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 capsized, 1t is nothing to
them SO long as no sharks are about.
They really make the white. and blue
breakers their plzyfellows in their pop
'ular sport Of hee nalu, OF surf swimming,
where party Of these laughing water
babies of all ages, naked except for a
wreath of seaweed or whisp Of bark
cloth. will go down to the reefs edge at
sunset, carrying long light boards Of
ikoawood, 8 feet long and is inches broad,
stained black and highly polished. Clasp
ling 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
land swells for its outer line Of long bill
low.
Then, turning their faces shoreward,
they lie down fat upon the plank, bal
Iancing themselves upon it and holding
lit with feet and hands straight along the
CLASSY back of the great roller, which
foanns, curls, leaps and thunders under
them as they tear along tossed like bub-
lbles amid the milky spume and tho
Iwhirling sea lace, until they come
drenched and shining to the shore or
into the placid green water inside the
reef. The very babies learn to swim al
most before they are able to toddle, aad
las for the grown boys and girls Of the
islands, and the men and women, the
! waves are as much their playground as
the woods and meadows, and there are
Instances whsfe Hawaiians have been 80
hours in the sea AFTER acapsize and have
yet como safely to land.
But one ntst be strong and well and
unencumberea for these long swims, and
- sick man cannot sport with the ocean
in such fearless way, which is why
Mina-Mina lost her irstborn and bought
with his little life her husbands safety.
We passed her walking with string Of
fish and little child upon her arms un-
der the palm trees near Leah, and my
friend-an old resident-gave her good
day in the musical Hawaiian, calling
her by the name I have mentioned.
what pretty word that u.s." I said,
i''to call woman by. What does it
meant"
.'OhI' he answered, "that's not her
right name, but one which the neighbors
have given her since q sad adventure
that she met with off Koko head, round
Eonder Mi-na-mi-na signifies regret
for the memory of anything Sadness
esoinething precious that is gone sorry
TO lose.' She is good and brave girl,
and she has got another baby now to
play with, but she can never forget the
boy she was obliged to leave to the
sharks in the bad time"