The herald., 1893-07-02
A SACRIFICE.

ing huts under Diamond Head in those
beautiful Sandwich Islands. shall tell
the story imperfectly, knowing so little
sal do about the locality and the Ian
euage, but asked three or four aues-
tions afterward as to the Hawaiian
. words and phrases and what follows is,
y far as can remember, the manner in
which it was related.
They are wonderful swimmers in the
Sandwich Islands. as in almost all those
clusters of the Pacific archipelagoes, and
It is fine sight for such as love healthy
manhood to watch the amphibious peo-
pie play with the sea. 1t Is as much
their home as the land. Fishing is quite
% 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 fiber and sweep ropes OF ki leaves
they draw the countless variegated finny
tribes into the shadows Of the lagoons
and out upon the sands and have trick
where it is perrnitted--of placing un-
der heavy stones beneath the water the
bruised roots of plant--auhuhu-which
intoxicates every fish coming within the
influence Of its 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 1t is a
sight to see Hawaiian canoe coming
ashore with or without the ma-an out
rigger Of light wood which steadies the
frail 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 Kanakas pad
ding to land from a 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.
n they are capsized, it is nothing to
them SO long as no sharks are about
They really make the white and blue
breakers their playfellows in their pop
ular sport of hee nalu, or surf swimming,
where q party Of these laughing water
babies OF all ages, naked except for a
4 wreath of seaweed or whisp Of bark
cloth, will go down to the reefs edge at
sunset carrying long light boards Of
koawood, q 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 1t, 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 bill
low,
Then. turning their faces shoreward,
they lie down flat upon the plank, bal
ancing themselves upon it and holding
it with feet and hands straight along the
CLASSY back Of the great roller. which
foams, curls, leaps and thunders under
them as they tear along tossed like bub-
bles amid the milky spume and the
whirling 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, and
as for the grown boys and girls Of the
islands, and the men and women, the
waves are as much their playground as
tho woods and meadows, and there are
instances where Hawaiians have been 80
hours in the sea after capsize and have
yet come safely to land. ssns
But one must be strong and we'll and
unencumbered for these long swims, and
q sick man cannot sport with the ocean
in such fearless way, which is why
Mina-Mina lost her firstborn and bought
with his little life her husbands safety
We passed her walking with string Of
fish and q little child upon her arms un-
der the palm trees near Leahi, and my
!, friend-an old resident-gave her good
day in the musical Hawaiian, calling
her by the name have mentioned.
What pretty word that is," said
''to call woman by. What does it
meanr"
"Ohr' he answered, "that's not her
right name, but one which the neighbors
have given her since sad adventure
that she met with off Koko head, round
yonder. Mi-na-mi-na signifies regret
for the memory of anything Sadness
something 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"
OF course asked him for the story,
and this is how he told it:
One day in the season Of the change Of
weather Mina-Min with her husband
and their little boy of about year old,
had gone in a canoe over to Molokai to
fetch ironwood and shells. The man was
! weak and i'll with fever, though recov-
ering, but the wife, like most Of these
Hawaiian women, could handle pad
die with the best, and Manae, her young
partner, was quite strong enough to take
part in loading the craft and steering
her. So they were making the voyage
homeward under the little sail of mat
spread on the bamboo mast, with the
I'D bird painted upon it, and Mina-Mina
was sucking her son forward, while her
husband directed the boat, and all had
gone safely up to about midway in the
broad channel.
Perhaps he was singing her an ipo--a
love verse-for the people are like birds
and ars always chirruping, or she per-
haps was cooling sleep song to her