The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-09-14
SWAN TWENTY MILES.
And She Kept Her Helpless Father
Afloat Until Rescued.

On a pleasant morning in summer
some fifteen years ago little schoon
er slipped her moorings at Laupahoe-
hoe, Hawaii, and started<an her vow
age TO Honolulu. So small wss the
little craft that her only crew was one
slender girl, the daughter of the cap
tain She had been sailing with her
father since she-was so small that he
had to place box for her to stand on
when he wished her to hold the wheel
while he handled the sails if by chance
nychange of course was necessary
Kalili was about fifteen, tall, slen-
der girl, whose brown check was round
and ruddy with the rich blood which
leapcd through her veins, for KaliIi,
having been reared in the open air,
most of the time on the broad ocean,
was strong and healthy, and well able
to do the work required of her on the
schooner. Which they left Laupahoe-
hoe the sun shone brilliantly, but old
= kalamanu shook his head and looked
grayely toward a bank of black clouds
which were piled up high above the
top of lofty Mauna Loa. Kalili cared
little for her fathers misgivings. She
was anxious to get away, for the next
day was holiday, and she wished to
reach Honolulu in time to enioy her
self with her companions
While she stood holding the wheel
AMI keeping the little craft on ii
course, she was dreaming of the luau
to which She had been hidden and
thinking of the bright Ieis which she
would weave in her dusky hair and
hang around her dimpled shoulders.
Her holoku would be as pretty as any
there, and she knew that at least one
pair of eyes would see that leis and
dress were both worn by beautiful
girl. Dreaming TINS, she did not
notice the change which was coming
over the sky-did not see the white
caps, which showed that the wind was
raising swiftly and would soon sweep
across the wide channel with res;stless
force.
The pleasant islands of the southern
sea are not always serene and placid
Sometimes the kona comes bowling
and Shrickiug down the dark CANYONS
and through the narrow gorges smit-
ing every thing before it to the ground
When 1T comes God help the hapless
craft which is in its road. God only
can help, for the blows which the wind
and waves deal upon the tossing,
wrlthing vessel are heavy enough to
drive it bodily beneath the waters.
kalamanu had neither holoLu nor leis
to dream of, SO he had seen the kona
coming and had been preparing to
meet ii to the best of his ability He
had given the girl his orders in quick.
sharp tones. and she had mechanically
obeyed them, but without realizing
what tlie change of course meant Sud
denly she was awakened, and roughly,
from her dreams. 4 wall of Whit.
water rose high above the side of the
vessel and dashed down upon the deck.
drenching the girl to the skin.
With the shock She came back to the.
present, and, looking around, saw that
what but a short time before was a
smooth, placid stretch of blue water
was now foaming. raging sea, dash
ing its waves high above the low rail
of the schooner. The wind whistled
and howled around her ears She
could scarcely hear her father as he
shouted his orders to her from few
feet distant Filled with terror, she
kept the vessel on its course, but only
by the exertion of her whole strength.
Louder and louder roared the wind,
and higher yet climbed the waves
The sun still shone brightly above her
head, seeming to make the scene more
frightful than it would have appeared
beneath a cloudy sky. kona may
blow for days and il may pass in an
hour. Their only hope was that this
one had arisen so suddenly that it
would subside as quickly.
Kalamanu watched the black cloud
which had first given him warning
of coming trouble. and saw, to his
II Ell
IDENTIFY the koua would not last many
sours, but could the little vessel.
built for sailing on summer sea,
stand that terrible wrenching and
twisting even for that-s short time?
She was new and reasonably strong,
but the blows she had suffered might
well have destroyed stronger vessel.
lie could only hope for the best and
hold on to the rail until the wind fell
lie had done all that was possible to
save his vessel God must do the rest.
The wind was surely sinking, the
waves did not rise 50 high above his
head. The worst was over and he
turned his head to speak to the girl,
who still chung to the wheel.
Then came Il crash. An immense
wave. had broken over the stern, filed
the little hold and the little schooner
was sinking under their feet.
kalili was As much at home on water
as on land, like all HawaiianS, and as
soon as she caught her breath she rose
in the water and looked about for
something to all her in her fight with
the SCI. and for her father, for whose
safety She had no fear. But she saw
him slowly sinking beneath the angry
waves. He had been injured by blow
from something as the water dashed
across the deck, carrying whatever
loose articles still remained on the
deck.
Swimming swiftly to his side, Kalili
caught hold of him and raised his head
above the water. lie was not insen-
siblc, and in few moments was able
To support himself on the water. but
lac had been injured so severely that
he was unable to swim.
They We're at least twenty-five miles
from land, alone on the tossing sea,
without even n broken oar to assist
tAcm, and she, helpless girl, must do
what she could to save not only her
own life, but her injured father kala-
mann had put on his oilskin coat and
his sea boots when first the waves be
gan to break above the rail, and these
added to his weight
Kalili knew that she could never
hope tn Keep him afloat SO weighted
down The coat and boots must he re-
moved. The man could move his arms
feehiy, and he assisted her in remov-
ing the heavy coat. Then she dove
down behind him, and after many at