The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1896-02-12


shark had gone and was asleep. One OF
the natives plunged into the water and
tied rope around the sharks tail with
out waking him, and we pulled him out.
tell you he was monster"
There were some incredulous remarks
at this story, which caused the senator
10 declare
''If any man doubts this story let him
pay the expense of the trip and l will
take the whole party to the cliff and show
them the hole from which the shark was
pulled. II don't will bear all ex-
penses."
Judge Wilcox smiled, and stroking his
mustache with 'rhat's nothing" ex.
preston, answered
81 don't deny the truth of that story.
There is fish pond down the coast where
the sharks come in at high tide. When
the tide goes out it leaves the water so
shallow that Mr.. Shark can't turn over.
The native boys used to go to this pond,
plunge in, mount the sharks, and ride
them all around. The shark is not
dangerous unless be car get on his back,
and the water is too shallow for that, so
! the boys can ride them in safety. Now,
| il any one doubts that story just charter
the ship, and | will take him to the fish
pond II l don't, I'll pay all expenses"
Shark stories were in order until the
steward announced that coffee was ready
for the party, this TO keep them awake
until breakfast. When invited to have q
cup of coffee l announced that did not
| drink coffee
"Maybe you prefer beer" said one of
the newspaper men.
81 never drank glass Of beer in my
life, l answered.
"That is more incredible than any
shark story told this morning." the sena-
| tor declared. Then offered, il he would
pay the expenses of the party to the United
States, 10 show them the country in which
had lived without drinking coffee or
beer, and il did not, l would pay the ex
penses of the voyage myself.
| When day dawned VIC were at anchor
off Kalanpapa. The lepers were aware of
our intended visit, and, soon after day
| light, the shore was lined with these ur-
| fortunate people straining their eyes to
bcatch the first glimpse of their visitors.
The band, composed of leper boys, played
Eseveral airs of welcome. Bishop Ropert,
bFather Pamphile, and the other mission
Earies, went ashore in the first boat and
were greeted with cheers. To get ashore
we had to climb down a swinging ladder
oyer the ships side into boat, both bob
bling about and in opposite directions,
which added the spice OF danger 10 the
expedition.
On landing we found on the shore two
or three hundred lepers. Some of them
were but slightly affected by the disease,
and some so dishgured as to hardly re-
senlblc human beings. The disease SCENE
TO attack the extremities first Usually il
first appears in the lobes of the cars, and
they begin to hang as if there was heavy
weight in each. Then 1t appears in the
face in great Jumps, and the cheeks swell.
The fingers lose all feeling and wither
away or drop off, until the hand is finger
less and the foot toeess. Often the head
is earless and noselcss. The unfortunate
often loses his eyesight, the balls entirely
disappearing. 1t may take years for the
disease 10 accomplish its deadly work, but
there is no hope for the victim when once
1t seZes him.
And yet II is not uncommon TO see u
leper on horseback galloping over the set
element, so manned that one cannot un.
derstand how be holds the rens. Their
ears often become so elongated that they
interfere with their riding. A doctor,
who was for three years in the settlement,
said:
~ have often had them come TO me and
say: Doctor, won't you cut my ears off;
they are getting 10 my way"
There is a house set apart for visitors
which no leper is permitted TO enter. We
went TO this house TO wait for the horses
which were to convey us across the island
to the Boys Home. The lepcrs, TO the
| number OF several hundred, came 10 the
fence and gazed at us SO longngly, so
fondly, as TO almost melt one to tears. To
them we were superior beings, loved
friends, from whom they were forever
separated.
Senator Warehouse, who possesses a
world Of moral courage and heart as
tender as womans, was everywhere
among them, not hesitatng to grasp the
fingerless hand, and speak words of en-
couragement.
allow are you, old boJ2 How are you
to-day, my friend9 Come, cheer up and
be happy. You are happier here than you
could be anywhere else" he said a humid
red times that day.
To which the natives (for most of Il Q
lepers are naiives) usually answered:
"Pitaki, 2)ilaki," with a sad shake If
the head.
"Pilaki" means grief, sorrow, and all
that goes to weigh down the heart. l
heard the awful word thousand times
| that day; heard II 30 much that it still
rings in my ears, while the sadly dis6g-
ured faces l met will, fear, never fade
from my memory. They have haunted
me in my dreams ever since | left Molo.
kai Some Of their faces were so horribly
disfgured as 10 have no resemblance 10
humanity. No hideous mask has ever
been made TO equal what leprosy has done
for the human face. | observed boy
about ten years of age whose eyelashes
andleyebrows had quite fallen out. His
eyelids were 80 paralyzed that he could
raise them only the fractional part Of an
inch, and he had TO hold his head back in
order to see. Mr.. Hutchings, the assist
ant and sheriff OF the settlement, is one
on whom the disease seems to have ex-
hausted itself by the destruction OF his
fingers. These are gone and his hands
healed, but his under lip is paralyzed so
that, Wnen ne speaks, II rails down, ana
when he has finished sentence he pushes
it back with his ingerless hand, and holds
il in place with his upper lip.
AT last horses we're brought for our
party 10 cross over 10 the Baldwin Home.
Then came a momentaIy hitch in the ar
rangement caused by Miss Kate Field,
who was unaccustomed to the Hawaiian
style of riding. But she had to yield to
the inevitable. She was determined TO see
the Baldwin Home; il was too far to walk,
and there was not side-saddle on the en-
tire island; so, by the kindness Of Miss
Reynolds, she was soon attired 10 divided
skirts, and by the combined efforts OF
Senator Warehouse and myself, safely
mounted on sad-eyed, dapplc gray horse,
into whose good graces she sooD began to
ingratiate herself by pattlng bis neck and
appealing TO his honor not to go faster
l than q walk