The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-08

the bright sunshine, with that persis-
tent rainbow hanging over Diamond
Head, one end in the sea and the
other just at the foot of Punchbowl.
THE HULA-HULA.
Now, the swim over, one more roller,
and then back along the beach to the
cottage. One plunge in the deep pool
where the coral has been blasted out,
a cold fresh-water shower, and Here's
your drink, sir" long. slender glass,
with ice in it, and Scotch and soda.
Then the last exhibition by the Kan
akas. An ordinary tumbler two-thirds
full of clear Scotch down at one gulp,
and repeated, with a grin and the re-
sponse of the offer of water: TOO
much drink. Make drunk" Then "A
cigar on the Veranda under the cocoa
nut palms, and song, with banjo and
taro patee fiddle accompaniment, and
the broad, blue Pacific for outlook, and
the surf booming in almost at the front
doorstep. The sun has dropped from
ibis basket of clouds into the western
ocean. the electric lights begin to
twinkle, and-there's dinner. Who
wouldn't live at Waikiki"
NOW lne tldIte-lne
tional dance of Hawaii, 1t has been
called. AS such it was exhibited at the
Chicago fair in 1898. This one was on
the lawn of the residence Of one OF the
largest planters in Hawaii. A marquee
stood under a bunch of tall palms and
there was spread the luan, or feast.
About the tables gathered half hun
dred natives. They were garlanded
with leis and crowned with flowers,
and they ate poi with their fingers in
the good old fashioned way. while the
white strangers looked on and COM
mented audiLly, to the evident amuse-
ment OF the natives. In front of the
marquee was spread a mat about ten
feet square Squatting cross-legged be-
hind the mat We're two men who had
each a hollow gourd, shaped something
like an hourglass except that one hale
was larger than the other. In each
gourd were lot of dried seeds. With
their left hands the men lifted the
gourls and brought them down smart
| ly on the ground, at the same time
beating them with the open palms Of
| their right hands. The seeds ratified
and the result was muslc-if the mu-
| sicians are to be believed. To this ac-
! compartment the men sang. Most of
| those who heard the song describe it
as weird, and l guess it was 1t was
all on one note, n fat, level monotone,
absolutely without infection, droned
out with a nasal twang and with eyes
| closed. But 1t served the purpose as
| admirably as clapping does a darky
| dance.
out on the mat there stood two
| Hawaiian women-by courtesy called
| hula girls" Beyond doubt they were
| 1.-the of body, as the subsequent demon
! stration showed. They wore thin white
| waists and short, thick salmon-c -colore6
skirts that came a little below the
| knees. Legs were bare except for an
| klets of the same soft material as the
| skirts Feet were bare. In the glor'
| ious days of old. before the mission,
| aries ruled the Islands. the hula girls
| wore grass skirts and anklets, and tha
| was all. These two girls were shor
| and thick set. Their faces were rounC
; and fiat, their black hair was oiled un
Ill IL glistened. Their arms were barr
and about their necks they wore leis
The music struck up. They stretched
out their right arms, calculated some
thing that sounded like "Melican maj
getta da gooda banan" and began
series of most amazing abdominal con
tortions. The only leg motion was
short forward jump, most of the tim