The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-05-10
ALONG THE WAY
Notes on a Delightful Trip to
HilO Town.
SENSATIONS ON THE FREE SEA
Channel Weather God SmiIed-Re-
Communications For Diet-A
Sturdy Craft.
SENSATIONS ON THE FREE SEA

MIR. EDlTOR:-The freedom of Spir-
/ it that the mere planning of a sea-
voyage brings-be the prospective voy-
age ever so brief-often comes before
the free sea, but alas! when we are
actually sailing from Honolulu in the
Claudine our exaltation is tempered by
lively consciousness of having had
some previous experience with Hawai-
ian channels and landing places. It is
just for the reason that not once in
my trip across the dreaded channels
did l find them very dreadful, that
am writing to tell you So That not
once did 1 lose the divine intoxication
of the first league out from land" In
the retrospect, as in most of the journ-
ey, it was a pleasure, and not the bug
bear it is generally supposed.
The first hour we traced familiar
landmarks and met our fellow-passen-
gers, with whom, strangers or not, we
were to have much in common for two
days. There came the rounding of
ping water, which is an accompani-
ment of the rougher places. 1t dam
pered our clothes and our cOnversa-
tional ardor, and made us willing to
seek our berths (because there was no
other place to go) and to confine our
remarks to our roOm-mates.
That is to say, for little. There
are only three or four rough places
on the trip, and, when the boat is
rather uneasy the average man can
only lie on his back and be patient.
Even so he need not be miserable,
for he may perhaps help out his pa
tience with a good novel, ginger ale,
poi-cOcktails, crackers and cheese, or
even mustard (to be applied external
ly, this last). 1 only know that each
of these remedies had it's advocater,
who bOasted of good results.
I was assured (by those who knew,
of cOurse!) that the Kinau would have
been speedier and quieter than ''the
stubby Claudine." I cannot say. l
shall judge on my next trip to Hilo,
when l have the Kinau then to prove
it. However the Claudine is a doughty
little steamer and has tasted "the free
sea" more than once on her Journeys
full to her for bringing us to our de-
sired haven, for the courtesy of her |
officers, the faithfulness of her sailors, |
and the solicitude of her steward. She |
cannot help her stature, but her rooms |
are neat, the table is excellent (espe- !
cially the square meal one has at Ma |
hukona bay), the shelter of the wheel |
house is a luxury in heavy seas, and |
h. @F4 l, 7 II
ina to Maalaea, enjoyed from the cap |
tain's bridge, with the cool breeze and |
the jubilant stars in attendance make |
one glad to be aboard; while the won
derful panorama of the KOhala and !
Hamakua coasts, with their magnifi-
cent stretches of cane, their gorges |
and waterfalls and mysterious valleys |
is we'll worth any discomfort there |
may peradventure be in the trip. If |
only the boat dared go a little nearer |
and if, when one had stupidity forgot |
ten the map, there were large maps in /
each stateroom with explicit details. |
This coast was glOwingly described by |
Isabella Bird, of course, but before the |
hand of the planter had spread over
it a carpet of silvery green that later |
turns into gold.
Rather a small band of the cabin |
passengers proved intrepid sailors, al |
though many of us rose to positive
enthusiasm between times. For the
melancholy ones, the deck load of
Japanese had no charms. To go aft
was almost picking ones way over a
battlefield with its heaps of slain!
Only those at leisure from themselves
could have any sympathy to spare for
the CHEEKY, patient, long-suffeTing hu-
man creatures. huddled on the deck,
and get pleasure and snapshots from
the simple Japanese ways of accept
ing life. The climax of their hard
journey was in the rough landing at
Koholalele, when the darkness shut
from us the spectacle of the dangling
crane and its victim. The shouting
led us to fear some accident, but the
boat-boys are very skilful and when it /
was all over returned to such apathy |
that no one could have been lost or
injured in the least.