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

but there Is hardly time to catch sight |
of that gorgeous rainbow under the
black cloud that hangs over Diamond
Head, we are in so quickly.
THE BACK SWELL.
Not yet though not yet. There is n
little back swell caused by the beating
back OF the big surf from the beach.
The watchfui MIR. Dimond at the helm
catches sight of It, and his shouting
takes the form of directions to his
Kanakas. The paddles that have been
dripping little silver balls into the
foam, leap forward again. There Is
sudden squirt by the canoe i'm response.
Two or three seconds it lasts, hardly
long enough to shout "Well, ke hao'
and we're over it. That long-drawn
wolf howl from the next canoe is C'lo-
| man, voicing his satisfaction that Tao
hal has caught the swell too. The 9TH
| ers are managed well and no one has
| been left behind. Now the four still
| abreast drive straight at the beach. We
| are on the left flank. Cloman and Tao
| hal are next, the others beyond. Mr..
| Dimond shouts to Tao-hai and gets
| staccato response. We are not twenty
| yards apart and almost on the beach.
| Down goes Mr.. Dmond's paddle to
| port, hard held against the rushing
| sea. Tao-hai follows. off to port we
| swing and slide by the beach i'm line,
| in half foot of water. SkIlfully man
| aged were the other canoes also. At
| the instant that we swung to port they
| swung to starboard, and now all the
| head back toward the reef where the
IL. 4 -,
the canoes, drenched with the salt
spray. but yelling like Indians with the
| pure joy of it. A sport for kings, but
one that few kings know, and most of
these the worlds regards uncivilized.
De Quincy found the glory of motion
on top of q siy-horse coach Others
have caught the same spiritual intoxi-
cation in the wild, free forward sweep
of q fast locomotive. De Quincy
| mused from the top of his coach that
the heart of man was all the all-com-
| pelling power of his glory. 1t is the
heart of nature that knows the surf
and drives the surf riders canoe.
| A MOMENT OF EXCITEMENT.
out beyond the reef again, waiting
for another swell! Down through the
glasS-Clear water we see the coral
growing at the bottom. Mr.. pirOnd
speaks to one of his kanakas, Over
the big fellow goes, yellow sweater,
rel bandana and all. The little coll
umn of bubbles that followed his des-
cent has all disappeared, and down at
the bottom we see him tugging at q
coral bunch. Presently up he comes
| with a beautiful great piece of coral
and a broad smile on his face. We
take the coral from him and he goes
down for another piece. Stariish,
crabs, tiny Holsters. and dozens of
small bright-colored fish, in appear
ance much like tresh-water sunfish,
have made their homes i'm the folds of
the coral, and now they crawl and flop
about the bottom of the canoe. The
Kanaka comes in with the second
bunch of coral and is about to dive
again when Mr.. Dimond shouts TO him
in apparent excitement. \ seaward
look shows no appearance of swell
to me. but III climbs the Kanaka with
all haste and at the paddles we go,
might and main. The other canoes ly-
ing further inshore take the warning
and dart away. We are going now at
racing speed and just in time. The
swell behind us has developed into n
giant. Just as 1t begins to break we
catch il ana away we swash for the
beach. 1t is the first race over again
but this fellow is bigger. The bow of
the canoe clips under water. Instant
shouts from Mr.. Dimond and the Kan
akas and all three paddles are jammed
into the water. holding hard. to stor
the tremendous headway. The mo,
ment's cheCl; serves the purpose. The
| ct. Of ho riI
, again, and on we go.
, Now Mr.. Dimond shows us a trio
/, that requires cOnsummate skill an
judment We are shouting n derisiv
!, challenge to Cloman in the other ca
, noe. when Mr.. Dimond drives down hi
, paddle broad across the course. Shar
, off to port swings the canoe on tn
very top of the giant roller. The foaI
, breaks all about us and gallons of
come aboard. The Kanakas laugh an
, shout, but the passengers hold the
? breath. The outrigger rides free g
, the water and we are broad away o
top of the wave, rolling beachwar
beam on. Still Mr. Dimond holds hi
paddle hard to port. Presently til
canoe answers. The outrigger dror
4 into the sea again. the roller passe
1 out from under us and leaves us head
' Ell out to sea. Somewhere out of sigh
Y on the other side of the swell, rise tn
| shouts OF Cloman and TaO-tal, foole
5 for 2 moment into thinking we hay
= lost the Comber.
+ That is what we would have to do
[ says Mr.. DimOnd quietly, IF we saw
= sWamped canoe Just ahead of us"
e Ii was marvellOusly done; even th
= Eanakas We're moved To praise the ski
z of their master.
= Now back outside again for n swil
t in the Pacific beyond any reef. VIII;
e beautiful picture Honolulu is frol
r here Nesting down in the for
~ ground I'm front Of a semi-circle
q NTyS,Sutalns. Diamond Head at the RICH
\ lust AZ The end of Waikiki, the beaut
= ful beach risss-bluft and rugged a,mo'
2 out Of the sea. Beyond it in the cent,
g is Punchbowi. covered on its smooth,
= slopes with cultivated fields, cut L
a sharp~edged gorGes. and crOWned etc
}. nany with ever-shifting yet alN>ays r,
|. maining clouds, and to the left al Ii
t seas edge the Pail, with the dreadf
. cliff over which Kamehameha drove h
e victims when he conquered Oahu. A
= the hundred shades Of green show
= the foliage which hides the buildings
[ the city, specked with yellow an
q white and blue and purple and viol
d ard lilac where the towering tire,
II show through. And over all a myris
# Of flags. always the Stars and Strip
IS with two exceptions, where over Il
q public buildings float the cross al
d bars of Hawaii. Along the beat
e sNarms of soldiers, the water full
= them. surf-riding canoes here al
V thore the white sails OF q few smf