The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-12-17

L
decks. He had no compass, his sails
were of the most primitive kind and a
large part of the time the crew were
compelled to use their paddles. In 1892
Columbus made the voyage from the
Canaries to America in well-built YES
sells with decks, using the mariners
compass. He missed South America,
sailed almost twice as far as was
necessary and landed on San Salvador
now Watling's Island. The distance
from the Canary Islands to South
America is about the same as that from
Hawaii to Samoa, that is, not far from
$500 miles. On this showing Paao
seems to have been quite as adventur-
Gus and successful an explorer as Co
lrmbus. How in the world he could
have started on such an undertaking
with any assurance of success has
troubled the minds of students of Poly
nesian life for many years. DR.. N. B.
Emerson says that Paao was in possess
sion Of his unspoiled senses-and that
ne ans great deal. Paao met in Ha-
wall his own Polynesian kindred, whose
ancestors must have sailed over the
same track; but all memory of their
journeys is lost.
| 1t is not quite certain whether Paao's
canoe was dugout or a built-up craft.
The Hawaiian type is shown in the pic
ture of Queen Kaiulanrs pleasure
yacht, now in the United States Ma
tioDal Museum. 1t is a dugout. with
outrigger. A built-up form would re-
semble the Marshall Islanders canoe:
but the principle is the same, the OBJ
ject being to enable the navigator to
keep his vessel upright in the ocean and
to go against the wind.
VOYAGE OF THE "SWARM-OF-
| FLIES"
paao's VOYAGE was begun under I'M
favorable auspices. One day Paaos
brother accused Paao, Jr., of stealing
fruit. The father killed the boy then
and there i'm the presence of the uncle,
cut him open, and finding no fruit in
his stomach, was crazed with rage.
Did he murder his brother? No, that
| is not the Polynesian fashion of show
ing anger He made up his mind to
get as far away from Samoa as wind
and water would carry him. To this
end he constructed a large double ca
noe and just as it was finished an in
cident occurred which FASTENED his de-
parture Seeing the son of his brother
drumming extensively on the new ca
noe Paao killed him, sacrificed his body
to the god of canoes and buried 1t in
the sand underneath. Soon after this
the father. hunting for his son, came
upon the new canoe. While admirinC
her fine lines he noticed a swarm of
flies about a block of wood. Renov-
ing this he discovered the body of his
son. So he named the canoe Swarm
Iof-Flies" in contempt.
Swarm of Flies was one of the
large. sea-going. double canoes. in
which the two bulls are held at GER
tain distance apart and parallel to each
other by three cross-pieces called ia
kas. All the joining on the craft was
done. not with nails and pegs. but with
sennit. braided cord made from the
husks of the cocoanut fruit The hulls
were covered with deck mats fore and
aft to keep off the waves. She was
rugged with a shifting mast and TRAN
gular sail of plated pandanus leaves.
The mast and sail were so set that in
stormy or rough weather they could be
unshipped. folded together and dashed
Paao and his crew had to depend upon
their paddles. Swarm of Flies had
seats for forty paddlemen sitting two
on bench. A raised platform in the
middle of the canoe was walled and
rooted with mats and that was the
captains quarters. The voyage of
J Swarm f-Flies'' is said to have been
, disagreeable, owing to the winds and
| icf1 4.
, what is most wonderful in this connec-
ton is that the canoe was accompanied
: guided and protected by a school OF
fishes.
OTHER SOUTH SEA VOYAGERS..
, Among other navigators of this per.
iod were Paumakua and Kaula. who
visited every land known to the an.
. clients. the former bringing back to Ha.
wall from distant region two whit,
men. One of the most famous of thes,
. navfgators was Moikeha, who figure,
q as great explorer. With his brothe
De sailed to the Marquesas. but Their,
quarrel arose and with true Polyne
sian instinct Moikeha picked himself II,
ana returned to Hawaii for spite. TIL
Instance travelled could not have bee,
" less than 5000 miles. His son. Kila
:, wnen boy, made a canoe of bulrushes
n which he explored the Wailua river
: ne was also an expert lsurf rider an,
:. was taught geography, navigation an,
. astronomy. Arrived at manhood he he
= came great sailor and made the roun,
y trip between Hawaii and Tahiti. trav
: cling about 5000 miles over seas. Thes
old navigators had gotten so far in tn
economy of long voyages as to have de
vised perfectly seaworthy craft. bull
to hold from two to fifty persons eacl
and admirably rugged for sailing. Drie
breadfruit and other desiccated food
were economical rations for long voy
ages.
Not all these journeys were success
full. There are melancholy traditions Il