The Washington times., 1905-10-01

In the old days the great chiefs. Of
Hawaii loved shark hunting most Of all
their sports. and OF all the shark hunt
ers there was none who loved it so well
as did King Kamehameha ].
So greatly did he love the sport that
he made a pen beside the temple Of
Mookini. near Kawaihae, and there he
kept his enemies to serve as shark bait.
because 1t was believed that the big
sharks preferred human flesh to any
other.
There were i've different kinds Of
shark around the Hawaiian islands in
those days-the hammer-headed shark
and the white-fin. which are still seen
in the Hawaiian markets today because
the people ike to eat them; the mano,
which was a large white shark; the
mano kanaka or man-shark which was
worshiped by the people as a shark
god. because they thought that the
mano kanaka was a man transformed
| into a shark, and last, greatest and
! fiercest OF all. the niuhi.
The King and his chiefs disdained TO
hunt any shark except niuhi, because
that was the only shark that the COM
mon natives did not dare 10 attack. The
people spoke of niuhi only in whispers
and men used TO say that at night a
niuhi could be seen afar of by the ter
rible green light of it's wicked eyes as it
drove through the sea.
| One day a fleet of native canoes came
scurrying into harbor and the fright
ened fishermen reported that a monster
niuhi had driven their boats from the
deep-sea fishing grounds and had pur-
sued them till they reached the inshore
waters.
/ = IL =
according 70 their description. that
kamehameha became eager TO find the
huge fish and give it battle. Hastily
he gave orders to have his great war
canoes prepared for the expedition and
to have three prisoners selected to serve
as bait Before dusk the carved boats
| were speeding over the long rollers of
the Pacific ocean, bound for the dis
! tant sea place where the great niuhi
dwelled.
Now. among the prisoners in the pen
was Okame. young fisherman from
the island of Kauai. He had been SEN
| fenced TO death by the fierce King be-
cause he had insulted the Goddess Pele
by venturing to one of sacred craters
and throwing stone into the middle of
the uit OF fire.
The men who had selected prisoners
| to serve as shark-bait had left him be-
hind. but he trembled at thought OF
what was to come, for he recognized
the niuhi from the description as Il fish
! that he had tried to catch himself and
! he knew that there was small chance
for the King to capture him. That
meant that the party would return after
they had cut up the three unfortunate
| prisoners, and would try the same ex-
pertinent with him. for Kamehameha
would never give I'm till he had tried
every means TO catch the fish, once ne
| set out 70 do II.
He thought hard all night In the
morning he called 10 his guards and
asked them to help him prepare a bait
thai would surely catch the great niuhi.
The guards, eager for the favor of tho
King. consented. and brought him what
he ordered. which was a vast quantity
of roots OF the ava plant. He pounded
these up with a little water until they
made a pulpy mass and then set them
aside in gCurds and waited for the fleet
| to return.
This happened with a few days The
King was in a furious mood The liuhl
had appeared, and he justified every
thing that the frightened fishermen had