Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-17

which occurred about seventy years. ego.
schooner with many native passengers
foundered in the Maui-Hawaii channel. The
nearest land to leeward was Kahoelawe,
about twenty miles distant. A vigorous
young woman, with an elderly husband.
started for the shore each provided with a
bucket to aid In floating. After some hours
the man entirely gave out. The wife put
his hands about her neck and toiled on.
But before reaching the shore he expired.
The faithful wife bore the corpse to shore.
landing through the surf and Lnd.ng help
after perhaps twelve hours in the sea.
Others also landed who were less fncum-
bered.
--.e old whalers knew and valued the
boating capacity of the Hawaiians and
other Observation-Disclosures" as they were
termed. No boats crew was drawer In
springing upon whale than one of the
kanakas or more adroit In pushing away
as the harpoon struck LONE. In the later
years. however, of the Pacific whaling the
cold of the Bering, Okhotsk and Arctic
seas was often too keen for these children
OF summer. who fell easy victims to pneu-
monfa 1t was in the earlier sperm whale
summer cruising off Japan and New Zea-
land and down the line that they gloried.
Use Of the Surf Boards
The most impressive display Of the ma
tive's adroitness in the sea is In his 1.-the
performance upon the surf board, now sell
dom witnessed. This is thin board, from
IL to 10 inches wide and from 6 to 8 feet
long and an inch or more in thickness, with
sharpest edges and rounded ends With this
under the arm the man or woman pushes off
from the beach toward the heavy combing
pillows Of the surf as 1t rolls In, He makes
for the outer waves, diving adroitly with his
board under each comber as It Is about to
strike him. He selects wave which is On
the point of curling over and spreads HIM
self at full length upon his board as the
wave hrts under him. At the same moment
he strikes out actively with feet and hands
to prOpel himself forward with the wave
just fast enough to maintain position ex-
actly on the front of its combing summit
Thus the wave lifts and pushes forward the
board and rider at Its own speed. the water
squirting from the front of the board as 1t
slides down the glossy surface, yet never
falling lower, while the curling breaker en-
velops the feet In spray. In another mo-
ment the rider rises upon hands and knees
and, IL skillful, stands erect upon his board,
balancing it with his feet into the exact po-
sition neither to shoot forward OF the break
er nor to be left behind It.
This performance has some resemblance
to coaSting upon an icy hillside in the swift
and skillful motion, as well as In the dis
lance trayersed-from twenty to one hun
dred rods. Only there is no drop downward,
instead of gravity the push Of the swift
wave furnishing the impetus. In the old
days upon coasts like Korea, with its
swarming fishing villages, this surf play
was the daily sport alike of the huge chief
tains and the lean serfs, and hundreds of
dark forms were to be seen dotting the
white combers and rushing shorewards. 1
write from childhood recollections Of sew
enty years ago, when surf riding was no
curiosity, although a person ON horseback
was such. and a wheeled vehicle never seen.
Athletic Power Of the Natives.
The athletic power of the natives was
daily displayed in their frequent carrying
Of burdens. These were seldom placed upon
the back. The load was almost invariably
divided at each end for long yoke-stick
which rested upon one shoulder. and was
often shifted to the other. like the common
practice of Chinese laborers. With such
load the peasant moved Off at swinging
trot, often fanny miles with little rest In
later days the yoke went out of USE and
the load became Il pack for horse or OK or
humble donkey. In Hawaii today none but
Cinnamon carry loads on their own Shout
ders Such mental service BELTS not the
Hawaiian-American citizen. 1t were well
IL his dignity permitted him not to allow
Japanese and Portuguese to supplant him
in nearly all other branches Of hard labor.
A Remarkable Feat.
1t remains to present the most remark
able instance of athletic ability that have
known. About forty years ago 1 made the
acquaintance of an aged man. whose 1.-THE.
springy step surprised me. He was of
smallish stature. wiry muscle and lively
features. He proved to be one of the for
mer weIl-known class of kukini, or express
messengers of the ancient kings who would
cross lofty mountains with incredible speed.
It was personally well known TO the neigh
bors of this old man that twenty and thirty
years earlier. he was weekly in the habit
OF running from Wailua, in koolanon Maui,
where he lived, to Labania and back be-
tween sunrise and sunset. His errand
would be merely to carry to the chiefs
Gala bash of fresh shrimps from the Wailua
mountain stream.
The distance between the two places was
thirty-five miles as the bird flies. and fifty
by the steep mountain paths, over deep
canyons. making hundred miles OF actual
travel. Very rarely could a horse be found
capable of making that journey one way in
a single day Yet only year before l met
the old man. at the age of seventy. he had
twice made that journey one way in sim
gle day. He had just stepped over on a
Saturday to Lahaina to buy blanket. Not
being able to suit himself, he kept on by
steamer to Honolulu, returning Monday
night. and presenting himself at home
Tuesday evening.
Where did you buy the blanket?' asked
the neighbors. "At Honolulu" "How was
that possible?" And nobody believed him.
until on Wednesday evening his feIlow-pas-
sangers from Honolulu came stringing
along and testified that he and his blanket
came UP with them. I did not learn that
he had been called unusually fleet run
ner at Kukini.
Those old days and athletes are gone Be
sides the boatmen, Hawaiians still display
strength and agility as vaaueros. COWBOYS,
or handlers of wild cattle. All that work
is done by our natives. They love to run
horses, and no Asatics try to compete with
them. In fact. the Monaghan makes a
poor figure on horseback. That Is the one
department which the Hawaiian securely
holds against the tireless Chinaman and en-
terprising Japanese. KAMEHAMEHA.