The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-01-23
HUNTING FOR
A MONSTER EEL
Great Fish Haunting kalIa Mud
Flats Terrifies Native
Fishermen.


the karbor and the long bridge on the
Beach read, an immense eel has estab-
ished his hunting ground; an eel so
great in size that even the natives who
daily at low tide hunt over the mud
fats for sea-food. exercise unusual eau
ton when abroad in the water Al
night.
The monster was first located week
ago off the sand-spit on the Waikiki
side of the harbor's mouth, where the
South Sea settlement used TO be- An
old native was catching black crabs by
the light of fare when great gray
sinuous form glided through the water
near his legs He had a squid spear
in his hand and cast it at the rapidly
disappearing eel The iron must have
pricked it, for the fish, according to
the native, shot clear out of the water
and then headed seward. The eel,
which was of the white or eonger vari-
ETY., was about nine feet long and as
thick as an ordinary mans neck
A few nights later a party of natives
was organized to hunt the giant eel.
Armed with spears, brush-knives and
torches, they set out from the spot
where their quarry was first located
and moved toward Waikiki, keeping
about a hundred and fifty yards from
shore and wading in about two feet of
water.
Eels were encountered with unusual
frequency and several were killed with
spear or knife, the mode of procedure
when the latter was used being to
smash the fish across the back with
the blunt edge Of the knife. Those
bagged were small, however, with the
exception of one big brown fellow,
weighing perhaps five pounds.
The recent rough weather has evil
IDENTIFY driven the eels shoreward and
it is not improbable that numbers have
followed In the wake of schools of
small fish seeking shelter in the smooth
waters inside the coral barrier.
The fishermen had proceeded almost
as far as the long Kalia bridge with
out locating the object of their quest
and were on the point of returning
home when a loud splashing noise was
heard between them and the shore
and III very shallow water, at a dis
lance estimated at about sixty yards.
The hunters came to the conclusion
that it was none ether that was causing
the disturbance, than the big eel, per
haps stranded by the receding tide or
else chasing a fish over the shadows.
Cautiously they approached, almost
fearfully, for the Hawaiians dread the
fighting qualities of the eel and claim
that it viii attack them like a dog at
close quarters
Suddenly the swishing sound drew
rapidly nearer, and a gigantic white
eel darted like an arrow toward the
flares. Two Of the men ran away and
the third tripped over a piece coral and
dropped his kukui into the water
Nothing more was seen of the eel that
night or since, as far as can be as
eertained. The frightened fishermen
had had enough of eeI-hunting for one
night and could not have been bribed
TO re-enter the water.
The moon is out this week, making
an unremunerative occu-
patton When the dark nights come
again, however, and the natives go
abroad at night in quest Of mullet,
red fish and crabs, the presence Of the
big eel is likely to be again reported,
provided he hash t, Iured by gentle
surf, taken up his abode in one Of the
caves in the outer reef, where he viii
find comfortable harbor for his great
bulk and where fat, painted fish can
be had for the catching all day and all
right long.