The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-07-26
:. Bill and the Magic Coral :.
BY Fleming n Magazine
= y y y y y y = y = y y = ~ y

needed thirty-foot dock in Honolulu,
and in due time the contract was let to
the Interisland Construction Company
for Ahe digging of some thousands Of
yards OF coral out of the reef that girds
the Island of Oahu. The construction
company s engineers measured out an
immense rectangle, of which one end
was in the pale-blue waters of the bay,
and the other end ran up among the
wharves at Kakaako. Then came the
dredger, the dynamite crew, and my dis
reputable friend, Bill, who sat on a
perch behind the eightyfoot steel
boom and handled the twenty-five ton
shovel as easily as if it were a porridge
spoon.
called Bill my friend because he had
taken the liberty. one night, to escort
ME from hula dance just at the point
where the premiere danseuse abandoned
her shark-skin tambourine for a knife
During this festivity, when huge Ka-
nakas were kneading me between their
brushed my neck with knotted fingers,
some one had jerked me off my feet,
bent me double over sinewy arm, and
heaved me bodily out into the clean
night. When / got my breath, Bill
apologized briefly and then accepted a
drink at my hands. "That Annie Pa
hulo had it all fixed up he exclaimed,
and the place was full of her friends.
No place at all for you.
The next morning, after reading the
Advertiser and learning that the melee
had cost the lives of FIVE, j hunted my
rescuer out of house in Palama and
thanked him again. He drew himself
up, spread a thin hand on my shoulder,
and said that it did MT matter. Hate
to see haole get hurt in native
row, he said. - But ! IN glad to meet
you. My name is Bill-Bill of Balti
more, as / told you last night. Shall we
try an eye-opener?'
He disappeared that afternoon into
the shadowy main-deck of the Caroline,
where he was water-tender. He re
appeared, week later, in my own bed
at Freeth S, and explained when | woke
him up. that he had expected to find me
at home, but, failing, had fallen asleep.
L spent the remainder of the night on
cot out among the mosquitoes, and rose
at last, under Bill s exhortation, to tell
where | kept my razors. He shaved,
emptied a half bottle of whisky, rolled
a cigarette, and babe me good morning
with perfect self-possession
a 7 Ia1
the cot. and was not surprised to find
Bill making himself at home when the
Caroline was in port.
=. / can t go the natives every day
he would say 81 like 'em at sea and
once In q while. But they get on my
nerves. You re fool to buy Scotch
when gin is cheaper. Not that | don t
appreciate the Scotch. / must be
going"
Within six months it suddenly oc
CURED to me that Bill was not just the
companion | needed. He was white, but
lacked responsibility. He had a gentle
man s tastes, but failed to distinguish
between my shirts and his. Also, he
drank too much. So / approached him
delicately on the subject, and received
a formal apology.
Somehow, / took to you from the
first" he said, letting mis- dark eyes
rest on mine amiably. But | under
stand perfectly. my dear fellow. One
can It. of course, be too easy. The shirts
I shall return. The whisky, [ am sorry
to say, cant. l IN kapu in Honolulu
territorial drunkard, you see. Nobody
allowed to sell to me. But ] shall keep
track of YOU He shook hands with
effable composure and departed, leaving
behind (most amazing ineongruityD a
decided odor of violent essence.
| found him months afterwards on
the big dredger He reached down from
his seat among the levers and shook !
hands. His eyes rested on me in friend |
iY fashion; then he clasped his thin
fingers about lever again, and the
dredge Sarged to the tug of the shovel |
down deep in the coral. AS the big
chain strained in and the brine poured |
down around the drums [ suddenly saw i
n new man in Bill. The chief engineer |
of the construction company noticed my |
expression. He nodded. "'The |
best mechanic / ever saw. We had three |
men on the dredge before we got tired |
of broken gear. The last man splinter |
ed the big boom and cost us fifteen hun |
bred dollars in three minutes. But Bill |
ma nlput2teS the ShoVel as II II were MS |
own hand Looki"
I glanced out between the big dol |
phins that held the dredge to her posi-
ton. The shovel was just breaking ,
water 1t surged upward, the fine coral
Dreaming over like champagne. huge
blocks of it tumbling back into the |!
milky water. The bucket swung to rest,
aud then swiftly moved over and above
a car waiting to receive its load. There
was click, and the heavy shells sepa-
rated and allowed the glistening mass
to drop. / glanced in at Bill. He was
dreaming, for slight smile
was on his face as he pulled a lever
toward him and the chain Numbered out
over the drum and the boom settled
with ponderous groan to its task.
''We re working double shifts now, -
said the chief engineer. HBill goes on
the night-shift next week. It's more
particular work, owing to the moon
light
I came down to the dredge, the fol
lowing week, under a blazing moon, and
found Bill at his post. The big bucket