The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-08-11
TRIAL OF THE SHARK
SOUTH SEA MESSAGES

discrimination, live an unconventional |
life. But these two well-balanced and |
even-sensed partners of the sea have |
not turned Doors to their friends, re
lapsed into bare-footed and barer- |
faced barbarism without advantage
except to be at odds with the civiliza-
tion-they have warm hearts and
friendly gratitude; they wear sensible
shoes.
In some ways Mr. London's voyage
resembles that of Mr.. Stevenson. Both
were the result of romantic temper
ament, poetical soul. The latter left
San Francisco in 1888 in the schooner
yacht Casco. He went to the Marquee
sas, then through the Society group to
Tahiti (dealized for him as for us by
Stoddard's glamor), from which he
turned to Hawaii in the early part of
1889. A little later he went to the Gill
bert Islands in the schooner Equator,
remaining there four months, reach
ing Samoa in February of the same
year. In several side excursions he
touched as far as Penrhyn Island and
the Loyalty group, going back and
forth between Samoa and Sydney. 1t
was heroic work for him, but always
a joy, which has passed oevr for us
in his books. Mr.. Stevenson came
rather often to Honolulu, he staid
there caring little for anything out
side Of his own family and an intros-
pective life. With all his charming
personality and really open and gener-
GUS nature, he was wrapped up in him
self.
But Jack London can find something
to like in all he sees, he touches the
world on all it's sides, feels it hot and
cold, loves the people in it, and goes
on his way by the force of his spiritual
and physical intensity. He will see
the same places but in a different way
from what Stevenson did, and l think
that his book on the South Seas will
be what Mr.. Stevenson planned to
write but which owing more to tenn
peramental than to literary deficien-
cies, he was unable to execute.
AS friend of Mr.. Stevenson's said
to me, He was shunted off from his
best inspiration often by those who
mFnistered to his material hecessi-
ties" You may see this as you read
his letters to Colvin: I'VE have too
many things for such close quarters
whence l catch every complaint, mis-
hap and contention, is besides the
devil; and 2 hope of a cave of my
own inspires me with lust
Fanny had to cook dinner; then, of
course-like fool of a woman-must
wait dinner for me and make furry
of herself.
She has been quite i'll with ear
ache. She won't go-I don't like to
leave her. She is in a dreadful mis-
fortune at this hour; case of kero-
sene having burst in the kitchen.
/ "A little while ago it was the car
penter's horse trod in a nest of four
teen eggs and made omelette of our
hopes"
There is none of this Feasibility,
this unreasonable and irritable impa-
thence over the doing of things for his
own comfort without which he would
also be complaining; none of this in
Mr.. London. But of course, he has
youth and health, two great inhibi-
lions. The Shark reached Savaii in
time for its crew to see the active vol
cano there (which has been flowing
steadily for nearly three years" They
write, too, from there MAY 81, abo"4
the Samoan houses as the pest we
have seen yet"