The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-03-17


ing. probably, where they were or why.
In the near distance, swan the stern
lights Of the steamer that had run US
down, growing gradually fainter.
"Could it be that we were 20 DO
abandoned there, without an effort
being made 10 pick us upf"
Called In Vain.
tfAcross the waves, tossing our swim
ming forms now up, now down into the
trough, came the drumming OF the
screws and towards that sound we turn
ed and swan, calling out for aid.
''Whether any Of my men, injured as
they slept, had gone down without n
fighting chance. or whether all wore
about me in that darkness, calling, as I
was for help, do not know. All
know is that one or two swan near me,
clawing through the pitif1l wreckage
for some thing big enough TO hold them
lup. You haoles tell of drowning men
reaching for straw Some of my men
clutched splintcrs of boards and stray
strands of rope and sank with these in
their hands. OF the Moi Waihine, so I
thought snothing was left Of use to any
man.
perhaps"
81 do not know how long swan and
fIoated about the spot where the bones
of my ship went down. 1 watched the
steamer sail away and it seemed to me
n long, long time that l waited there
for her to swing around and come back
for me. They tell me that she did turn
and that she searched the waters for us.
Perhaps she did. ] don't know. All I
know is that watched her stern lights
fade away and disappear, leaving me
swimming there in the darkness, miles
from the nearest shore.
''My men had either gone down or
had drifted away from me by the time
1 had given up hopes of the steamer
coming back, or of boat from her find
ing me. could scarcely believe that
we had been abandoned that way.
lifted myself as high up in the water
as l could and called and called for help.
But none came; no answer was borne
across the tossing waves of the channel.
was alone there, and had to believe
that upon my own efforts remained the
only hope for safety.
81 was in despair In my younger
days / would have thought little of
swimming across the few miles that
separated me from dry land, but when
one gets to be over seventy, a swim all
night is more than you care to make.
. With me, however, it was not a case of
what / wanted to do; it was n case of
what I had to do. Fortunately, ats ]
,, floated there, working off my clothes Sc
! that I could swim easier, something
bumped into my side.
Thought of Sharks.
81 have never been afraid of sharks
have swum and dived and played with
! sharks, like other Hawaiians, but wnen
felt that thing nosing my side, con
: fess that my heart stopped beating.
didn t think it would be so hard to b,
drowned, because my boat had gone ant
was old and there didn 7 seem muel
S of a chance for me to ever get any
. other ship again, but didn It want t.
9 have my old body torn to pieces to be
come kaukau for amy sharks.
a al made a splash and ] struck out
/ with my hand at whatever was beside
Q me, although I should have known tha'
if it had been a shark he wouldn u have
e come smelling at me like that. But
o was startled and / suppose my nerve:
o had gone after being wrecked and after
v seeing that steamer sail away from me
o I started in and swan after what hat
I touched me. It occurred to me that
might need it, out there twenty mile
- and more away from the nearest land
1t was n small piece of board. I tucked
it under my arm and floated around
bit more and was lucky enough to fine
another bit of board, two by fOu
piece, about four feet long.
at crossed the bits of board into al
X, put my arms over this life preserves
and struck out with my legs.
Land Twenty Miles Away.
"Molokai was some twenty o.
twenty-five miles away. Lanai, the only
other near island, was a little farthe
away than that, but had made up my
! mind to swim to Lanai The wind wa
off-shore from Molokai and knew tina
there WASH t any use trying TO max,
Roadway against both wind and current
made up my mind that Lanai was m,
port and turned and swan with tn
wind and the current helping me.
"Once I had made up my mind tina
had to depend upon myself for safet,
and for my life, forgot everything
else and paid all attention to kickin
my way through the water. 1t was no
particularly hard. kept up m
strength and as the water was warm
, suffered no particular discomfort.
! had kicked off all of my clothes an
: swan along easily. The only thing tina
3 bothered me was the chatting of tn
| boards under my armpits, but I 500
1 stopped using my arms at all and d,
' pended upon my legs.
Through the Night.
: cit was nine clock or so when
( started The stars wheeled their wa
4 across the sky and was able to couI
= the hours as they passed. / knew tbs
!. i was making fair progress and m
Q strength kept up well. When the gra
= morning came / was strong, feeling we
d and had quite got over my nervousne
K and excitement. BY treading water,
: the waves carried me up, / could 81
l the nearing shores of Lanai, red in Il
y rising sun. The sight still further e
l couraged me and got back TO my swii
y ming. made up my mind that W
, going TO make it all right.
= "All that morning ] swan along al