The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-04-13
CABLE STATION
Ccontinued from page ~


overtake them.
Right under their bow lay the neat
village of the cable station awaiting
them and already sending the news Of
the disaster and the call for rescue
The great ship lay snugly on the coral
and though she had punched two great
holes in her bottom the teeth of the
reef bit no deeper and the great Jaws
held her fast
In the still waters of the lagoon the
boats established ferry to take all
the voyagers to the pleasant sands,
stores we're landed, sails were sent
ashore to provide tents. eventually the
ships cargo was lightered off in order
to float the great vessel clear of the
reef and into the still water where the
such temporary repairs might be made
as were within the resources of the
captain and his officers and no one
can predicate tie limit of the resource.
fulness of merchant seamen until he
has seen them at work under the pres
sure of grim necessity.
The resident colony was long on hos
pitality but short on landscape. Hark
back to the introductory statistics of
the geography of Sand and Eastern
Island and it will become apparent
that real tourists can soon exhaust its
possibilities; the hymn about the little
drops Of water and little grains of
sand soon in such circumstances be-
come quoted with derision. So far as
the element of danger went this be-
came C. most ladylike shipwreck; there
was just enough out of the usual rou.
tine to suggest the versicle in the
litany about all those who travel by
land and by water, but no feelings
were narrowed and each passenger
was set upon his Crusoe island with
his wardrobe complete and with his
cabin steward ready to perform the
customary valet service.
But Sand Island soon palled. Amuse-
ment must be had. Being seasoned
travellers the passengers of the Mon
golia knew enough to take their pleas
ures where they found them.
First links was laid out, not very
extensive because Sand Island has
scsnt length and less breadth. But
the bunkers were enough to test the
best play, for sand that at a touch
flows like time in an hour glass is a
trial of the most refined skill Some
how the records made on that Sand
Island links have never been allowed
to stand in the history of the game.
Alice could tell you how practically
impossible it was to play croquet with
flamingo and hedgepig. Likewise
Midway golf went to pieces all along
of the blooming albatross, which would
do things not provided for in the rules
of any green.
Suppose when you have raised tee
with great endeavor in the sliding
sand an albatross comes and lays an
egg at it's very tip, what then? No
rules of the ancient and royal game
have provided for the contingency of a
lady albatross teeing up ahead of you
and the rules of the United States out
there in their national bird reservation
distinctly say that visitors are express
ly forbidden, which is as close as
we can come to the solemnity of the
German "streng verboten," which is
the most forbidding phrase in all life;
anyway you are forbidden to pick
these eggs.
Again when you lie so that you
know you could hole out in two and
another motherly albatross without a
proper eye for dimensions settles
down to hatch out the ball. an opera
ton which if it were not entirely hope
less alb initio would take six weeks
well, what then? And if by use Of
the lofter you have set the sphere
whizzing through middle or at least
mezzanine sky and a whole flock OF
albatross bite at it in flight and one
succeeds in carrying it out over the
whole Pacific Ocean, now how long is
that fugacious ball to be considered
in play, or is it out of bounds? Coll
and ornithology are incompatible.
Affliction, the old moraists tel
us, is valuable because it brings Out
the best in human nature. This was
sufficiently proved in these weeks when
Midway suffered and yet enjoyed q
population far beyond its narrow re
sources. A few hardened players KEEP
up their golf despite the game laws
but the rest of the passengers decided
upon amateur theatricals for the pur
pose of developing worthy amateurs.
It might seem an obstacle that nc
one had had the provision to slip into
his baggage an acting copy of my
Uncle's viii" or "Ici on Parle Fran
Gals" the two recognized essentials o.
every amateur repertory. That made
no difference. Mongolia talent stood
quite ready to tackle the drama il