Mexico Missouri message., 1912-07-04

in the world and one 6 the
ten men who will represent the
United States in the world
swimming contests in the Olympic
games at Stockholm, is a long ances-
try of semi-amphibious humans. From
the day he was born till the hour he
dies the Hawaiian is never wholly out
of sound of the sea. From the time
he can walk, and sometimes before. he
begins to dabble in the ocean. Duke
Kahanamoku may win honors In speed
at the Olympic games, but he cannot
begin to touch in these games the
long distance records made by some Of
his countrymen and countrywomen.
Here is a typical instance:
Not long ago a Sunday school pic
mic party started out from the Island
of Molokai for days junket down the
coast. In the crowd were old women
and young ones. There were dozen
or so children not more than three
years old, and a score of half grown
boys and girls.
About two miles off shore a sudden
gust upset the schooner and left the
Sunday school party in the water. If
that had been an English or an Amer
lean Sunday school picnic party, pos
slbly one or two might have reached
the shore, but all these people We're
Hawaiians. Men, women, boys, girls
and babies-they padded gayly back
to land. Except for the loss of their
luncheon their days outing had not
been spoiled. 1t had merely been
shortened.
Some of the stories of their big
swims sound like fiction, but they are
not. Here are two of them:
At half-past eight on a Monday
evening in February a year ago, un-
der a clear star-lit sky, the little
amidships by the steel PROV of the
lighthouse tender Kukui, and the lat.
ter put into port, believing that every
man on board the Moi Wahine had
been lost.
Not Afraid of Sharks.
Seven of the eight men who made
up the crew have never been seen
since. They were Corean sailors. The
eighth, who was captain and owner
OF the little craft, old Capt. Sam Manu-,
n years old, was a Hawaiian. He
alone escaped, and this is the way he
tells his story:
Il don't know how long | swan
and floated about the spot where the
bones of my ship went down. My
sailors either were drowned at once
or drifted away from me. And then
the stern lights of the steamer dis
appeared, and l was alone there in
the darkness, swimming for my life.
and miles away from land.
In my younger days | would have
thought little of swimming across the
few miles that separated me from dry
land, but when a man gets to be over
70 an all night swim Is a little more
than he cares to make. But 1t wasn't
what | wanted to do; 1t was what
had to do, 80 | struck out. AS | float
ed, working off my clothes SO l could
swim easier, something bumped into
my side.
Il had never been afraid of sharks
| have swan and dived and played
with sharks, like other Hawaiians, but
when | felt that thing bump into me
l think my heart stopped beating. l
didn't mind being drowned not SO
much, because my boat was gone, and
! was old, but l didn't want my old
body torn to pieces to make kaukau
(food) for sharks.
But 1t wasn't shark that hit me.
1t was just good friendly piece of
board, as / found out when / hit out
against it, determined to make a fight
for my life. l ought to have known a
shark wouldn't come smelling me that
way. l stuck the board under my arm
and fioated around a bit more till
found another-a two by four piece
about four feet long. The two boards
were about of size and crossed
them into an X, pr my arms over
them and struck out with my legs.
"Molokai was about 20 miles away
Lanai, the next nearest island, was a
little further, but the wind was of
shore from Molokai, and | decided 10
make Lanai my port. The wind and
current helped me and the stars wheel.
ing their way across the sky told me
my course and measured OF the hours
for me.
Lots Of Time to Think.
When the gray morning came II
found me strong. feeling we'll and rid
OF all nervousness and excitement Nv
treading water when the waves lifted
me up, could see the hills of lanai