The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-03-23


ana l was impatient for the arrival OF
the man-fish, who was certainly more
interesting than the antiquated speci.
men of humanity who sat in the cor.
ner of the hut, like an idol, and
whose blue-black weather-beaten fig
ure-head looked as if it had been cary
cd out Of a warlus' tusk and smoked.
l arose impetuously, shook off my
ennui and strolled along the beach.
There was a joyous sparkle upon the
sea; little windy waves slid up the
sloping sands, curled crisply and re-
tired in white litter of explosive
bubbles; diminutive crabs rushed
pell-mell before my feet; at intervals
| felt the sting of the flying sand, but
the heat and the burden of the day
were about over and began to lift
up my heart, when, in the hollow of
the shore, sheltered only by sand
ridges, l saw dark object stretched
motionless at full length. Flotsam or
ietsam, the prize was mine, and
fastened forward. It was a youth
just out of his teens, slim, sleek
creature, unconscious, unclad, sprawl
ed inartistically, absorbing sunshine
and apparently stepped to the toes in
it; it was Kane-Pihi, the man-fish,
stark asleep.
Retiring q little distance, l tossed
a pebble upon his motionless body;
then another and another, and finally
a whole handful of them. At last ne
turned, with serpentine movement
lifting his head like lizard, swaying
it slowly to and fro and looking list
lessly upon the sand and sea. When
he espied me he coiled his, limbs I'M
der him and was convulsed with riot
out laughter.
/ approached him and exhausted
my vocabulary in five minutes, but I
learned meanwhile that the fellow had
been lying there on the hot sand in
the blazing sun for a good portion of
the day, and that now he was ready
to eat. Two things on earth were
necessary to the existence of this SUI
perior animal-to eat and to sleep;
but for pleasure and profit, for life
and all that makes it livable and low
able, the man-fsh sought the waters
under the earth. He was amphibious.
Pilikia-born to trouble, as his |
name implies, and like all who are
never out of it living to the age of the
prophets-Pilikia still sat in his corn !
er when we returned to the grass !
house, but upon the appearance of !
the apple of his eye, the
child of his old age per-adventure,
his face changed suddenly, as if about
to weep, This stimulation of fearless
agony was his method of showing
Joy. The range of facial expression
had grown limited with him and he
low seemed to be gradually assuming
he fixed, blank stare of the dead.
7ilikia crawled out of his obscurity
md we all gathered about a calabash
If poi in the door of the hut as the
Jun shot suddenly into the sea-
Kane-Pihi began to awaken as the /,
Wright deepened; his eyes-he had
,ronze eyes, that were Opaque in the
unshine-grew limpid and lustrous;
lie began to search the wave as if he
ould pluck from it the heart of it's
MYSTERY. Perhaps he could; perhaps
is color and texture impaired to him !
ecrets unknown to us. Now and
gain he sang to himself fragments G
f meles that sounded like innova-
ions and added sacredness to an ,
our exquisitely beautiful and pathe-
ic.
The sea advanced and retreated
along the shelving sand; i
ach wavelet, unrolling like a scroll, =,
old its separate story and was with 7
rawn into the deep. For a moment G
he shore was CLOSED where the
'aters had passed over it, but this @
arnish Immediately grew clouded, like G
mirror that has been breathed upon,
nd then vanished, leaving only a q
ark shadow in the moist sand. Long, y
lminous bars lay upon the more dis
ant water, and beyond these the g.
ough edges of the reef, now exposed q
, the air, we're lightly powdered with G
lmy and prismatic spray. 1t was o
ark when we set forth in Kane-Pihi's q
lnoe. Pililda, who also revived UNI =
er the beneicent influence of the "
airs, followed us to the waters edge ~
nd even made a feint of aiding us y
the launch of our canoe. Our -
PURSE lay down the coast, within the n
EFF We might easily have waded
roughout the length and breadth of g.
e lagoon but for the shoals of sharp
,ral and the Jagged hills among G,
EN-, of which l knew nothing, .,
Ough each coral prong was familiar 80