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

/ curiosity as to the nature of the man
fish in their midst, who, like a CORPSE
was fading in the horrible obscurit,
of the sea; then, at the moment wher
1t seemed that life must have desert
ed him, with a sudden lunge he buried
knife in the body of a huge fish and
rose like a water-wraith out of the
waves. 1t was the work of a moment
only, but it seemed to me an age
since had seen the sea over him.
Several times he repeated the act
successfully, and it became difficult
to see through the blood-stained
water, but by moving the canoes
cautiously from point to point, we
still kept within reach of the shoal
and avoided the crimson cloud that
marked the scene of Kane-Pihis re-
cent marine combat. A highly sue
cessful catch was the reward Of his
prowess, and with our canoe well
laden, we headed for the shore.
Those who were watching us from
the beach must have lost sight of us
at intervals as we rose and sank upon
the rollers. Sometimes the comber
that broke between us and the land
looked like a precipitated avalanche
OF snow, and the mass behind us
swelled and burst, darling forward
with an impetuosity that threatened
the destruction of our frail craft. But
into the wilderness of this tumultu-
Gus sea it was Kane-Pihis intention
to venture, and through the midst of
it lay our perilous course. With n
paddle that was never at rest. we
lowered upon the outer edges Of the
reef, fastening over the brow of n
billow before it broke, for it was only
upon the bosom of one of these mon
sters that We could hope for safety,
and the one had not yet arrived. Like
a birds pinion, the paddle held us
poised-suspended in mid-air. I had
almost written-until, with an i'm
pulse which was an inspiration, Kane
Fiji plowed the sea with swift, im-
i ctuous strokes. felt the .aIoc.
leap forward before a wave that
seemed rising to overwhelm us; we
rose with it, on the inner slope of it
Just out of reach of the torrent of
foam that Kissed and roared behiad
us. How we sped onward in that
mad chase! The very canoe seemed
lnstilled with life; nervous tremors
seized it,, it was almost as if some
Invisible power were about to sweep
it from under us; so fast it fed over
the oily slope of the huge wave, at
the top of which tumbled a world OF
Icam-and thus, with hardly so much
as stroke of the paddle, after we
were we'll settled on the down grade,
we sprang like a flying-fish into the
-raqnuil waters of the lagoon and then
-urned to one another with half
gasp, as if we had been delivered
rom sudden death.
This was the life of the man-fsh;
: he had been upset in the breakers
lie would have come to shore none
he worse for it, but my blood would
lave stained the reef for a moment |
nd my bones found coral sepulture.
Thus he played with the elements
having not SO much vanity as a child,
Tor so much wisdom either, though
lie was weather wise, knew all about
he moods of the wind and waves.
ould do everything but shape them
nd there l left him to sleep away the
ot hours in the hot sun and sand
eat when he listed and wait upon
ne turning Of the tides, or the adj
ent of those fshy episodes that were
vents in his life; a perfectly con-
dtuted creature, whose highest am
ition he could himself satisfy at al
1ost any moment; who, I venture
affirm, never did harm to any one.
nd who unquestionably was, in his
ne, a complete and unqualified sue
ess-in brief a perfect human ami
lal, who was doing in his own way
nd in his own good time what he
ould toward destroying the last YES
ges Of the Evidences of Christian
y"
} t
In revisiting an inconsiderable com Z
unity nothing is more natural than
II one to pick up the threads where I
ley were dropped and then seek to 7
ork out the story of the lives of r
lose with whom he has been associ- 4
ed in former years, and in this wise p
was busy enough for some weeks e
'on my return to Honolulu. +
l soon began to famillarize myself b
ith all that had transpired in the in r.
ryening decade, and was making 2
zy pilgrimages to various points Of +
terest, when it occurred to me that i
e prison was still unvisited n