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

] ANbSoh at al call Stage III HIS career
Oh, heavenly night! We foatec
upon an element that seemed a den
ser atmosphere; tho delicious air wal
like the spirit of God moving upor
the face of the waters. We were bott
silent, but now and again we heard 3
'glug' under our bow where a be
wildered fish had swum into the ali
by mistake and Owed back in dismay
The mysterious voyage filled me
with a kind of awe, such as a sur
prised soul might feel after sudden
death, upon finding itself propelled
slowly across the Styx by an almost
invisible Charon In this mood we
rounded the lagoon, and 10, the sea
radiant with flaming torches and PEG.
pied by a race of shadowy fishers
bronzed, naked, statuesque The
superb spectacle inspired Kane-Pihi;
with an exclamation of delight he
plunged his paddle into the water and
half dozen vigorous strokes brought
us where he was at once recognized
and received with every demonstra-
ton of affection.
In the charmed circle all things
were transformed; the earth and the
very stars were forgotten; the sea
was like wine, ripples of perfume
played upon it's surface; the torches
above it were imaged in the water be-
low, where the coral glowted resplend-
emily and the bewildered fish darted
to their doom in basket-nets or at
the point of the glancing spear. The
fishers were for the most part dumb
as statues; with thousand exquisite
poses they searched the luminous
depths for the fleet prey that shone
like momentary sunbeams and were
as speedily captured and transferred
to their canoes. In this graceful art
the women, costumed like tabled sea
nymphs, were as skillful as the men,
and even when We had drifted in the
shadows, and they, descending into
the sea, were wandering apart each
with torch in one hand, a net in
the other and sack hanging upon
the hip they were as fearless and as
active as the best man among them.
But this kind of fishing was mere
child's play in the eyes of Kane-Pihi
and only the diversion of night.
Hour after hour the fotilla dazzled
upon the tideless lagoon; it was only
when the waters seemed to have been
robbed of their last vestige of finnv
life that we separated and scared like
neteurs into outer darkness. Then [
became conscious of fatigue, and
throwing myself upon a mat in the
corner of Pilikia's grass house slept
while Kane-Pihi sang into the dawn.
In those days a barren plain, reliev-
I'd here and there by stretches of salt
marsh land, lay between the fishing
grounds and the seaport. 1t was seld-
I'm that Kane-Pihi entered the town.
4 gentle savage, whose childhood had
'een passed upon the shore of the
east civilized of the islands of the
roup, his unconventional life had
carcely fitted him for anything so con
ming as pavement or a trim garden
pot, hedged or fenced about in indi- /
'idual exclusiveness.
He had lounged in the fish market.
'here his. fame had preceded him,
ut the clamoring crowd soon drove
i'm forth, and when he had sat for
n hour in silent contemplation of the
treet traffic, he strobe soberly back
0 the hut on the sand dunes an
Teamed away the disgust with which
UGH method and industry invariably
lspired him.
We sat together one morning look
lg far off upon the town and far off
pom the sea in comfortable idleness.
We had hoped for a change in the
Dirit of our dream and it came pres
nifty, for it was observed that
'hool of fish was making for the {
lore. In an instant several canoes !
ere slid into the water and dozen Z
lcited natives went in hot pursuit {
the spoil. I
Before the day of dynamite, deep /
"a fishing was an art in which few
icelled, but with Kane-Pihi it was a
'ecialty and when we had weather. T
the breakers and were out upon +
e swell beyond the reef, he dropped t
handful of bait into the water and Y
atched it as it slowly sank; then he t
utiously climbed out of the canoe q
Id with fearless resignation sank 7
ter it, 1t was as if he were defy Il
g death itself.
Breathlessly I watched him as he v
INK feet foremost into the deDths; t.
saw his motionless body slowly de- I,
ending, growing DINNER in outline I,
the while; I saw the fish circling Il