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

reason the spirit of mortal is file,
with vague unrest strobe into th,
starlight and sought with a kind n
desperation the least freouentef
paths, such as lead away out of tn,
borders of the town toward the shad
owy hills.
On such a night the superstitutiou,
note with awe the faintest articula
ton, and too often attribute the least
sound to preternatural cause. re-
member that the hedges seemed 70
shudder at intervals and shadows to
move noiselessly before me, while the
water that trickled in the shallow
stream muttered a refrain that was
almost human in speech.
When l stumbled in the darkness I
was vexed, and the still air, heavily
p charged with electricity, was irritat-
ing and aggressive.
l had got beyond the reach of
voices, as l thought, and was CROP
ing in the deep shade of clustering
kamani trees, when dull murmur.
like the drone of the hive, fell upon
my ear. l paused to listen. The
crickets were chirping bravely, the
rill fell with a hollow note into the
pool below, and from far away came
the solemn suspiration of the sea.
Then saw light dimly Pickering
among some branches in the path and
l advanced with some caution, for I
was in no mood to discover myself
to any one in that seeming solitude.
A few PAGES distant stood a rude
grass hut such as the Hawaiian form
erly inhabited, but which, alas, has
been suffered to fall into disuse. A
door, its only aperture, stood open.
Upon a broad, fat stone within the
center Of the hut famed handful
OF faggots, and over these bowed the
withered forms of two venerable Ha.
waiians, who may have been the last
Representatives of the ancient race.
They were squatted upon their lean
launches, their fleshless arms were
extended, their claw-like fingers clasp
ed above the flames. They were both
nude, and the light that played about
them exaggerated their wrinkles so
that the face of each-I say it in all
iousness-resembled a baked ap-
pie. They were, chanting in turn one
of those weird meles, now seldom
heard and soon to be utterly forgot
ten. Their thin voices gathered
strength as they recounted the
triumphs of departed heroes and the
glory that has passed forever. The
voices were at times blend !
ed, and the ancient bards locked in a
tremulous embrace; but at last, pro-
foundly agitated, while the tears
coursed their hollow cheeks, they
folded their arms above their bowed .
foreheads, and, shaken with tremors,
rocked to and fro in the fading fire
light and were dumb
They were bewailing the fate Of
their people-a fate that in very
many respects is to be deplored. l.
Never again can aught be made Of
hem, for their doom is accomplished.
And how? We shall see II
Years ago I sat under the caves of
grass house which stood upon this
'and-dune and looked out upon the
'eef as l am looking now; the after
loon was waning; the wind, that had
or hours been whirling the fine sand ;
n eddies around the corner of the
louise, began to fail, and the sea, with
III its waves, subsidized upon the reef. !
t was as If the little island world I
vas about to compose itself to sleep;
N the contrary, we were but begin ,
ling to recover from the inertia in :
luced by the tireless activity Of the T
dement's.
On my lap lay the only volume l Z
vas able to discover in the vicinity, '
n ill-used copy of the Evidences of
How it came into the q
of Pilikia, my host, l know .
ot, but that he had found it of great d
ervice was evident At least half Of I
he pages had already been disposed f
and the remnant-a catacomb of p
'hite ants and such other virmin as +
fleet literature in the tropics-was {
lre to follow in due course. 4
Pilikia politely offered me this c
lecious volume at an early stage of d
ur acquaintance, for we were quite s
nable to communicate with one an a
Their, he being stone deaf and l was /,
God as dumb in those days. The @
nth is, I was awaiting the return Of r.
the man-fish, with whom Il
proposed to pass a night upon the Il
9et practicing the art which had al c
lady distinguished him and had won Il
II him the admiration and the envy Il