Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-06-08
Red Eye.

er TO drink. The whole horde fled TIC
the caves. 1t was our habit at such
times to flee first and investigate
afterwards We waited in the mouths
of our caves and watched. After some
time fire man stepped cautiously
into the open space. II was the little
wizened old hunter.
He stood there for long time and
watched US, looking cur caves and the
cliff wall up and down. He descend
ed one Of the runways to drinking
place, returning a few minutes later
by another runway Again he stood
and watched us carefully for long
time. Then he turned on his heel
and limped into the forest, leaving
us calling ENORMOUSLY and plaintive-
" to one another from the cave
mouths.
Ifound her down in the old neigh
torhood, near the burberry swamp,
where my mother lived and where
tree shelter. 1t was unexpected. As
came under the tree ! heard the
familiar soft sound and looked up.
There she was, the Swift One, sitting
on a limb and swinging her legs back
and forth as she looked at me-
| stood still for some time The
sight of her had made me very happy.
And then an unrest and a pain began
to creep in on this happiness / start
ed to climb the tree after her, and she
retreated slowly out the limb Just
as / reached for her she sprang
through the air and landed in the
branches of the next tree. From amid
the rustling leaves she peeped out
at me and made soft sounds. | leaped
straight for her, and after an exciting
chase the situation was duplicated,
for there she was, making soft sounds
and peeping out from the leaves of
third tree.
1t was borne in upon her that some
how it was different now from the
old days before Lop Ear and / had
gone on our adventure journey |
wanted to be near her, and | knew it,
And she knew It, tod. That was why
she would not let me come near her
forgot that she was truly the. Swift
One and that in the art of climbing
she had been my teacher. | pursued
her from tree to tree. and ever she
eluded me, peeping back at me with
kindly eyes, making soft sounds and
dancing and leaping and lettering be
fore me just out of reach The more
she eluded me the more wanted to
catch her, and the lengthening shad-
ows of the afternoon bore witness
to the futility of my effort.
As pursued her or sometimes rest
ed in an adjoining tree and watched
her / noticed the change in her. She.
was larger, heavier, more grownup
Her lines were rounder, her muscles
fuller. Three years she had been
gone-three years at the very least
and the change in her was marked.
i say three years. 1t is as near as /
can measure the time. A fourth year
may have elapsed which / have con-
fused with the happenings CT the 9TH
or three years. The more think CT
it the more confident ! am that it
must be four years that she was away.
Where she went, why she went and
what happaned to her during that
time do not know. There was no
way for her to tell me. any more than
thare was a way for Eop Ear and me
to tell the folk what we had seen
when we were away. Like us,
the chance is she had gone off on
IN adventure Journey and by herself.
On the other hand, it is possible that
Red Eye may have been. the. cause OF q
her going. 1t is quite certain that
he must have GENE upon her from
time to time wandering in the woods,
and If he had pursued her there is
no question hut that it would have
been sufficient TO drive her away
From subsequent events / am led to
believe that she must have Travelled Z
far to the south, across 4. range cf .
mountains and down to the banks Of
2 strange" river. away from any CT
her kind. Many Tree People lived
Down there, and | think It must have
EEpv they yr-lp finn Nv drove -baT, hn -.