The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-12-04

and the flesh swelled until the skin he
came thinly stretched and in some in,
stances burst and the blood flowed slug
gishly. Day by day, with the heat at
times sitting, at other times cold aud
damp, aud the nights. long and sleep
less, the muscles became stiffened. Some
were without hats and the glare of the
ocean struck their eyes like darts. The
sea water drying beneath their cloth
ing produced chafe and it was agony,
to sit, but it was equal agony to stand
mp. Feet became pulled and shoes
could not be worn. Socks became an
unknown quantity. Undershirts were,
few among them. A few overcoats
had been saved. Knotted handkerchiefs
were used in lieu of caps. Constipation
made them inert; swollen feet and
hands and the cramped space almost
halted their circulation.
Welcome Land Seen .;.. 81,
At halfpast four yesterday morning
they spied a coast. As daylight grew
they saw towering masts ahead and
those who had been in Honolulu knew
them to be the masts of the Marconi
Wireless Company at Kahuku.. They
had reached a haven at last and with
out the loss of a life. VI d..
They sped on and then only too Iatc
found themselves in the great billuws
surging in across outlying reefs, and
felt that after all they were doomed
for they were too weak to battle
singly in the water for their lives, in
surf which pounds Titanlike upon the
rocky coral and lava coasts where even
strong swimmers hesitate to plunge.
Once more the oars were manned,
manned by swollen fists which could
barely hold the stubs. Hands that ibled
from burst skin worked the little
boat out to deep sea again.
1--WE thought we, were gone" said
Mate Anderson, "but luck was with
us. " .'.r...
Then they saw moving speck and
discovered this to be fishing sampan.
They signalled, the sampan turned in
their direction, and soon the sampan
was alongside and the battle for life
was oyer A painter was sent from
the sampan to the Thor's boat.
The Japanese captain and his men
true mariners as they are, recognized
the plight of the castaways, and made
hot tea, cooked rice and sent ii together
with big gallon jars Of milk aboard,
They drank the milk out of their salmon
tins, and then drank the tea and the
rice and became more like themselves
| again. 1t was the first hot food they
had tastes, since they left the Thor
Safe In Harbor .,ra..ll.. 81
The hours seemed long until the sam
pan and it's tow steered up the chan
mel into Honolulu harbor. At lengtl
they moored at the, old Navajo land
ing. Captain Percy and BOatswair
Mcdonald, L, $, N, met the men auc
sent for l.. NJ. Vetlesoh, the Norwegian
consul, Doctor Trotter, chief quarantin,
/ inspector, the customs and Immigration
representatives. .l 90. su.. lr 4,4
The men had recovered their spirits
With shaggy boards, long hair, swoller
feet and hands, red eyes and raggeC
soggy clothing, they sat in their boa
or lOunged upon the more spaciou
decks of the sampan and waited unit
official red tape had been cut and the,
could go ashore to clean, dry. clothing
warm baths and real supper.
Their hardships were over, and the,
| telt they, could join in with the If
and routine Of civilization again on tn
nume old lines They smoked cigar
ind cigarettes and even cracked jokes
Praise For Japanese a I'll
Say, these Japanese are real com
bination, believe me- said a voic
which croaked between parched an,
bearded lips and sounded suspicious
ike real American, Instead of MOI
N"giup. Gas soon as they came u
| with us they gave MS hot tea and a
their cigarettes, the first real smoke "
' lave had since we left the ship, | ha