The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-03-01

many years these reefs have pro-
vided a livelihood for the natives,
as in no other place can you find q
greater variety Of fish than the
colorful and heterogeneous lot har-
bored by a coral formation.
In the olden days most Of the
fishing was done at night. Torches
were used to attract and blind the
fish, whereupon they were spesred
with sharpened bamboo poles. But
nowadays the trend seems TO be
underwater spearing and I could not
rest until I had tried my hand at
this sport.
The spearing rig that is used n
simple and easy to make. I attached
two strands together at the loose
ends by means Of q short length Of
cord. thus forming sling. A five
foot steel rod, pointed and barbed
at one end, notched at the other,
completed the rig.
BY sliding the rod through the
hollow bamboo section and catching
the notch IN the cord, I had sling
affair that was cooked and re-
leased in ordinary bow and arrow
style. The addition Of q simple
lever and catch enabled me to keep
the rig cooked at all times and also
allowed operation Of 1t with one
hand only. The spear would shoot
out Of the bamboo with remarkable
speed and If you had aimed prop
erly, it would impale the nearest
curious fish. But that IL q very
large "if"l After months Of prac-
tice. I still miss about 80 per cent
Of the fish that I aim at, and even
the expert natives miss at least 50
per cent. However, the fish are so
numerous and so curious that you
can easily catch a large string Of
them in a single morning. A COCO
nut tied to the end Of cord serves
to hold your string Of fish for you
while you continue spearing, and
shoes Of some kind give you neces-
sary protection from the sharp
coral. The aforementioned goggles
which give you such a clear view
underwater are simply hollow pieces
Of wood shaped to fit tightly around
the eye sockets. and fitted with
glass lenses to afford the necessary
vision. These can be homemade or
bought in Honolulu for S1.5o a pair.
Like many beautiful things the
reefs are also dangerous. Preacher
Gus currents among the coral for
nations, and the pounding surf,
cause many drownings every year
as evidenced by the numerous Japa-
nese shrines that are erected along
the shoreline. Only this afternoon
I had a narrow escape myself. I
had swum out to little lava islet
half-a-mile off the shore, and on
the other side found few little
coral reefs projecting a few inches
above the surface. The waves were
breaking over the reefs quite strong
ly, but I decided to wade out to them
anyway, a decision that I am quite
sorry for now. I managed to reach
them, but had no time to look for
fish or shells, as a couple Of enor-
nous waves came out Of nowhere
and broke over the reefs. There
was nothing I could do except to
brace my bare feet against some
coral and grip with my hands. When
the onrushing wave reached me 1t
tore my grip loose. rolling me across
the sharp lava and coral for at least
thirty feet and slashing my body
in over a dozen places. The fact
that somehow in the frothing water
I managed to keep my head from
striking rock is the only thing
that saved me. I limped back across
the islet to the lee side and stroked
the half-mile back to shore where I
received first aid. AS coral cuts take
weeks to heal, because Of the or
ganisms that cling to the coral and
are consequently swept into the cut +,
viii be constantly reminded Of