THE "GRAY GHOST"
The next morning after an early breakfast the "Gray Ghost" was brought
around in front of the "Seaside" and the boys began to look her over to
make sure that she was in condition for the day's trip. They found that
everything was all right, so they began loading her with baskets of
delicious eatables that the host had prepared for them. In a very short
time all was ready and Tom, Dick and Ralph piled in the tonneau, while
the Doctor took his seat beside Bert, who was to drive that day. There
had been some discussion that morning as to whether Bert or Ralph were
to run the machine. Bert claimed that as it was Ralph's car it was his
right and prerogative to drive. But Ralph wouldn't listen to such an
argument for a minute. For wasn't Bert his guest and wasn't he there to
give his guest a good time, especially as he, Ralph, had driven the car
the day before? So after a time it had been settled and Bert reluctantly
took the wheel.
But the reluctance didn't last long, for, when he found himself guiding
the great car over the road, the old feeling of exultation took
possession of him and the old wild desire to put on full speed came
surging over him. But Bert was never one to give way to impulse when
caution told him it would be unwise, so he held his desire and,
incidentally, his machine well in check.
"You said last night that you would tell us about the hunt for sharks,
Doctor Hamilton," Dick reminded him. "Won't you tell us about them,
now?"
"Why, yes, if you would like to hear about it," the Doctor consented.
"These seas, as you probably know, are full of sharks, and therefore
are very dangerous. The natives of Hawaii are not the people to be
terrorized, however, by any animal on land or sea. So, after careful
consideration, they decided that, as long as they couldn't hope to
exterminate the pests, the only thing for them to do was to learn how to
defend themselves against them. So, when a man wanted to go out into the
deep, shark-infested waters he would take with him a handy little
dagger. Then, instead of swimming for home and safety at the first sign
of a shark, he would wait boldly for the creature to come near enough
for a hand-to-hand (or, rather, a fin-to-hand) conflict."
"Say, a man would have to have some nerve to wait calmly while one of
those cute, harmless little animals came prancing up playfully to be
petted," Tom broke in. "I'd rather be excused."
"It does take an immense amount of courage to brave a shark, but I
shouldn't wonder if there were thousands of people in the world who are
at this moment making greater sacrifices, performing deeds that call for
more real fortitude and courage than these shark hunters ever dreamed
of. Only, you see we don't know of those cases. However, that's neither
here nor there. Well, to get back to my story, when the shark nears the
man he turns on his back to grab him. Then comes the crucial moment.
Before the shark has a chance to accomplish his purpose, the native
deftly buries the dagger up to the hilt in the shark's throat."
"Yes, but suppose the shark nabbed the hunter before he had a chance to
use his weapon," Ralph suggested.
"It is very probable in that case that the hunter would hunt no more
sharks," the Doctor laughed. "However, that very rarely happens these
days, for the Hawaiians are trained to hunt as soon as they leave the
cradle, and are experts at the age of nine or ten."
"I wouldn't mind trying it myself," Bert declared, for, to him danger
and excitement were the very breath of life, "only I'd like to practice
up for a few years before I hung out my sign."
"Well, they went on killing the sharks by means of a dagger for some
time," the Doctor went on, "but one day some bright young native
discovered what seemed to him to be a much more interesting and, at the
same time, just as sure a way of killing the shark. So one day he called
all his relatives and friends together and told them to watch his new
method. They all noticed that, instead of the usual dagger, this youth
carried in his hand a pointed stick. 'What good will a sharp stick do?'
they all asked one another. 'He surely cannot mean to kill the shark
with such a weapon,' and they tried to persuade him not to try anything
so foolish. However, he was not to be persuaded, so he started out with
his stick to fight the shark. He had not gone very far before his
eagerly watching friends on the shore saw a fin rise above the water and
knew that the shark was near. With breathless interest they watched the
coming conflict. Nearer and nearer came the shark until it was only a
very few yards from the daring hunter. Then in a flash it was on its
back and bearing down on its prey. With the speed of lightning our hero
reached down the shark's throat and wedged the pointed stick right
across it so that the shark couldn't close his wicked, gaping mouth. Of
course, not being able to shut his mouth he drowned there in his native
element. There is an instance of the irony of fate, isn't it?"
"It surely is," Dick answered. "But, Doctor, is that really so or is it
only a story?"
"It's the truth. The shark hunters use both methods, the dagger and the
sharp stick, but the stick is the favorite."
So the morning was passed in interesting tale and pleasant conversation,
and they were all amazed when the Doctor informed them that it was
half-past twelve. Soon afterward they came to a cozy little inn with the
sign "Welcome" over the door painted in great gold letters on a black
background. At this hospitable place they stopped for lunch.
When this most important function of the day was satisfactorily
accomplished, they went for a stroll on the beach, as they had about
half an hour to look around them before it was necessary to start on
their way once more.
This part of the beach was perfectly protected from the unwelcome visits
of the sharks by the large coral reefs, and the boys were surprised to
see the number of people that were enjoying their afternoon dip.
"Look at those fellows over there riding in on the breakers," Tom
cried, pointing to a group of boys that looked as if they might be
Americans. "Will you please tell me what they think they have on their
feet?"
"They look like snow shoes," Bert said, "but I never knew that you could
use skees on the water."
"They are really nothing more nor less than snow shoes, but you see over
here they have no snow to use them on, so they make them do for the
water," said the Doctor.
"It's a great stunt," said Dick. "I wish we had brought our bathing
suits along, we could take a try at it ourselves."
"If bathing suits are all you want," Ralph broke in, "I can soon get you
them. This morning I thought we might want them, so, at the last minute,
I ran back to get mine. While I was there I discovered your suits all
tied together with a strap, so I brought them along, too. They are under
the seat in the tonneau."
"Bully for you, old fellow," said Dick. "You have a head on your
shoulders, which is more than I can say for myself."
"Yes, that's fine. Now we can try our skill at skeeing on the water.
But, by the way, where will we get the skees?"
"They are not really skees; they're only pieces of wood pointed at one
end," the Doctor explained, "and I think you will be able to get all you
want up at the inn."
"But you will come with us, too, won't you?" Bert asked. "It won't be
half as much fun if you don't."
"No, I don't think that I'll go in with you to-day. I brought a little
work along, and I thought that if I got a minute I would try to do some
of it. You will only have a little while to stay anyway, so go ahead and
enjoy yourselves while you may. I'll tell you when time is up. I'll go
with you as far as the house. You needn't be afraid that I'll forget."
So, in a few minutes the boys were on the beach once more, ready to try
their luck on the skees. They watched the group of fellows that had at
first caught their attention until they thought that they knew pretty
well what to do. When they fancied they could safely venture they waded
out until the water was about to their waists. Then, resting the long
board on the water, they tried their best to mount it, as they had seen
the other fellows do. But they would just get the board placed nicely
with its point toward the shore, when a wave would come along and carry
it out from under their feet.
They had very nearly given it up in despair when one of the fellows
from the other group came over and spoke to them.
"Is this your first try at the surf boards?" he asked, and they knew
from the very tone of his voice that he was what they had thought him,
an American. "We saw you were having trouble, and we thought you
wouldn't mind if we gave you a few pointers. It's hard to do at first,
but when you once catch on it's a cinch."
"We would be very much obliged if you would show us how to manage them,"
Bert replied. "I thought that I had tried pretty nearly every kind of
water trick, but this is a new one on me."
"Yes, we can't seem to get the hang of it," Tom added. "How do you stay
on the thing when you once get there?"
So our boys and the others soon became very well acquainted, and it
wasn't very long before they were doing as well as the strangers. All
too soon they saw the Doctor coming down the beach toward them, and they
knew that the time was up. They bade good-bye to their new found friends
and hurried up to the inn to get ready for the rest of the journey. For
the whole afternoon they rode through scenes of the most striking beauty
and grandeur.
They went through the historic valley of Nuuanu, where the great battle
was waged by Kamehameha the Great, sometimes called the Napoleon of the
Pacific. They followed the scene of that terrible struggle until they
came to the precipice over which the Oahu army of more than three
thousand men had been forced to a swift death on the rocks below.
When they reached the hotel at which they had expected to stay for the
night, they found a telegram waiting for them. Doctor Hamilton opened it
and read, "Come at once. Ship sails to-morrow morning, nine o'clock."
"That means," said the Doctor, "that we will have to start for the
_Fearless_ as soon as we can get a bite to eat."
So start they did, and it took hard riding nearly the whole night to get
them to the ship in time. After they had settled with the landlord of
the Seaside House and had hustled their belongings into the car, they
started for the dock and found that they were just in the nick of time.
As Bert turned from his companions toward the operating room to take
down any last messages that Hawaii might want to send, he said with a
sigh, "I'm sorry that we had to leave sooner than we expected, but as
long as we had to--say, fellows, wasn't that ride great?"