THE DIVER.
WHEN school is over, Upa and Auwae go home through the woods so that
they can throw stones in a certain waterfall. They have no fear that
snakes will suddenly take them by surprise, for there is not a single
one in the whole island. Neither do they hear frogs croaking beside a
shady pool, for neither frogs nor toads have ever hopped upon Hawaiian
soil.
Wherever they come to an open space beneath the trees, they play ball.
Upa made his own ball out of leaves which he packed closely together,
and Auwae bound it with sweet-smelling grasses when he had pressed it
into shape.
The boy's busy mind has planned new sport for the afternoon, and he
says:
"Auwae, after you have had your nap, do you want to fish? Old Hiko is
going out to the coral reefs, and he has promised I should go with him.
He says I may bring you, too, if you wish."
Auwae claps her hands with pleasure, for it will be a great treat. Hiko
is the only one in the village now who dives for fish. The other men use
lines made from the fibres of the flax-plant, and are satisfied to sit
in their boats, and lazily wait for bites. Auwae has grown to be a fine
diver, and hopes to learn something by watching the old man.
After a dinner of dried devil-fish and sweet potatoes, with baked
seaweed for a relish, and a delicious pudding of grated taro and
cocoanut milk, our little brown cousin stretches herself under the
trees, and is soon fast asleep.
She is dreaming of catching fresh-water shrimps in the stream near her
house when she is roused by a gentle pat on her forehead. It is Upa, who
says:
"We must hurry, Auwae. Hiko is going in half an hour, and he will not
wait for us."
Auwae is instantly wide awake, and after a loving "Aloha!" to her
mother, she hurries to the shore with Upa.
The old fisherman is already there in his long, clumsy-looking canoe. He
hollowed it from the trunk of a tree, and there is just room enough
inside for himself and the two children. At one side of the boat there
is an outrigger to balance it, and make it quite safe.
Hiko has a queer-looking paddle in his hand, and another beside him.
These paddles are like clumsy wooden spoons; it seems wonderful how fast
they can make the boat travel over the water.
The children wade out from the shore to the deeper water where the boat
is riding; then with a bound they spring into their places, Auwae to
steer, and Upa to seize the other paddle.
On they go till they are directly over the coral reef. The sea is a
beautiful green, and as clear as glass. Now they let the boat float
along, and all eyes are bent down upon the groves of coral below the
water. All at once Hiko rises suddenly to his feet, and springs upon the
edge of the canoe; but first he seizes in one hand a small fish-net, and
in the other a palm leaf.
Ah! down he dives, straight over the side of the boat! Down! down! Will
he ever come back? Do not fear. This is mere sport for him,--surprising
a shoal of fish at play among the coral spires. To the waiting children
it seems as though he were gone a long time, but in reality it is no
more than a minute.
As he appears again out of the water they shout in excitement, "What
luck, Hiko? What luck?" But they do not need to ask, for they see that
his net is half-full. He has actually brushed the fish into it with his
palm leaf, as your mother brushes crumbs from the table into the tray.
How beautiful are these fish! They are of many colours: red, green,
blue, and yellow. Among them is one of a delicate pink tint, shaped much
like a trout. Still another is a queer-looking fish with a purple body,
a blue spotted tail, and a dark head that shines brightly in the
sunlight.
But the greatest treasure in the old man's collection is the sea-cock,
or ki-hi ki-hi, as he calls it. Its back is covered with stripes of
black and yellow; it is perfectly round in shape, while a long,
transparent ribbon is fastened to its nose.
Hiko lifts the sea-cock from the net with great pride. To show the
children how beautiful it is while floating in the water, he fastens a
cord through the creature's head, and drops it below the surface. It
looks now like a gorgeous butterfly as it trails after the boat.
But Hiko is not satisfied yet. He says he will dive once more, as he
wishes to give Upa's mother a goodly mess of fish for her supper. At the
next dive he is gone for a longer time than before. Auwae grows fearful
just as his old face appears once more. He is puffing hard for breath,
and his eyes are red and blood-shot. He has been even more successful
this time, but is quite tired. He tells the children they can allow the
boat to float for awhile. They may rest for a luncheon on some of the
dainties he has just secured. Each may choose the fish liked best.
It seems queer to see the pleasure with which Auwae's pearly teeth meet
in the tail of the sea-cock. But such is the habit of her people, and
raw fish seems no stranger food to her than fresh-picked strawberries or
pineapples.
[Illustration: "IT IS LIKE A LONG, GRAND TOBOGGAN SLIDE"]
The party now paddle their way homewards. But, listen! A sound of music
comes from the direction of the shore. See! there are at least four
canoes filled with people. They are coming out for a race, and, as they
move along, are merrily singing in rhythm with the motion of their
paddles.
As they come nearer, our little brown maiden sees her father and mother
amongst the party. She stands up in the canoe, and shouts: "Oh, mamma!
we have had such fun! Hiko says we may stay out and race with you, too."
And now Hiko turns the canoe in the direction all the others are going.
The surf is running high; there is a good breeze blowing toward shore,
so there will be fine sport. All who hold paddles work with a will, and
the canoes are soon beyond the breakers; then they line up and watch for
a big roller.
They have only a minute to wait; all eyes turn as Hiko shouts, "Hoi!
hoi!" ("paddle with all your might").
The canoes rush onward with all the force the rowers can put into them;
for the boats must be moving fast enough when the breaker reaches them
to keep up with the onrushing water. Otherwise they will be overturned,
and the people obliged to swim ashore; which would certainly not be
pleasant.
Hurrah! The canoes are suddenly lifted up to a great height by the
mighty power of the roller; then down they suddenly drop to level water
again and speed onward to the shore. It is like a long, grand toboggan
slide, only it is on water instead of snow or ice.
Auwae's boat reaches the beach first of all. There is a shout of
laughter from the gay company who follow. It is because one of the
canoes has been left far behind the others. Of course the best fun lies
in winning this queer water race.
The sport continues for an hour or more, till it seems as though every
one must be tired out. Then they draw the canoes up on the shore and lie
about on the sand for story telling.