The Police Call
“Did you get a good look at your attacker, Biff?” Tom Brewster asked his
son.
“Gee, Dad. He came at me too fast. And it was fairly dark in the room.”
“I was wondering. Perez Soto—you know, the man I pointed out to you at
the dinner—well, he wasn’t at the reception afterward. I thought he
might have followed you boys.”
“I don’t think so, Dad. Perez Soto is a good-sized man. Husky. This
fellow I had the hassle with was smaller, I think.”
“And that Mr. Perez Soto,” Li added, “he was wearing a white dinner
jacket. This man wasn’t.”
“He could have changed, son,” Hank Mahenili pointed out.
“Li’s right, though,” Biff said. “I think we both will agree that it
wasn’t Perez Soto.”
“All right, boys. Better get to bed. It’s late, and tomorrow’s going to
be a big day.”
It was a big day, and it ended with a bang.
The engineering conference had wound up the night before with the dinner
at which Biff’s father spoke. This day, the day following, Hanale
Mahenili had invited a selected group from among those who had attended
the conference to a _luau_ at his house. The prospect of going to the
_luau_, the traditional Hawaiian feast, especially one cooked by a
native of the island, was exciting.
Hank Mahenili had been up early to get things under way. He was going to
supervise the cooking of the _luau_ personally. It took all day to
prepare a _luau_ properly, and when Hank Mahenili did something, he did
it right.
Biff and Li helped with the early preparations. They dug a deep pit in
which a pig would be roasted.
“Anything else we can do, sir?” Biff asked.
“Not now, Biff,” his Hawaiian friend replied.
“Then how about a swim, Li?” Biff inquired.
“Want to try real surfing this morning?” Li asked.
“Do I! Let’s go.”
Since Biff had arrived, the boys had swum before breakfast, after
breakfast, and practically all their free time. Li was an expert
swimmer, especially under water. At first, Biff became worried when his
new friend dived and seemed to remain under water long past the safety
point. But always, Li’s laughing face would break the water just when
Biff was about to dive for him.
Biff and Li hit the water and swam out into the ocean with powerful
strokes. Biff was just a bit faster than Li. They took the plunge first
to loosen up their muscles and became accustomed to the water. Next they
tackled the surfboards.
Li swam most of the way back under water.
“You still worry me, Li. I don’t know how you can hold your breath that
long,” Biff remarked as the boys walked up the beach.
“Just practice, Biff. I’ve been doing it since I could walk, I guess.
Dad tells me I could swim before I could walk.”
The boys paused to watch an outrigger come plunging toward the shore
atop a long, rolling wave.
The outrigger was being paddled furiously by two Hawaiian boys. On one
side of the canoe, its outrigging extended out in two arching arms,
connected by a buoyant float of _wiliwili_ wood to give the slender
canoe more stability.
The canoe ground ashore, and its laughing passengers scrambled out.
“All set, Biff? Ready to make a real try at it today?”
“By me that’s fine. I think I almost got the knack of it yesterday.”
“When it comes to you, it comes all of a sudden. You just sort of feel
it.”
“I hope I feel it today,” Biff said, laughing.
The first day, the boys had swum out to where the long rollers formed,
and had ridden them in, their bodies held stiff. Li wanted Biff to
become accustomed to the waves. Then they had started with the
surfboards.
The two boys walked across the beach to two long, brightly painted
surfboards made of _wiliwili_ wood. They carried the boards out into the
ocean until they were waist deep. Then, sprawling on the boards, they
paddled off shore several hundred yards.
“Okay, we’ll try it here. Head your board toward shore,” Li called.
Biff slowly turned his board until its pointed bow was aimed at the
beach.
“Okay. I’m ready.”
“Let the first few waves pass until you get the feel and lift. Then,
when one comes that feels good—that’s the only way I can explain
it—start paddling like crazy.”
Biff followed instructions. He felt himself being lifted by the first
wave, then a second. Now came a huge roller, raising both boys high
above the trough left by the preceding roller. Biff started paddling
furiously, still lying face down on the board. He felt the wave grab it.
The board picked up speed, riding right at the crest of the roller. He
had made it!
Li was right alongside. The boys were speeding shoreward at nearly
thirty miles per hour.
When the roller broke on the shallow shore, Biff was tossed off in the
foaming breaker. He grabbed his board and held on until the wave
smoothed out.
“Gee! That’s the most thrilling ride I’ve ever had!” he exclaimed.
“You did great, Biff,” Li said. “But just wait. If you think that was a
charge, wait till you ride the board standing up. How about it?”
“Let’s go!” Biff agreed promptly.
Out they went again. Again they waited for the right feel of the roller.
Biff felt one take his board. He was speeding shoreward. He looked over
the water at his friend. He saw Li rise to a knee crouch, then slowly
straighten up until he was standing straight, head held high.
Biff tried it. He got to his knees. Carefully feeling for his balance,
he started straightening up. “I’ve done it,” he said triumphantly to
himself. He looked shoreward just in time to catch a blinding splash of
salt spray. He blinked his eyes, and the next thing he knew, he was
floundering in the water.
Li, seeing what had happened, leaped off his board, turned it, and came
paddling back to Biff.
“I meant to tell you. When you get up, hold your head high, and back.
Then the salt spray doesn’t hit you in the eyes.”
“_Now_ you tell me,” Biff said, laughing. “I’m going to make it this
time.”
They started out even. Li got up first. Biff took seconds longer. He was
more careful this time. The tough part was straightening up from a
crouching position to an erect one, then placing one foot ahead of the
other, and getting a good balance. Biff arose slowly, slowly but surely.
He made it. The two boys rode standing up, only a few feet separating
their two boards.
Li turned to Biff and grinned. Then he clasped his hands over his head,
making a handshake of congratulation. He was so thrilled at seeing Biff
make it that he forgot about himself. This time it was the expert who
spilled himself into the water.
Biff rode triumphantly into shore alone.
The _luau_ was ready. The guests had arrived. Li burst into Biff’s room.
[Illustration: _Biff got to his knees, carefully feeling for his
balance_]
“_Wikiwiki_, Biff! Hurry. Everything’s ready.”
“I’m wikiwiki-ing just as fast as I can.”
“Here, put on this _aloha_ shirt—all the _kanes_ wear them. The
_wahines_, the women, wear _holukus_ or _muumuus_. You call them
mother-hubbards, only ours are brightly colored with big flowers printed
on them.”
“What do the kids—what do you call them—_keikis_? What do they wear?”
Li laughed at Biff’s pronunciation. “How many times do I have to tell
you that _every_ letter in a Hawaiian word is pronounced? Here’s how you
say ‘children’ in Hawaiian: _kay-ee-keys_, with the accent on the first
syllable.”
“Okay, _Li-ka-kay_.”
“Gee, that’s the first time you’ve said my name right. You stick around
long enough, and you’ll be a real Hawaiian!”
“What’s your name in English, Li?” Biff asked.
“Richard.”
“Okay, Dick—let’s go.”
The _luau_ was being held in the garden in the rear of the Mahenilis’
home. Under gaily striped awnings, long tables had been set up. They
were decorated with fragrant-smelling ferns, flowers, pineapples and
bananas.
At each place setting, there had been placed a _niu_, a coconut with its
top slashed off, still containing the _wai niu_, or coconut water, which
would be sipped with the meal.
Hank Mahenili stood over the _lua_—the hole Biff and Li had dug earlier
in the day—making sure that the _puaa_ was done to a turn. A _luau_
isn’t the real thing without a roast pig.
“All ready, everyone,” Hank called out, and started cutting pieces of
the pig. The meat was so tender it fell apart. Hank placed the meat on
_ti_ leaves, and servants carried it to the tables.
“What a meal!” Biff said, finding his place beside Li. “Never saw so
much food.”
In addition to the _puaa_, there was a _umeke_, a small bowl, of
_poi_—taro root pounded to a paste. There was a dish, called _pa_, of
_lomilomi_—salmon, which didn’t look a bit like salmon, since it had
been shredded and kneaded into a salad. There was also a dish of _moa_,
chicken cooked in coconut juice, and another _pa_ of _opihi_, a small,
delicately flavored shell fish.
This wasn’t all. There were _pas_ of _i’a_, fish, and sweet potatoes,
called _uwala kalua_.
“If I eat all this, I’ll explode,” Biff said.
“Here, have some of this,” Li said.
“What is it?” There was a suspicious look on Biff’s face.
“It’s delicious. Called _limu_.”
Biff took a small bite. His face lit up. “It’s good. But what is it?”
“Seaweed,” Li said and burst out into laughter.
“Honestly. _This_ is seaweed?”
“That’s right. Not the kind you know, though. This is an edible
seaweed.”
“I’ll say it’s edible. Give me more.”
Everywhere one looked, Mahenili’s guests were devouring the food.
Strange though some of it looked, no one could deny the food’s
succulence. People were falling to as if they hadn’t eaten for days.
Biff took one final bite and sat back.
“Couldn’t eat another thing if I had to. Don’t think I’ll ever want to
eat again.” He looked at his friend and smiled. “_Mahalo, aikane_.
Thanks, friend.”
Biff’s attention was attracted by a Hawaiian, not in _luau_ dress, but
in business clothes, coming across the garden. He saw the man approach
Mr. Mahenili.
“Who’s that?” Biff asked, nudging Li.
Li looked, and his face became serious.
“Golly. That’s Mr. Kapatka. I wonder what he’s doing here.”
“And just who, _aikane_, is Mr. Kapatka?” Biff asked.
“He’s the chief of the Honolulu police.”