Page:Voyages in the Northern Pacific - 1896.djvu/140

112 fish. On my return from this expedition I was nearly lost: I embarked in a canoe with Toowyheene (Kuwahine), wife to Keymatoo (Keeaumoku), the king's prime minister, who steered the canoe, and when we came to the reef of the harbor wanted to try her skill in dashing through the surf, which ran very high. We got through several breakers, but she at length let the canoe broach too, by which we were upset and all thrown out. The chief's wife and four of the natives collected round me, while the remainder were employed in getting the canoe from the surf and baling her out. I was in a most perilous situation for about half an hour, being obliged to dive through every surf, attended by the natives and the chief's wife, with whose aid I managed to take my clothes off, which made me swim much lighter. We ultimately got safe into the harbour, but I never could be tempted to run over the breakers again.

Having described an aquatic fishing bout, I will now describe the mode of catching flying fish:—The nets in which they are taken are made of twine, which is spun from a sort of hemp, called by the natives oorana (olona), and very strong. A number of nets are laced together, so as to make one of two or three hundred yards in length; they are about six foot broad, with a large and strong bag in the centre, and these they run out in a straight line, the upper part of which is boated by cork wood, and the lower sunk with stones. They take large branches of trees and lay along the head line, which prevent the fish