| home | catalogue | history | references | appendix |
 |
surfresearch.com.au
browne : surf riding
in hawaii, 1899
|
They were
here
in plain view of the shore, from whose surging tide rose a
continual roar
that filled their ears, and it was there Ned pointed.
The scene
was
such that it was no wonder the boys in their anxiety to go
on should pause
for a moment to admire.
It was
nothing
less than a score or more of natives enjoying their
morning exercises
in the warm water.
The surf at
that
place was favourable for the sport of the Hawaiians, though
more timid
swimmers (page 167) might well have
hesitated before venturing into a tide which rose and broke
in such swells.
There were
young
men and old, women, boys, and girls, many of them carrying
in their hands
that inseparable assistant of the Hawaiian swimmer, the surf
board.
This was a
thick
but light plank about two feet wide at the middle, tapering
toward the
ends, and six to eight feet in length.
" Isn't it
a sight
worth looking on ? " asked Ned.
" I do not
believe
the Hawaiian has his equal in the world when in the water.
Look at that
big, fat, gray-headed man !
How he
handles
his Papa-he-nula, as their wave-shaped boards are called in
their language.
They are
made
from the wood of the breadfruit-tree, are kept well oiled
and cared for,
as you may well imagine.
Watch that
little
fellow on the right.
See him
wading
out from that rock so as to get into the line breakers ; now
he dives,
and you won't see him again unless you look for him through
a glass some
time from now on the smooth water half a mile out to sea.
But if you
keep
watch for him he will return in a way which will amaze you."
Lew watched
the
scene with enchanted gaze.
He had never
seen anything like it.
Nor were he
and
Ned the only spectators, as the shore was lined with people
who had come
out thus early to witness the morning's pastime.
After seeing
the fat swimmer ride the swells safely in to disappear
mysteriously under
the tide, just as the wave was about to
break on the
shore, he looked for the reappearance of the boy swimmer,
who seemed bent
on showing off to his best advantage.
" There he
comes',
with half a dozen others ! " cried Ned.
" Look for
him
on the left."
Lew had
already
seen the youthful expert, as at that (page 168) moment he
rode
into sight on the crest of a high roller, lying face
downward on his board.
Then, as the
wave sped on, he went down into the trough until lost to
sight, huge combers
fretting the top of the wave as his board struck the ground.
An instant
later
he reappeared, poising himself on the front guard of the
oncoming breaker,
by dexterous movements of hands and feet always keeping just
on the verge
of the brink, as if ready to dive, carried on by the power
of the swell
behind him at the rate of fifty miles an hour.
Borne on
this
matchless steed, the brave young Hawaiian sprang nimbly to
his feet in
the midst of his exciting race, and, waving his hands to the
delighted
lookers-on, he uttered loud shouts of triumph.
Seeming
every
moment about to be engulfed by the pursuing breaker, whose
white crest
over- topped him, at the instant when that seemed inevitable
he slipped
from off his board and darted under the surf.
Later he was
back to the smooth sea ready to repeat his daring exploit or
try some new
feat.
What he had
done
half a dozen companions had accomplished, though not many of
them with
the daring and agility of this boy of the surf.
"The
undertow
helps them to return," said Ned.
"The great
secret
of their success is in mounting the breaker or roller at the
right moment,
and to keep exactly on the curl when it breaks.
It is
wonderful
how they do it.
Look to that
fellow on the left, who is flung bruised and senseless on
the beach, as
a result of missing his calculation."
As pretty and thrilling as was the sight, the boys had not the time to spare to watch it, and, leaving the careless surf riders to their sport, they rode on their way, the ponies moving at what Lew considered a " dog trot."
|
Two American Boys in Hawaii - the Boys Own Authors Series Illustrations by Louis Meynell Dana Eskes and Company, Boston, 1899. Internet Archive http://archive.org/details/twoamericanboysi00browiala |
| home | catalogue | history | references | appendix |