Bert Wilson, Wireless Operator
Page 6
CHAPTER VI
THE "GRAY GHOST"
The next morning after an early breakfast the "Gray Ghost" was broughtaround in front of the "Seaside" and the boys began to look her over tomake sure that she was in condition for the day's trip. They found thateverything was all right, so they began loading her with baskets ofdelicious eatables that the host had prepared for them. In a very shorttime all was ready and Tom, Dick and Ralph piled in the tonneau, whilethe Doctor took his seat beside Bert, who was to drive that day. Therehad been some discussion that morning as to whether Bert or Ralph wereto run the machine. Bert claimed that as it was Ralph's car it was hisright and prerogative to drive. But Ralph wouldn't listen to such anargument for a minute. For wasn't Bert his guest and wasn't he there togive his guest a good time, especially as he, Ralph, had driven the carthe day before? So after a time it had been settled and Bert reluctantlytook the wheel.
But the reluctance didn't last long, for, when he found himself guidingthe great car over the road, the old feeling of exultation tookpossession of him and the old wild desire to put on full speed camesurging over him. But Bert was never one to give way to impulse whencaution 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 thereforeare very dangerous. The natives of Hawaii are not the people to beterrorized, however, by any animal on land or sea. So, after carefulconsideration, they decided that, as long as they couldn't hope toexterminate the pests, the only thing for them to do was to learn how todefend themselves against them. So, when a man wanted to go out into thedeep, shark-infested waters he would take with him a handy littledagger. Then, instead of swimming for home and safety at the first signof a shark, he would wait boldly for the creature to come near enoughfor 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 ofthose cute, harmless little animals came prancing up playfully to bepetted," Tom broke in. "I'd rather be excused."
"It does take an immense amount of courage to brave a shark, but Ishouldn't wonder if there were thousands of people in the world who areat this moment making greater sacrifices, performing deeds that call formore real fortitude and courage than these shark hunters ever dreamedof. Only, you see we don't know of those cases. However, that's neitherhere nor there. Well, to get back to my story, when the shark nears theman he turns on his back to grab him. Then comes the crucial moment.Before the shark has a chance to accomplish his purpose, the nativedeftly 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 touse his weapon," Ralph suggested.
"It is very probable in that case that the hunter would hunt no moresharks," the Doctor laughed. "However, that very rarely happens thesedays, for the Hawaiians are trained to hunt as soon as they leave thecradle, and are experts at the age of nine or ten."
"I wouldn't mind trying it myself," Bert declared, for, to him dangerand excitement were the very breath of life, "only I'd like to practiceup for a few years before I hung out my sign."
"Well, they went on killing the sharks by means of a dagger for sometime," the Doctor went on, "but one day some bright young nativediscovered what seemed to him to be a much more interesting and, at thesame time, just as sure a way of killing the shark. So one day he calledall his relatives and friends together and told them to watch his newmethod. They all noticed that, instead of the usual dagger, this youthcarried 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 sharkwith such a weapon,' and they tried to persuade him not to try anythingso foolish. However, he was not to be persuaded, so he started out withhis stick to fight the shark. He had not gone very far before hiseagerly watching friends on the shore saw a fin rise above the water andknew that the shark was near. With breathless interest they watched thecoming conflict. Nearer and nearer came the shark until it was only avery few yards from the daring hunter. Then in a flash it was on itsback and bearing down on its prey. With the speed of lightning our heroreached down the shark's throat and wedged the pointed stick rightacross it so that the shark couldn't close his wicked, gaping mouth. Ofcourse, not being able to shut his mouth he drowned there in his nativeelement. 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 itonly a story?"
"It's the truth. The shark hunters use both methods, the dagger and thesharp 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 washalf-past twelve. Soon afterward they came to a cozy little inn with thesign "Welcome" over the door painted in great gold letters on a blackbackground. At this hospitable place they stopped for lunch.
When this most important function of the day was satisfactorilyaccomplished, they went for a stroll on the beach, as they had abouthalf an hour to look around them before it was necessary to start ontheir way once more.
This part of the beach was perfectly protected from the unwelcome visitsof the sharks by the large coral reefs, and the boys were surprised tosee the number of people that were enjoying their afternoon dip.
"Look at those fellows over there riding in on the breakers," Tomcried, pointing to a group of boys that looked as if they might beAmericans. "Will you please tell me what they think they have on theirfeet?"
"They look like snow shoes," Bert said, "but I never knew that you coulduse skees on the water."
"They are really nothing more nor less than snow shoes, but you see overhere they have no snow to use them on, so they make them do for thewater," said the Doctor.
"It's a great stunt," said Dick. "I wish we had brought our bathingsuits along, we could take a try at it ourselves."
"If bathing suits are all you want," Ralph broke in, "I can soon get youthem. 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 alltied together with a strap, so I brought them along, too. They are underthe seat in the tonneau."
"Bully for you, old fellow," said Dick. "You have a head on yourshoulders, 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 oneend," the Doctor explained, "and I think you will be able to get all youwant up at the inn."
"But you will come with us, too, won't you?" Bert asked. "It won't behalf as much fun if you don't."
"No, I don't think that I'll go in with you to-day. I brought a littlework along, and I thought that if I got a minute I would try to do someof it. You will only have a little while to stay anyway, so go ahead andenjoy yourselves while you may. I'll tell you when time is up. I'll gowith 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 trytheir luck on the skees. They watched the group of fellows that had atfirst caught their attention until they thought that they knew prettywell what to do. When they fancied they could safely venture they wadedout until the water was about to their waists. Then, resting the longboard on the water, they tried their best to mount it, as they had seenthe other fellows do. But they would just get the board placed nicelywith its point toward the shore, when a wave would come along and carryit out from under their feet.
They had very nearly given it up in despair when one of the fellowsfrom the other group came over and spoke to them.
"Is this your first try at the surf boards?" he aske
d, and they knewfrom 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 youwouldn'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 ofwater 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 stayon the thing when you once get there?"
So our boys and the others soon became very well acquainted, and itwasn't very long before they were doing as well as the strangers. Alltoo soon they saw the Doctor coming down the beach toward them, and theyknew that the time was up. They bade good-bye to their new found friendsand hurried up to the inn to get ready for the rest of the journey. Forthe whole afternoon they rode through scenes of the most striking beautyand grandeur.
They went through the historic valley of Nuuanu, where the great battlewas waged by Kamehameha the Great, sometimes called the Napoleon of thePacific. They followed the scene of that terrible struggle until theycame to the precipice over which the Oahu army of more than threethousand 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 thenight, they found a telegram waiting for them. Doctor Hamilton opened itand 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 getthem to the ship in time. After they had settled with the landlord ofthe Seaside House and had hustled their belongings into the car, theystarted 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 takedown any last messages that Hawaii might want to send, he said with asigh, "I'm sorry that we had to leave sooner than we expected, but aslong as we had to--say, fellows, wasn't that ride great?"