THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN. 311 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



Practicing Casts by a Disciple of Izaak Walton. We come back to Din- 

 ner, and join a Procession. The Dinner in classic Style. Visit from 

 Governor Adams. A great Man in Avoirdupois. Second Visit Ashore. 

 Tapa-making. Wyhenne in Search of Ideas,' and her Disgust. Cook's 

 Monument. Incident in the Fight, showing Coolness in the Natives. 

 We go Fishing. Trolling from double Canoe. Mr. Baldwin preaches 

 on Board. We weigh Anchor for Oahu. 



RETURNING from this wild and fearfully exciting scene, 

 we noticed a young fisherman practicing the gentle art, but 

 not with hackle or May-fly, or with the supple ten-ounce an- 

 gle. Our naked Adonis stood on a projecting point, at some 

 ten feet elevation, with a stout bamboo or reed of twenty- 

 five feet, the butt supported in his crotch, and played with 

 the right hand, while the left manoeuvred the fish. From 

 the outer end of the rod was a stout line equaling it in length, 

 and baited with a dummy fish, made of a roll of tapa, about 

 twenty inches in length. This practice is to acquire dexter- 

 ity in landing the fish. It consisted of swinging out the 

 fish to the extreme reach of the rod and line, and allowing 

 it to rest a moment on the water ; then, with a dexterous 

 backward surge of the rod, swinging the fish clear of the 

 water, and bringing it directly under the left elbow, at the 

 same moment passing the thumb of the left hand into the 

 gill, and thus securing the fish. 



We sat on the rocks admiring the precision with which 

 the fish was brought forty feet distance, and securely plant- 

 ed under the grasping arm of the angler. It was, in its 

 way, as fine an exhibition of skill as the fly-fisher casting his 



