THROUGH HAWAII. 
373 
the sea by their mothers the second or third day after 
their birth, and many who can swim as soon as they 
can walk. The heat of the climate is, no doubt, one 
source of the gratification they find in this amusement, 
which is so universal, that it is scarcely possible to 
pass along the shore where there are many habitations 
near, and not see a number of children playing in the 
sea. Here they remain for hours together, and yet I 
never knew of but one child being drowned during the 
number of years I have resided in the islands. They 
have a variety of games, and gambol as fearlessly in 
the water as the children of a school do in their play¬ 
ground. Sometimes they erect a stage eight or ten feet 
high on the edge of some deep place, and lay a pole in 
an oblique direction over the edge of it, perhaps twenty 
feet above the water; along this they pursue each 
other to the outermost end, when they jump into the 
sea. Throwing themselves from the lower yards, or 
bowsprit, of a ship, is also a favourite sport, but the 
most general and frequent game is swimming in the 
surf. The higher the sea and the larger the waves, in 
their opinion the better the sport. On these occasions 
they use a board, which they call papa he nāru , (wave 
sliding-board,) generally five or six feet long, and rather 
more than a foot wide, sometimes flat, but more fre¬ 
quently slightly convex on both sides. It is usually 
made of the wood of the erythrina, stained quite black, 
and preserved with great care. After using, it is placed 
in the sun till perfectly dry, when it is rubbed over 
with cocoa-nut oil, frequently wrapped in cloth, and 
suspended in some part of their dwelling house. Some¬ 
times they choose a place where the deep water reaches 
to the beach, but generally prefer a part where the 
