Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 183, 30 April 1891 — The Queen and her Leper Subjects. [ARTICLE]

The Queen and her Leper Subjects.

The Office of the B©ard of Healih was besieged with applicantp for p«rm its to visit the Leper Settlement, mostly by persons who have rclations living there. A large Duiub«r of perruits were isBued io due form; and when at six o'eloek the time ann©unced for sailing, the wharfs was crowded with people, a g;reat many more were written by the officers of the Board on bits of old envelopes and whatever seraps of paper could be found. The officers were importuned on every side. and found it almost imposeible to refuse. $ince many had been allewed the privilege to go, it became difficult to draw the line at any number or elaee, The issuing «f permits continued till the time of departure, and many went without them. So when Her Majesty eame on board the steamer was packed; deck and cabin, with a seething inass of humanity. The Royai party took a position on deck where mattresses had been placed and as soon as the voyage was well begun i could not be distinguished fro»i j the mass of people lying ab©ut i corapletely covering the deck. In the eahin things were worse. ]Every nook and corner wag oeeupied by snoring and perspiring natives. The laek of ventilation rendered the atm#Bphere and temperuture soiaething fearful. The steamer with human freight plowed its way slowly to Molokai. It was a beautiful night and the sea was ealm. , Shortly after the vessel was approaēhing her destination. The deek was crowded, the people now ' occupving a little Icbs floor room than when lying down and rnaking moti®n possible by the use ef one's elbows. The crowd was made up almoBt exclusively of near relations of lcpers, and a timid person could see and imagine signs of the dread malady in many of the passengers. The steamer moved along under the great precipice and cast anchor before what appeared to be a eonsiderable village situated on the low land projecting frem tbe base of the cliff. A very pleasant prospect of green pastures aud pretty white cottages gave no «uggestion of the miscry of its population. The boats were iowered and the

people crowded in a dense rnass around the.giing way. Soni9 attemjpt to examine passportB was made but proved pracically impossible; the effect was that every body got ashore as soon as they could. It took more than an hour to land the passenaers. The last buat carried tbe Rnyal ! party. A crow/l on foot and horse back could be seen on shore, whiie the wailing music of a funeral march floated out to greet thfe Queen. As those crossing tbe infernal river, etyx, may be supposed to e:aze intently to make out the dread forms seen flitting on the shores ®f the lower world, so the writer watched the figures on the land 38 the boat approached, First some of the persons seemed to be wēaring masks, huge caricatures of the human face. A s the boat reached the landmg 4he full horrors of this awful earnival of death was revealed. This might indeed be the very entrance of Hell. The writer looked up at the arch erented to greet the comers, almost expectinp to see the iraBcription. ! tl Wlio e.nter here leave hopei behind." Surely these faces have been scorched, roasted by infernal flres, and torn, scratched and deforraed by the red hot fingers of fiends. It was awful. awful wiili the facination of death. A rope had bēen stretch<»d along the landing to keep back the lepers, but little regard -w»s paid tc this or other refetrictions and lepers crowded under and over and everywhere. As soon as a boat load of pas•sengsrB landed their leper friēnds recogniz>ng them ran to embrace them, and, falling into eaeh others arms. they would sob and wail. llere fathers and mothers held to their heartH livid masses of putrecent flesh t'nat had beea onee beloved children; here husbands and wives, brothers and sisters met. what was the dread wages of death. The passengers fueed instantly with the lepers and soon accompanied them to their homes in manv cases to look upon still worse sights. Then thronghout the town arose the sound of wailing and lamentation. But what cry could express the disnair, the infinite anguish of such meetings, such grcetiags on the shores of death ? Her Majesty entered a carriage and drove followed by her party on foot te the house of Mr. Tell the superintendent. >Seated on the varanda sne greeted the lepcr— aloha oukou. They crowded around the house. prescnting a -hidi(jus speci a<jh». material f©r a thous n nd nightniares. Hon. S. Parker make a short addre»s follwed by others. ■ Onlv f a nu;nber of lepers were prcsent. Must. it was said, were in theiif hou:>cs- wailing with their frient3s, while 6thers <staid away to expr<.their dissatisfaction \vith il:*r MiijeBty's action in resicird to the Board of Health and rjfiicers at Kala,wao. Thero were >scarcely any* congregated t<> see the Queen. After the seen tli e home and 6chool they returntd and partcok of luneh. The band p]āyed,—A iaockery of gayety. Hon. S. Parker looked at those who pR lhetnselves as petitioncrs for re examination and took a lars;e nuDiber of names. He expre£sed hiuiself very 6trongly alout certain cases that pie-

sented nol'Uie bl : «:htest traceof| the di§eaBe; eve?i on stripj«eci. j It somctio]eß happeua it has j in Hawaii that pej*Bons are sent j here rather as revenge for eome j effense against tyrannieal ftfficials! than becausa of disease, About 3:30 p.m. the Royal party returned to the steamer. The scene at the landing was harrowjng beycnd descrjpti6n or imagi"njition. The separatiou and last sight of friends. At last all were on lx>ard and the steamer blowlv mov6d away. Many persons their paBsports withoot being asked for them *and i»any made the trip without any. i-. ■ The whole trip was like„a jour-1 ney into the lar»d of deliriuna and, nightraare. ' I (To be Continued).