The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1859-07-28
KoNA. July 9, 1859.

tConciuoed 20 q week.
The next day was a hard days travel for our
animals, over about fifteen miles of clinkers, until
we came to the rolling hills above Puakou. A
worse piece of road it would be hard to imagine.
Fancy that distance of country terribly cut up
int, ravines and gullies, and the only path or
semblance Of a road made of equal parts of broken
bottles and Stag from a blacksmith forge, and
you will get some idea of the plain between
Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. All these beds of
. clinkers-for we passed four or fve-have come
from the former mountain, while Mauna Kea
appears to have discharged scarcely anything.
latterly. but sand and ashes. On reaching the
open ground We found our horses were much cut
up and blee-ing about the feet, while one bullock
was SD exhausted and worn down that we were
obliged to take off his load and leave4im to shift
for himself. Pushing along, we arrived at sun
down at our camping ground in : : the big gulch"
among the hills which form the base of Mauna
Kea. This was a beautiful spot, the grass grow
ing luxuriantly in the valleys, and the ravines
being lined with manani trees. Wild hogs were
plentiful We disturbed a drove of forty or fifty
as we entered the gulch, and they went scamper-
ing up the mountain. Cattle too, were seen in
droves, but very shy. Unfortunately, however,
there was no water in the gulch, and, after stop
ping one night, we started on Thursday morning
for Kalaieha, an elevated point on the east side of
Mauna Kea, where report said that water and
game were to be found in plenty.
From the 8 big gulch'' to Kalaieha, a distance
of some fifteen or twenty miles, the road lays over
a beautiful rolling country, made up of wash
from the conical hills which SO frequently occur
along the base of Mauna Kea, with here and
fbara r,tcbas Of S,nd This vnn1J ha a z,,c
nifcent country for sheep farms, or for wheat
growing, but for one drawhack-the want of
water. There is ample evidence, however, in the
numerous water courses with which the face of
the country is scanned, that at times there is "too
much of water" Huge bould IT'S are seen scat
tered about. brought from the hills and carried
far out on the plains by the streams; but at the
time of our visit not a drop of water could he
found in any of the gulches or ravInes. We
reached our camping ground Il little after noon,
and pitched our tent at the foot of a hill in a
magnificent grove of koa and mamani trees. We
found the country here equally parched up with
that on the other side, there having been no rain
for months. Here the climpers from Mauna Loa
came up within a short distance of the base hills
of Mauna Kea, and just on the edge Of these rag
ged rocks, in the last place one would have
thought of looking for it, we found a hole, just
large enough to insert a quart pot, containing
about half a barrel Of delicious water, as cold as
if it had been iced. This was the first supply of
water, we had obtained since leaving Kona, and
as our kegs were quite empty, it came just in time
The long ride from the big gulch was made with
out water and our Threats were well parched.
Those who have never known the actual ,Uant of
water cannot appreciate the blessing of a constant
supply. l found the sense of thirst much allevi-
ated by carrying one or two small pebble stones
in my mouth.
At Kalaieha We remained until Tuesday, the
5th instant. EN- fnoying the time in rambling
about the country. shooting wild hogs, geese and
ducks. The latter were not very plentiful, hut
the hogs were in countless numbers. The ground
for miles about our camp was ploughed up in
every direction by them in their search after
the roots upon which they feed. Our party con-
sumed sometimes four or FIVE mall pigs of a dav,
such as you could buy in Honolulu for 81 so
each, besides a proportionate quantity of taro,
crackers and butter, ri les and coffee. Our APP
petites, however, in this keen mountain air,
(about 1000 feet above the sea J, were prodigious,
and digestion never failed to " wait on appetite,
Two Of US demolished a whole goose at a sitting.
besides ct ceferas-one was a supposed sick man.,
who six weeks before in Honolulu could scarcely
walk, and was sent up to Kona by his physician
as a last hope of recovery. He is now as strong
and hearty as could be desired. On Monday the
4th, we essayed the ascent Of Mauna Kea, and
would doubtless have succeeded but for an enyious
down it would be called cloud
which completely enveloped us, and the fear of
getting lost, turned us back to crope our wav tn
camp. Had the day been clear, we could have
scaled the top and RECALLED Ourselves on snow
water and returning reached the camp BY night
the fattest Of Wild eeesa andsth{l5mdsyss Of