Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1885-05-16
THE YOLCa NO TRIP.
a T,cice Told Tate.

and three haoles. One OF the latter Is an
Hawaiian by long residence the other two
are malihnis. In sex three are rude and two
gentle. Three ate husbands, one is wife,
one maid. The oldest is 80, the youngest
I6. And no one Of us all has been to the
volcano"
So mused rs we rode away from the Half
Way House on the Kau side, one cloudy
morning In April. Sooner and | formed the
rear guard Of the Indian file of which Don
Julisno was leader, and Lord Ross a digni.
fed centre.
Sooners presence at the rear was not
because Of his WEAKNESS. He had Jared
royalty at Kapapala. Lord Ross. who had
presided at the equine breakfast, declared that
Sooner had established his right to live by
eating his own ground barley and that of his
nearest neighbor and had then calmly kicked
on, guides mule away from her box and con
cluded his surfeit by eating what remained Of
that third repast. Perhaps Lord Ross exag.
gerated. At any rate Sooner was never in
inner feather ; and your correspondents eques.
trian appearance was altogether to his credit.
As we rode away from Kapapaa we passed
not far from the celebrated cave Of Luukia
" ! tell the tale as twas told to me-" good
Judge Fernandez and legendaries all and if
tell 1t not Alright much the better for you.
Once upon time, when Kauai was even
more famous for its pretty girls than now,
because its population was larger, there lived
in the valley of Hanalei young eheifess
named Luukia. She was taller than an ohia
OF ten years growth, and more graceful than
the mango trees of Kona. Her eyes were
brighter than the waters at Nawiliwili her
Waimea and her cheeks were more red than
the scarlet lehua. In fact she was as beautiful
as my friend Furneaux's loveliest portraiture-
than which there can be no more perfec,
praise.
Luukia used to dance the hula so adorably
that the stars would stop in their courses TO
gaze upon her. yet so delicately, so chastely, so
divinely that her friends used to think she had
forgotten something.
Pee had heard much Of Luukia, and, being
proud Of her own prowess in the hula art,
thought il would be worth the candle to have the
Kauai damsel pay her VISIT that, perchance,
5 she might learn the steps tina, made the other
famous. So she invited Luukia to visit
kilauea. and Luuka accepted the invitation
She journeyed without adventure, followed by
= numerous retinuc, until she reached Kappa,
Pala, where she tarried over night, tasting its
hospitality and, doubtless, enjoying it, as did
Sooner and l, some years later.
As she started forth, her i'll fortune directed
her steps past the fateiul cave. She looked
in, hesitated and was lost.
She entered, followed by her suite,
What a jolly place to hula i'm she said.
ut is that" assented her first maid Of
honor.
Let's !" said Luukia.
Yes, let's" chimed in the others.
And 50, without more ado. the tom toms
beat, the gourds ratified, the kiheis were dotted,
the paus were donned, an6 Luukia and two Of
her most proficient followers began the dance
Of death. Faster they danced and faster;
more dvinely fair the Kauai maid; more
wildly furious her followers.
In the maddest excitement Of the dance the
tom tor.s suddenly ceased at the appearance
Of an intruder. An old woman, weird and
wrinkled and bent with age, came in front o
Luukia and begged that she might hula will
her.
Luukia's worst fault was pride, scornfi
haughtiness that withered its provokers. Sh,
turned her magnificent eyes upon the intrude
and said "You are rather too old ans
rather too ugly to dance with Luukia."
Had she been less young and less unwar,
she would have noticed baleiul FIRE leap into
the crone's haggard eyes. The old woman
turned and passed down towards the iaI,he
end Of the cave. As she did so the attend
ants saw tire start from her neck and theI
they knew she was Pelc. One OF the attend
ants succeeded in reaching the mouth Of tn
cave and escaped TO tell the awful tale. Tn,
others, and with them the rash Luukia. wer,
whelmed by the ou,bursting lava, that sweep
in fiery torrent through the cave.
The faithful still show the place wher
Iiashla stood, and point to an oddly shape
piece Of lava which the imaginative seem /
think looks something like hula skirt i
wildcat whirl. When saw it was not stuff
ciently imaginative TO trace the resemblance
Fsom the Half Way House to the volcan
House Is only eleven miles but four hours al
necessary 10 make the ride comfortably. II
hne ride. The trail is over pahoehoe I,
the most. with sandy spaces at intervals an
10 the left the wooded slopes and bare brow
summit ofManna Loa. The apparently gradui
incline Of the mountain is broken by fe
rounded hills, and crossed by several blac
bands that indicate the more recent lava flow
The kilanea blads, above the crater, al
visible nom half Of kau district and SO "
knew vhen We nearei the vicinity OF the crate
uiahoat the assurance of our guide.
We spurrcd forward Don Iuianos brow
Bssb in the Iced; the maidens chestnut Ara
second Sooner a close third. Don Julian
drew his barb back ON his hapnches at Ii
brink u the abyss. The rest Of u, paused at
rsose respectful distance. We saw before us
mighty chAs,n--A splendid disappoiu,men
We had expected something altogether diifs
eat Each had had an ideal. None had Il
sissd Il. turned from the prospect almo
coatenp,uously. and began to gather ohelo
Sooner solacsd himself with mountain gras
In Angus, Of ,sa5 kiiauea was visited by
bad u i've svangeli.,,. three clerical and ~
Nv. vha vsse ON : ,oa. d Hawaii. They We
1av. William Ellis. an English missionary
aAny ysAn residence in the South Seas Ne
Asss~as Bishop and Rev. Asa Thuu,o
sAisaiosaaiss u The American BoAsd u
lsspA GssdsicA. liSsassd Icy preacher Al