The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-04-08
BLACK SHEEP.
Interesting Narrative of Sheep
Hunt 'ne in the Forests of
Hatg desperate Struggle
With ? Rain Coat.
4 sOutherly wiud and 4 cloudy sky
Proclaim II huAting morning.


Proclaim il a huntins morning.
The wind was southerly and the
sky was cloudy enough for favorable
indications as we started from the
Puuhue Ranch house for an expedi
ton against the wild sheep that fire.
quent the seward slopes OF the
country between Mahukona aud Ka
waihae.
The ranch house is 100 or 1850
feet above the sea, and as we rode
forth we looked down on broken
masses Of dark cloud driven over the
surface Of the reef by the kona wind.
AS the clouds reached the land they
rose heavily, as if over-burdeDed,
and advanced up the slope trailing
their lower surfaces so near the
ground that every hummock or hill
in their way was momentarily yelled
with their misty draperies. If it
looked promising for a successful
hunt, it looked equally 80 for rain; but
that was a matter of secondary i'm
an emergency In the possession of a
new rain-coat we'll rolled up and tied
to the front Of my saddle. This rain
coat was not an unimportant factor
in the days experiences and as it
contributed somewhat disagreeably
to the annals of the trip, l shall be
compelled, however reluctantly, to
refer to it again.
We passed along the trail to Ka-
waihae until we were we'll within the
territory frequented by the sheep,
and then, not having seen any signs
of them, we left the road and recon
noitered up the slope.
The surface of the ground through
all this region is rough and irregular,
being well covered with loose stones
with an occasional ledge of rock, and
is diversified with low hills and ridges
and shallow ravines, through which,
in times of heavy rains, the water
escapes to the ocean.
The sheep which are found in this
locality are ali black, except as to an
occasional deserter from the herded
sheep of neighboring ranches. They
are said to be descended from flock
which generation ago belonged to
the late John Ii, and are at the pres
ent time wild enough to make shoot
ing them a very satisfactory achieve
ment to a sportsman, and fat enough
to make their acquisition desirable
from culinary standpoint.
In about half an hour after leav-
ing the trail, we discovered a flock of
sheep about mile above US, feeding
in little hollow. We rode up to.
wards them for about half the dis
lance; keeping ourselves well covered
by intervening hills, and then dis
mounting, we worked our way up to
ward them through the bed of ra-
vine. The south wind was blowing
directly toward the sheep from our
position, which was unfavorable, as
they are quick to take the alarm from
their acute sense of smell. The cir
cumstances were otherwise favorable
to us, from our being below the.
sheep, as they prefer, on being
alarmed, to run down hill,
or around an ascent to
going up hill. We at length reached
the last rise that hid us from their
notice, and on looking over, Low dis
covered that they were already on
the move, having probably detected
our presence. We returned under
cover and arranged that 1 should
begin firing as soon as he should get
into position around the rise on the
left, to be ready for them when they
should appear over the crest of the
hill towards which they were then
going. AS he disappeared, l made a
cautious reconnaissance, and found
that the flock, numbering about
sixty, were in a low place surrounded
by high ground about $50 yards off,
and were moving diagonally away
toward the crest Of a low hill, and
that on passing that they would be
protected by the intervening ground.
The distance they had to go to get
out of view was fifty or sixty yards.
My gun was DO calibre Winchester,
carrying long-range cartridge
made up of 81 grains of powder
and bullet weighing 210 grains. ]
opened fire and dropped a young
eve at once, aud then after several
stray shots which probably wounded
one or more, succeeded in knocking
over big ram just as the flock dis,
appeared over the rise; then I could
hear Lows rife blazing away, and
ran across until / came in sight Of
the flock again, and found that Low
had bagged one more; the sheep
were now much scattered and well
ahead of us and running almost with
the speed of deer. We gave them
few parting shots and then fol
lowed up group of two or three
sheep which were evidently wounded
and separated from the rest of the
flock; we secured all of these and
then heard halloo from mauka, and
on looking up saw sheep bounding
along toward US panic-stricken at 8
dog which was with Palmer Woods
who had reached the scene of action
by different road from ours. The
sheep upon seeing us stopped short
at about eighty yards distant, max.
ing fine mark, we both fired and
missed her but she still stood and
finally Low tumbled her down with
a bullet among her ribs. This ended
our hunt and we had seven sheep
four of which were fat ewes.
After we had lunched and rested