The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-08-01

season LOT the water D6lIlS low anu
we were enabled to cross and re-
cross the stream without peril, but
we could see where large powders
had been washed down In the mad
torrents which occasionally rush
oceanward from the immense
watershed, of which this Is the
only outlet.
Finally and suddenly on turn
ing a bend we were into Olowalu
valley. We had indeed been
rightly informed. It was one Of
the grandest and most picturesque
sights to be seen in any land. An
almost circular basin of gigantic
proportions, whose sides rise hun
dreds of feet and are covered from
base to summit with mantle of
beautiful ferns and shrubbery,
down which hang festoons of rare
vines. The center of the valley is
a somewhat elevated mesa or table
land covered with a forest of tree
ferns and wild bananas, with here
and there an immense koa tree
from whose branches droop flower
ing convolvulous. Here Nature,
apparently to make amends for the
solitude, has done her best to pro-
duce plants, vines, shrubs and
trees. Every direction that the
eye turns the precipitous side of
this extinct crater seems to be COW
cred with its verdant carpet, re-
lieved by the scarlet blossoms of
the ohia, lehua or the brilliant
flowers of the wild morning-glories,
or of varied nasturtiums. The
serrated rim is tufted about with
shrubs from which pendulous
vines wave in the breeze. The
whole scene is more like some
brilliant picture from Monte Cristo
or the Arabian Nights than from
what one would expect in nature.
On asking the native which was
the trail to Wailuku, on the east
side of the range, he pointed to
precipice and said that was it, but
It was now so washed away as to
be impossible.
My friend urged the attempt to
scale the precipice which separa-
ted this from the neighboring val
ley of lao, if merely to have look
at it. I consented, and having
tethered our horses we proceeded
to make a trail by breaking down
the underbrush. This was very
difficult work, not only from the
entangling vines but from the den
sity of the undisturbed tropical
growth. Eventually we succeeded
in reaching the precipice and
partially scaling it when we
came to protruding ledge
which blocked the way. My COM
panion threw a rope over a snag on
the ledge and, standing on my
shoulder, was enabled to haul him.
self up. l went around to search |
for some more accessible route, but |
finding none came back and called
to him. If he answered [ could
not hear him, so / sat down and
waited until his curiosity would be
satiated. Finally | ate my share
of the lunch and, after waiting a
couple of hours, concluded that he
had seen the village of Waikiki
from the summit and decided to go
on rather than return over the hard
road we had come. Seeing that
darkness would overtake me if l
waited any longer, I left some
lunch on a tree for him and re-
turned to Lahaina. After bath
and supper l spent the evening at
a planters home where the whole
party hazed me for leaving a
stranger OH the mountains. 1t was
useless to answer that the stranger
mad left me. About midnight, as
he sheriff and | rode home to-
,ether, he proposed that we go to
Nailuku and see if the man had
arrived safely. Tired as | was
rom breaking down ferns and rid
ng and climbing, l agreed, and we
started for a twenty mile mountain
.ide in the dark. At daylight we
cached Waikiki, only to hear that
he tourist had not been heard of.
The sheriff Immediately mustered
. force to 60 up lao valley to search,
lie intending to return to Olowalu
md follow the trail over, when
vord came down the valley that
he man was safe. 6
He had seen Wailuku from the
ummit and concluded to go on,
Though he said he tried to whistle
nd shout TO me first. Instead of
DING down a spur into lao, he had
AIKEN to a ravine and had a very
evere time. In ore instance be
ropped down a smoothly washed
Tide into a pool of water forty feet
.eep. When he reached the bed
f the stream it was dark and he