West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1896-02-20

rect. But few words were spoken
II we were inclined to yawn or dozt
in our saddles, our horses stumbling
on some round stone awoke us.
HoHr after hour we pressed on
sometimes over bleak mountain
Wild, sometimes through a forest
OF dead trees blasted by the cold
mountain winds.
Before starting. Mr.. Colville had
furnished me with an overcoat and
gloves, assuring me that | would
need them. 1 donued them on
leaving Ohuda, and now | found
my teeth chatering with the cold.
| thought would dismount and
walk up the steep, but found after
taxing dozen steps that l could
hardly breathe, The atmosphere
was so light that altho our horses
went on walk they painted AS il
they had been running, and often
we were compelled to halt and let
them rest. My hat blew of once
and l dismounted to get it. The
exertion almost exhausted me.
Our guide showed evidences of
bewilderment, and tho no uttered
not word we knew he was lost.
Mountain gorge after mountain
gorge was crossed. Sometimes we
threaded our way along narrow
shelf OF rock on the mountain side.
with a cbasm five hundred feet deep
on one side and cliff fully AS high
on the other. My horses foot
struck loose stone and sent it
rolling to the awful depths below.
At last the morning star arose.
1t looked double the size OF star.
The purity of the atmosphere in
this region would certainly make it
desirable place for astronomical
observations. We halted to allow
our horses TO rest, and talked al.
most in whispers. A white object
appeared among tho rocks and
coarse shrub6ery. 1t was wild
bull. Wild cattle, wild deer, and
wild goats are common IN the
mountains of the Hawaiian Islands.
AT sight Of us they gave a snort
and fled.
We pressed on and soon reached
the summit, tired, chilled and be
numbed, before the first tints OF
rosy morn began to appear. Our
horses were turned over to our
guide and | went into the stone
house to build a fire. when one of
my companions cried
''It's coming. Let the FIRE go,
and hurry up"
Day had begun to dawn, and we
ran, painting and stumbling, TO the
highest point OF the peak, which
overlooks the vast crater; five miles
in diameter. Right on the verge Of
that awful abyss we paused.
seized stone weighing perhaps
twenty pounds and threw it over
into the dark crater. We wanted
to hear it strike the rocky bottom.
1t was lost in the fall of thousands
of feet.
The eastern horizon all spread
out at our feet, was now a wonder
Of beauty. No pen can describe it,
and no painters brush do it justice.
All the prismatic hues Of the rain
bow in an ever changing panorama
we're spread for thousands of miles
below us. The orange glow here,
the apple green there, the yellow
gold and vermillion borders, while
thousands Of feet below we're what
seemed blue billoWs. These we're
clouds. As day dawned they we're
everchangIDg, kaleidoscope, and
chameleon in beauty. One mo.
ment the clouds beneath we're like
blue pillows. the next cold snow
banks with ships sailing in them /;
next they had taken an orange tint
with flying angels among them,
then animals. until the sun arose,
and behold they we're clouds.
As the SUI mounted up into the
heavens the clouds vanished, and
the ideal gave way to the real.
Such gorgeous soeue.was worth the
night ride. IL was worth more-it
was worth crossing the ocean to be-
hold. Five islands we're in sight,
and all The great island Of Maui
could be seen. The ships in the
HORRORS looked like specks, the
| villages mere dots, the railroads