The record-union., 1896-03-14


while, as if in mockery of the surround
ings, some one had pinned on the wall
the motto: Nearer, my God, to Thee" !"
The aroma of the pig sty was highly
favored with the odor of saddles,
kerosene lamp, which had not been
cleaned and trimmed more than once
in its lifetime.
AT last l ventured to lie down on the
bed. The apartment next to mine was
occupied by Celestials, but for what
purpose never knew, the sounds issu-
ing from it being sometimes suggestive
of a sausage factory, sometimes of a
laundry, dyeing works or planning mill,
This adjoining apartment was GER
talnly no larger than my own, but, after
nineteen Cinnamon of all ages had en-
tered it, became tired of counting,
and sought peace in sleep.
AT last the sausage mill ceased, the
laundry grew quiet, the wheels of the
planning mill ran more smoothly, and
the mosquitoes, having satisfied their
wants at my expense, L slept until rosy
morn; | might have slept longer had not
a COW poked her head in at my only
window and awakened me by an un-
earthly bawl My landlord provided
me breakfast from which a Washing
| ton-square tramp would turn with con-
tempt, and then charged me Delmonico
prices for his accommodations"
TO saddle up and leave Pahala was a
luxury. / changed guides here. Taking
a native boy named Harry with me, I
started on a three days journey
through Kona to a place called Kailua.
AT noon we reached the village of
Wa1ohinu Sparkling water), where we
met Mr.. Meinecke, a German gentle
man, who has a store and a coffee plan
tation. On learning it was our inten-
tion to stop at the Kuhuku ranch, the
home of Colonel Norris, he assured us
that 1T was very doubtful if that indi-
vidual would entertain me, as he was
bitterly opposed to white men. Ten
miles beyond his ranch, however, was a
deserted house in which we had better
stay, if Colonel Norris refused to ac-
comodate us.
We set out for Kuhuku and reached it
at p. m. By this time dark clouds OBJ
scured the skies and chilling winds,
sweeping down from snow capped
Mauna Loa, portended a coming storm.
The ranch is a small village of houses
and barns inclosed in walls of stone.
We soon came upon a Chinaman and
kanaka skinning bullock that had
just been slain, while standing near
them was an old man whose tall form
was slightly bent, and his hair and
beard a yellowish white. His eyes were
sunken and sinister, and there was a
never smiled again" expression on his
face
rs this Colonel Norris?" I asked, ap-
preaching him and extending my hand.
He made no answer and only looked at
me. I then remembered the Colonel
sometimes feigned deafness, SO 1 wrote
on a card, asking:
"Can myself and guide stay at your
ranch?"
mo" he answered while his eyes
flashed with fire. 'You are a mission
ary, white man and annexationist. -
81 am neither; I am an author"
| answered.
you can't deceive me-" he cried,
striking his stick on the ground. "You
are a preacher and a missionary, a
white man, opposed to royalty and in
favor of annexation. You stole all the
land of the natives"
i L
stolen an inch of Hawaiian soil save
what clung to my boots, that l was not
| missionary, and being an American
citizen, had no interest in their polit-
ical wrangle over annexation, or the
Queen. But he was obdurate. In vain
I appealed to his humanity, to the fact
that he was a white man himself, that
he had 1S6, 900 acres of the natives
land, more than all the missionaries
combined, yet it was no use. had to go.
For ten miles our course lay across the
| black lava flow of 1887. This flow is
black as charcoal and hard as flint,
with sharp bristling points, on every
| square foot, on which not a vestige of
vegetation can be found. The blackness
is relieved only by the white bleaching
bones of animals which have perished
in crossing it. On, on, and on, through
the gathering gloom of night and q
| threatening storm, we pressed for ten
| miles. Then we entered forest where
/ the trees grew far apart, and the ground
was covered with bunch grass and
| ferns. At last when our tired horses
were almost ready to sink from exhaus-
ton, we came upon the deserted house,
and overcome with our exertion, threw
| ourselves on the floor and slept, regard
less of the howls of wild dogs on the
| mountains.
| Colonel Norris is a mysterious man.
Some say he is from Virginia, and was
a Colonel in the Confederate army;
others that he is an Englishman. He
| has no relatives, is immensely rich,
has a large account in the Bank OF
! England, and will allow no woman or
child or white man on his premises,
unless assured of his immoral charac-
| ter, opposition to the missionaries, and
| loyalty to ex-Queen Liliuokalani.
JOHN R. MUSICK.