The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-04-16
came tired of counting, and
sought peace in sleep.

ceased, the laundry grew qulel,
the wheels of the planing-mill
ran more smooth, and the mos
quitos, having satisfied their
wants, at my expense, l slept
until rosy morn; l might have
slept longer had not a COW
poked her head in at my only
window and awakened me by
an unearthly bawl. My land
lord provided me a breakfast
from which Washington
Square tramp would turn with
contempt, and then charged me
Delmonico prices for his "ac-
commodations."
To saddle up and leave Pa
hala was a luxury. I changed
guides here. Taking a native
boy named Harry with me, l
started on a three days journey
through Kona to a place called
Kailua.
At noon we reached the vii
lage of Waiohinu (sparkling
water), where we met Mr..
Meinecke, German gentleman,
who has a store and a coffee
plantation. On learningit was
our intention to stop at the Ku-
huku ranch, the home of Col
onel Norris, he assured us that
it was very doubtful if that in
dividual would entertain me,
as he was bitterly opposed to
white men. Ten miles beyond
his ranch, however, was a de-
serted house in which we had
better stay, if Colonel Norris
refused toaccomodate us.
We set out for Kuhuku and
reached it at 4 P. NJ. By this
time dark clouds obscured the
skies and chilling winds, sweep
ing down from snow-capped
Mauna Loa, portended coming
storm. The ranch is small village
of houses and barns enclosed in walls
of stone. We soon came upon a
Chinaman and Kanaka skinning a
bullock that had just been slain,
while standing near them with long
stick in his hand was an old man
whose tall form was slightly bent, and
his hair and beard yellowish white.
His eyes were sunken and sinister,
and there was "never-smiled-again"
expression on his face.
"Is this Colonel Norris?" l asked,
approaching him and extending my
hand. He made no answer and only
looked at me. I then remembered
the colonel sometimes feigned deaf
ness, so l wrote on card, asking:
"Can myself and guide stay at your
rancho"
"No," he answered, while his eyes
flashed with fire. "You are a mission
airy. white man, opposed to royalty
and in favor of annexation. You stole
all the land of the natives"
I tried to assure him that 1 had
never stolen an inch of Hawaiian soil
save what chung to my boots, that I
was not missionary, and being an
American citizen, had no interests in
their political 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 him
self, that he had 10000 acres of the
natives land, more than all the mis-
sionaries combined, yet it was no use.
I 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 vestige of
vegetation can be found. The black
ness is relieved only by the white
bleaching bones of animals which have
persisted in crossing it. On, on, and
on, through the gathering gloom OF
night and threatening storm, we
pressed for ten miles. Then we en-
tered a forest where the trees grew
far apart, and the ground waaoovered
with bunch grass and ferns. At last
when our tired horses were almost
ready to sink from exhaustion, we
came upon the deserted house, and,
overcome with our exertion, threw our
selves on the floor and slept, regard
less of the bowls of wild dogs on the
mountains.
Colonel Norris is mysterious man.
Some say he is from Virginia, and was