The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-08-08
RACE UP A MOUNTAIN
A kANAkA RUNNER DlsTANcED HALF
A DOZEN HORSES.

A DOZEN HORSES.
1t YVES q Terrific Test Of EndnsAnce,
and the Sturdy Subject of KalaiknuA
Won Easily, Though Two of the
Horses Dropped Dead.
ibid any of you ever hear Of S5
mile steeplechase for man and beast!'
inquired one of the California men in
o party OF turf followers when stories
Of queer bets and. long shots were go
ing around. "Well, there was an af-
fair Of that kind down in the Hawai-
ian bunch in the fall of 1888, when
that genial chile concarne proposition,
Kalakaua, was king of the islands.
There were no telephones joining the
islands then, and state messages and
mandates We're carried by the inter-
island steamers and delivered by Ka-
naka runners. These runners could
gallop all day, like American Indians
III retreat OF on the trail, and they
didn't know what getting winded or
tired meant.
"Kalakaua thought good deal of
these runners of his. He always main
tanned that they could go faster and
farther than horses over the rough
Hawaiian country. In this he was dis
puted by a number Of the white at
taches of his court. Kalakaua wager
ed $4,000 in gobs Of $1,000 with Eve of
them that he would pick out runner
from among his Kanakas who'd get
from lilo to the top of the burning
lake of Kilauea, distance of 80 miles,
quicker than any horse and any rider
could do the trip. They snapped the
king up at even money. 1t looked as
If they had the good end of it. The
king and a big party from Honolulu
sailed in one Of the interisland steam
ers to Hilo, on the main island of Ha-
wall, to see the finish.
''The king picked out a huge, 1.-THE,
sinewy Kanaka, man about 30 years
old, who had been employed as run
ner on the island of Maui for num-
Der of years, to try the trick for him.
Eight Kanakas made the start
a-horseback, on native ponies, bred
away back from western cayuses-
strong, sure footed, nippy tempered lit
tie demons, thoroughly used to the bad
roads and the climbing. The king and
his party had gone up to the Volcano
House, at the top of Kilauea, in coach
es the day before to be on hand to
greet the winner.
'Now, understand that that road
from Hilo up to the burning lake Of
Kilauea has been improved since the
time I'm speaking of, but 1t surely was
q bad trail then. 1t was only wide
enough for one wagon, and It was
about As degree affair in the climb
all the way up. The palms that lined
the road used to get blown across the
| trail by the score in big windstprms,
and the coach drivers counted 1t q part
Of their business to jump from their
seats every time they came to these
distractions and shoulder them Out
| Of the way. This work had all been
| attended to carefully. however, IN, ad
| vance Of the race-by order of Kala.
kaua, and 1t loked like a pipe for the
cayuses, all Of which had made the
run up many time.
'Kalakaua didn't ask for any .handi.
cap allowance for his man The run.
ner toed the scratch with the horses,
and they got off together at the. crack
of the gun. The horses distanced the
runner from the jump, and he let, them
distance him. He was dressed in q
G string, and he Just took up steady
lope and let the cayuses get out of his
sight. For ten miles the cayuses were
SO far above him on the trail that he
couldn't even see them, but this. Kama
ka knew how to wait. The horses be
gan to come back to the runner long
before the Half Way House was reach.
ed, and the Kanaka was just gallopinl
along at the beginning Of the thir6
hour with the same big stride he hai
started in with, his arms up aud shoot
Ing out in front of him like soldiers OF
the double time drill. There wasn't q
pant In him when he fetched up ut the
Half Way House. He stopped dowl
there to spring beside the road ani
took couple mouthfuls Of water. TIL,
cayuses We're up ahead bit, blowing
their heads off. for they had been go
ing at clip that they had never beer
pushed to before.
"The Kanaka headed the bunch {
mile beyond the Half Way House, AM
it was big romp for him the rest O
the distance. He took a position fo
the remaining II miles Of the journe.
about a city block ahead Of the with
ing and painting horses. and he JUS
stuck to his lope like man wound up
He never let 'em get nearer than {
block to him for the remaining thre,
hours of the trip, looking back at then
with grin once in awhile. When only
three miles yet remained before tht
Volcano House was to be reached, til,
Kanala took another drink out of
spring and began to draw away. Th.
Kanaka riders whipped and spurret
their horses, but it was no good. TIL.
Kanaka runner disappeared out Of
fhoir ciuht on TIM +,on o,1