Evening journal., 1900-09-06
RACE UP. A MOUNTIA
A KANAKA RUNNER piSTANcED n
A DOZEN HORSES. Z er

Won Easily, Though Two of
Horses Dropped Dead.
did any of you ever hear Of o
mile steeplechase for man and beas
inquired one of the California mel
a party Of turf followers when sto
Of queer bets and long shots were
ing around. "Well, there was an
fair Of that kind down in the Hay
ian bunch in the fan of 1888, W
that genial chile concarne proposit
halakaua, was king of the islal
There were no telephones joining
islands then, and state messages
mandates were carried by the in
island steamers and delivered by
naka runners. These runners &C
gallop all day, like American Indi
in retreat or on the trail, and &
didn't know what getting winded
tired meant.
"Kalakaua thought a good deal
these runners of his. He always m.
tanned that they could go faster
farther than horses over the 70
Hawaiian country. In this he was
puted by a number of the white
taches Of his court. Kalakaua wa,
ed $1,000 in gobs of 81 1000 with five
them that he would pick out run
from among his Kanakas who'd
from IIilo to the top of the burn
lake of Kilauea, a distance of 3J mi |
quicker than any horse and any ri
could do the trip. They snapped
king up at even money. 1t looked
If they had the good end of it.
king and a big party from Honol
sailed in one of the interisland ste;
ers to Hilo. on the main island Of
wall, to see the finish.
'The king picked out huge, III
sinewy Kanaka, a man about 80 ye
old, who had been employed as q r
ner on the island Of Maui for a u,
Der Of years, to try the trick for
Eight Kanakas made the siI
a-horseback, on native ponies, bl
away back from western cayust
strong, sure footed, nippy tempered
tie demons, thoroughly used TO the u
roads and the climbing. The king q
his party had gone up to the Volc;l
House, at the top of Kilauea, in Goa
es the day before to be on hand
greet the winner.
''Now, 1 understand that that I'd
from Hilo up to the burning lake
Kilauea has been improved since /
time I'm speaking OF, but 1t surely VI
a bad trail then. 1t was only WI
enough for one wagon, and It VI
about u 45 degree affair in the clii
all the way up. The palms that Lin
the road used TO get blown across 4
trail by the score In big windstorl
and the coach drivers counted it a ri
Of their business to jump from tn
seats every time they came to thu
distractions and shoulder them
of the way. This work had all be
attended to carefully, however, in
vance Of the race by order Of Ka
kaua, and it loked Ike a pipe for
cayuses, an Of which had made
run up many time.
'Kalakaua didn't ask for any han
cap allowance for his man. The II
ner toed the scratch with the hors
and they got of together at the era
of the gun. The horses distanced {
runner from the jump, and he let th'
distance him. He was dressed in
G string, and he just took up a stea
lope and let the cayuses get out of
sight. For ten miles the cayuses W.
so far above him on the trail that
couldn't even see them, but this Kai
ka knew how to wait. The horses
gan TO come back TO the runner 10
before the Half Way House was rea,
ed, and the Kanaka was just gallop
along at the beginning of the tn
hour with the same big stride he I
started in with, his arms up and she
ing out in front Of him like soldiers
the double time drill. There WASH
pant IN him when he fetched up at
Half Way House. He stopped do
there to a spring beside the road q
took a couple mouthfuls of water. ]
cayuses were up ahead a bit, blow
their heads off, for they had been
ing at a clip that they had never bI
pushed to before.
"The Kanaka headed the bunch
r mile beyond the Half Way House, {
it was a big rOmp for him the rest
the distance. He took a position
the remaining II miles of the jour-
about a city block ahead of the wrl
ing and painting horses, and he ]
I stuck to his lope like a man wound
He never let 'em get nearer thar
, block to him for the remaining tn
p hours Of the trip, looking back at th
p with a grin once In awhile. When o
three miles yet remained before
Volcano House was TO be reached,
Kanaka took another drink out o
a spring and began to draw away.
: Kanaka riders whipped and spur
o their horses, but it was no good.
Eanaka runner disappeared out
|, their sight on the tortuous trail,
when six Of the cayuses pulled up
the hotel veranda about three-quarI
Of an hour later the runner was slit
on the steps, tanning himself
drinking saki. Two of the horses
dropped dead in their final effort.
''The Kanaka made the 80 mile
Z over sticks and stones on miry r