The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-09
A TRIP TO HAWAII.
BY MARY II. KROUT.

, is used for fuel and the long seed PODS
make good fodder for the cattle.
| THE Hawaiian Islands are all very
much alike. Across each there exends
, high ridge, upon one side of which the
! islands is bare and rocky, and on the
other clothed with forests and rich val
| leys, through which countless brooks
flow to the sea The northeast trade
winds blowing across the ocean bring
moisture to the land in clouds. The
barren tracts in the Hawaiian Islands
are not sandy, but are covered with lava.
10 There is now very little BAR
rem land on the Island of Oahu. where
Honolulu is located. But long ago, there
! Were few plants or trees, except the CO.
I coanut near the sea. and the caudie nut,
/ the koa, and the ko. which grew on
the high lands. Nearly all the useful
| plants, except the sugar cane, were
brought to the Islands by white men.
There are people still living who can re-
member time when the beautiful parks
and gardens around Honolulu were but
: dry. dusty plains Oahu has more ferene
land than the other Islands because
there is opening in the mountain roge
through which the moisture from the sea
may spread over the whole island. Inns
! cleft is called the Pail, a Hawaiian word
which means a rocky prec:pice." The
Pail is, in realty, a pass or opening, In
the mountain. thro' which a road mas
been made, leading down TO the valley on
the other side The road to the
Pail is one of the most beautiful In the
word No one who visits Honolulu ought
to so away without being taken Tor
drive 10 the top of the precipice. The
road starts from Nuuanu avenue,
broad smooth street, with tropical
:. trees. shady gardens and fine residences
on either side. 1t is always kept very
clean and in good repair, and Is never
strewn with straw and bits of paper.
Beyond the valley. the roofs and
spires of the city could be seeh above the
tors OF the mango and bread-rrl! Trees,
I;.l the tall, slender palms, Ills plumest
I waving high above them all. Beyond
this was the bay, with all the ships lying
along the dock, or at anchor farther out
the big white warships and the sailing
vessels, some of which had just finished
their long voyage, while others were
getting ready to sail with their cargo of
sugar. cocoanuts and pineapples-
The lagoon was very still and blue.
an along the hidden reef, which ia MT
show above the water. Z curving edge OF
foam shone white snow. The ocean.
sth! farther off. lay broad and blue, ard
seemed to melt into the Sky. The gray,
Jagged mountain peaks rose above them
the clouds moving across them very
slowly.
In the morning Alice and her mother
sat on the yeranda of the hclei over
looking the crater. They cou.i see the
lava boiling over the rim of the lake
where they had stood the day before.
Alice was looking thoughtfuily at
piece of Pele's hair which she held in
her hand, and that reminded her to ask
her mother to tell her the story of Pelc
and Kapiolani.
''Kapiolani a Hawaiian chief. was a
noble hearted woman. Before the mis-
sionaries came from our country and
from England to teach the people of Ha-
wall, the chiefs were often ignorant and
cruel. They could put to death anyone
they chose, and they used their power
most numerically until the missionaries.
for whom they had the creates. respect,
taught them how wicked it was to treat
their subjects with such cruelty.
Many of the Hawaiians had lost faith
In their idols and their gods, The spirits
supposed to live in the sea and earth
and air, and, for a while, they had no
religion 1t was for this reason easy to |
persuade them to become Christians. But
there were others who still feared the |
old gods, and were afraid of argering |
them. The gods they feared most were |
the shark god and Pele. who, they |
thought, lived in the crater
1T was hard to convince them that |
there was no such spirit rs Peie. for they |
thought that if anyone disobeyed her. |
she would strike him dead. The mis- !
sionaries had tried in vain to show the !
Hawaians that this idea was false. but /
the people were still in deadly fear of |
this spirit
At last the chief, Kapiolani, who had !
become a Christian, said that she would |
go 20 Kilauea and prove that the story |
was false. She lived long distance from
the volcano, but she got everything
ready, babe her friends good bye, and
set forth on the journey. The road was
then but narrow track through the +
tangled woods. over the rough lava.
1T was a journey of more than one
hundred and fifty miles. and kapiolani
and the people who accompanied ner |
walked nearly all the way. ka- !
piolanrs companions were very sad they .
knew that they could not persuode her
to give up the visit to the crater. ana
they feared that they would never re- |
turn TO their homes. But Kapiolani her
self was not in the least anxious. She !
laughed away the fears of her compan-
ions and cheered them they approach
ed the volcano
The common people did not often go !
very close to Kilauea, but the priests
and priestesses had their huts at the top
Of the cliff. They pretended to talk to
Pele, and would tell the people what she
said to them. In this way they made the
foolish Hawaiians obey them and bring
them presents of food and clothing
"One of these priests was a tall, fierce
man, who was much feared, and his sis
ter. VINO lived with them a the volcano
was powerful and cruel. But they be-
came Christians and then departed from
TO live peacefully among the
The sun had gone down when kapio-
ami reached the volcano, and she could
see the red glow of the fire in the sky.
A priestess came to meet her and told
her to go back. but she would not listen.
The priestess then told Ter that she and
all the people with her would perish TX
she came any nearer. But even this did
lot fr:ghten Kapiolani, and as she was :
great chief the priests could not forbid
Ter TO do as she pleased
She gathered some OF he ohelo berries
rom the ground. but, instead OF follow :
,F SPyE =