The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-07-06

200 miles down again to where the sea
ripples in with murmur that carries
whispers of other isles in the deeper
tropics
1t was only last Sunday morning. al
though II seems month ago now, that
we rode to the top of Mauna Kea--the
Secretary. Rawhide Ben the guide, jim
mic, the Postmaster and l. Our horses
We're just In from the rolling pastures
of Humuula, and carried us prancing
through the young Mamane forest that
also seems to be striving to climb that
mountain.
REMARKABLE FOREST.
1t was one OF the most remarkable
things in these islands, that Mamane
forest that is fast climbing the slopes
of the cones of Mauna Kea. and one
of the things about which the least is
known. Less than fifteen years ago.
the trees were found but sparsely on
the lower levels. From these the seeds
might well have been carried down
ward by freshets to spread upon still
lower slopes. But never a freshet ran
that could carry Mamane seeds UP a
hill.
some ludt leu upon tut
tree has died out" says the Secretary,
land the plant has its chance again"
Which utterance being official, l win
let II go at that as to the forestation
The Mamane trees are coming back, at
all events, and the forest line is climb
ing Mauna Kea Presently, the gov
eminent and the land owners will re-
serve all this land, and the fallen Ma
name leaves will store and save the
water, and the silt from the crumbling
cones will pack into the low places,
and streams viii ripple down where the
great spongy moss of the mountain
now swallows thrstily all the rain that
falls--and gives back but few drops to
man.
The Mamane itself Is a low, spreading
evergreen of the widely diversified
acacia family. q cousin of the algaroba
but with an apparent liking for a
higher altitude. And II it continues to
spread it will do for the ranchers on the
slopes of Mauna Kea almost all that
the alearoba has done for ranchers
elsewhere. l do not know that cattle
eat the seedpods of the Mamane. but
they browse upon the leaves and seem
to do the trees no hurt.
We had started in pommel-slickers
from Humuua sheep station, riding
in little drizzle of rain that would
have soaked up to the skin IL We had
ridden in other garb. AS we rose
through the forest line we rode into
the body of the cloud itself, and the
rain changed to a mist that was dense,
but not cod.
Slowly the cloud seemed to break.
We were riding out through the top of
It, but that did not appear all at once.
Then the sun broke, flashing, and we
rode out upon high cone of ashes and
looked down upon the valley between
the peaks of Hawaii as upon rolling
mass of white wool with tinge of
silver upon It,
Ahead, the jagged cones of Mauna
Kea arose all about us. To the south
ward the sweep of the blue dome OF
Mauna Loa stretched In splendid
curve above the clouds. broken at Its
apex by the Jagged edge OF its central
crater, and wearing small ones at in
tervals. strung like the jewels of a
woman's necklace. To the westward,
farther away, the less lofty top of Hua-
lalai pierced the clouds sharply-a
jagged peak
OLD HAWAIIAN QUARRY.
Up and still upward we rode, our
horses feeling the great elevation SEEM !
ingly as little as we did ourselves, on !
their backs. Now the formation |
changed, and from riding up cinder |
cones we began sleeper climb along +.
a ridge marked by an old lava flow
broken by the action of frost and snow
into jagged boulders There was no
snow, here, but traces of its action |,
were very apparent on all parts OF the |
mountain above 10000 feet elevation.
Presently there appeared, far ahead !,
Of and still long distance above, u.s. !
what seemed In the distance a dump
pile from an abandoned mine.
There" said Rawhide Ben, rs where :
the natives used to come in the old !,
days to chip out the rude forms of their
stone AIDES from the hard rock OF the :
mountains, carrying the implements
down into the lowlands to perfect and
polish them afterwards"
We rode on, still climbing, and pres
entity took off our hats to the shades
of the men OF the Stone Age. Here
they had lived and wrought In a time
that is fading very fast into the past;
that Is, the past of our own race. 1t is
not many centuries ago that these men
OF Hawaii were at the stage that our
own forbears reached, and passed TO-
600 years ago. Here We're the caves In
which they dwelt, with rude stone walls
built up in front to shelter them from
IL