Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-03-21
SMALL FARMING ON MAUI
ONLY AN UTOPIAN DREAM

There was no semblance Of trail
except that sometimes for n short dis
lance we followed a path made
through the bushes and among the
rocks by the cattle that pasture on
the slopes of Haleakala. Occasion
ally we would approach Howland's
unused trail and one of his guide
posts would fit ghostlike out of the
darkness and we would peer at the
, inscription which purported to tell
the number of miles yet to be ira
versed before the summit should be
reached.
Once, when we were riding close
to the fence, a hideous, nerve-rack-
ing sound broke the stiffness, follow
ed by something that sounded re-
markably like muffled profanity.
pratt's slicker had been caught by
one of the vicious barbs of the fence
and torn for many long, irreparable
inches. Cooper of the Star thought
this quite funny, but his laughter
was suddenly shut off by another
tearing sound, followed by n vigor-
GUS objurgation. He had met with
the same mishap. OF course ] was
sympathetic, and while was turn
ing around in the saddle to condole
with him. | got It. | have forgotten
just what said. 1t is as well.
When we were still about two
miles from the summit, the moon
went down. Immediately the ielu-
give skyline leaped forward out of
sight, and there was nothing to be
seen but the clear stars overhead,
and the lights of Puunene mill and
Kahului far back in the mysterious
darkness behind and below us.
But Aiken led straight on up the
mountain, seemingly picking his way
with as much ease as If IL were broad
daylight, and the. little sure-footed
ponies scrambled up the rocks like
cats with never Il slip. As we got
no into the higher attitudes, breath
ing became harder for the horses and
we were obliged to stop at frequent
intervals to let them blow. Then an.
other gain Of few hundred yards
would be made and another stop. .
And 1T was getting colder. gSom,
of the party who WERE entirely un
prepared for the trip felt the chill
keenly, for"stfere was wind blow
ing that seen1ed to find every open
ing inGone' q !elotlnhg and search IL
way to the marrow. Mcbride wa
seized with mountain sickness ant
was nearly all in before the top wa
reached.
The last part of the ride is by ia
the worst, the way being through
IA boulders with occasional masse
Not slippery pahoehoe, Also, it is al
y most as straight up as climbing
, ladder. But Unexpectedly Aiken an
; nounced, There's the top" and
looking up, we saw the ragged lin
of the crater family against the star
strewn sky. One last rapid scrambl
l and the horses landed us on tor
D where we could get the full benefl
, of the gentle zephyr that seemed 1
D have come on special mission fror
/ the North Pole. me for that dea
: old Alaska, where it's warm" moan
, ed Mcbride, as he dismounted an
l stood shivering in the wind. "Ughr
I r-r-r-r! | was never so cold in m
. life" groaned another member of tn
t party. But he was good deal cold
= er before the sun came up.
! There is house on top of Hale
. akala, but a windstorm some tim
ago blew the roof off and now tn
place is useless. Aiken has had
roof built down in the valley and
only waiting for an opportunity [
have 1t carried to the summit, whe
he expects to fix the house up, pre-
vide a supply of provisions, and hay
a place to house the many parties {
tourists whom he expects to guide I
the crater.
Meantime we crawled into q sol
OF cave under the edge of the crate
"'" ''iNu W http warm ny IL kerr
'sene lantern. 1t seemed to get coldC
every mipute, and Mcbride was fiji
on his back with the mountain sicl
ness. While 1t was still black dar
Aiken hustled us out to see the su
rise. There was the faintest erin
son glow in the east, which steadil
and rapidly became brighter. Soc
the desolate bottom of the huge cri
ter became family visible, and, foa
ing far below us, over the sea an
the lowlands, we could see what al
peared to be ghostly islands, whit
unsubstantial, foamlike.
A few degrees above the easter
horizon hung narrow strip
clouds, black as coal but with Il
lower edge family tinged with del
cate rose from the as yet invisib
sun. The light increased with wo
derful rapidity and the higher clou
burst into flame or became incre
ible masses of pearl and amethy
and gold, with dashes of purple al
| CGriSp and daanar nointinuc of ,yinI