The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1909-01-08
RACE UP 4 MOUNTAIN
The Wonderful Feat Of a Gaunt
Kanaka Runner.
BEAT HALF A DOZEN HORSES
Il Was = Terrific Test Of Endurance,
and the Sturdy Hawaiian Native
Won Easily, Though TWO Of the
Competing Horses Dropped Dead.

Competing Horses Dropped Dead.
sDid any OF you ever hear Of thirty
i've mile steeplechase for man and
beast?" inquired California man in
a party Of turf followers when stories
Of queer bets and long shots were go
ing around "Well, there was an affair
of that kind down In the Hawaiian
bunch In the fall Of 1888, when that
genial gambler, Kalakaua, was king
Of the islands. There were no tele-
phones Joining the islands then, and
state messages and mandates were car
ried by the interisland steamers and
delivered by Kanaka runners These
runners could galiop all day, like
American Indians in retreat or on the
trail, and they didn't know what get
ting winded or tired meant.
"Kalakaua thought good deal Of
these runners of his. He maintained
that they could go faster and farther
than horses over the Hawaiian coun-
try. In this he was disputed by NUM-
Der of the white attaches of his court.
Kalakaua wagered $1,000 in gobs of
$1,000 with I'VE Of them that he would
pick out runner from among the Ka-
nakas who'd get from Hilo to the top
Of the burning lake Of Kilauea, a dis
lance of thirty-five miles, quicker than
any horse and any rider could do the
trip. They snapped the king up at even
money. It looked as If they had the
good end Of 1t. The king and a big
party from Honolulu sailed in one of
the interisland steamers to Hilo, on
the main island of Hawaii to see the
finish.
1.-THE king picked up huge, 1.-The.
sinewy Kanaka, man about thirty
years old, who had been employed as
a runner on the island of Maui for a
number 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
little demons, thoroughly used to the
bad roads and tire climbing. The king
and his party had gone up to the Vol
cano House, at the top Of Kilauea, in
coaches 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 it surely was
d bad trail then. 1t was only wide
enough for one wagon, and it was
a forty-nve 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 windstorms,
and the coach drivers counted it part
of thei.s 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 at
tented to carefully. however. In adj
vance of the race by order of Kala-
kaua. and 1t looked like 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 rum
ners 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 a
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.
'sThe horses began to come back to
the runner long before the Halfway
House was reached, and the Kanaka
was just galioping along at the begin
big stride he had started in with, his
arms up and shooting out in front of
him like soldiers on the double time
drill There wasn't a pant in him
when he fetched up at the Halfway
House. He stopped down there to a
spring beside the road and took cou-
pie Of mouthfuls of water. The cay
uses were up ahead BIT, blowing their
heads off, for they had been going at a
clip that they had never been pushed
to before.
.The Kanaka headed the bunch a
mile beyond the Halfway House. and
1t was big romp for him the rest of
the distance. He took position for
the remaining seventeen miles of the
journey about city block ahead Of the
writhing and painting horses, and he
just stuck to his lope like man wound
up. He never let 'em get nearer than
a block to him for the remaining three
hours Of the trip, looking back at them,
with grin, once In awhile. When only
three miles yet remained before the
Volcano House was to be reached, the
Eanaka took another drink out Of a
spring and began to draw away. The
Kanaka riders whipped and spurred
their horses. but 1t was no good. The
Kanaka runner disappeared out Of
their sight on the tortuous trail. and
when six OF the cay3ses pulled up at
the hotel veranda about three-quarters
Of an hour later the runner was sit
ting ON the steps. tanning himself and