The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-11
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

C:OoOsOsOsOoO sO0OsOsO.O0Os
Daylight of the morning of the TWEEN
| ty-sixth found us some six miles off
| the northeast quarter of the island,
and at $50 we came TO anchor in the
fairly sheltered bay, at the old bar
racks on the lee side of the island
After doubly securing our little craft
| by stretching a rope cable from her
stern to the shore, and fastening it
/ to a great rock, we proceeded to make
a shore camp, and our cook, Prisciliana,
/ at once got to work cooking up feast
of bread, beans, etc. Since it had been
so rough coming over as to make fire
impracticable, we had not had much
to eat for forty-eight hours.
Guadalupe was formerly used by
Mexico as a penal island, and on the
occasion of my first visit in 1885, there
there was a colony of some fifty con,
victs stationed at this little port; the
ruins of their old barracks are in ev1-
dence today. The island is of volcanic
origin, twenty miles long, by an exz
IRENE width of about eight; it's highest
altitude is 400 feet. 1t presents an
extremely bold appearance from the
sea, and owing to its high, craggy
shores and the exceedingly nasty
squalls of wind called 'swoolies, -
which blow down from its towering
cliffs, it is very dangerous navigating a
sailing vessel about its coast. On the
twenty seventh, Mr.. Carroll, my man
Friday and / climbed up seven miles of
very rough trail to the summit, having
several objects in view We wanted
some fresh meat, and we did kill several
fat goats, some thousands of which
range on the island. We also wished
to examine into the water supply, in
case of emergency, and the only water
is on the summit. We found several
water holes, but my!-phew! Like the
air of the heavens about us, the water
smelt of goat, tasted of goat and pretty
nearly was goat. And then we wanted
IT possible, to secure specimens of the
Caraeara, handsome eagle peculiar to
the island, as, in fact, are nearly all
the land birds. We saw no eagles and
they are probably extinct, perhaps ex-
terminated by poison put out by parties
interested in the goats; for when these
birds were abundant they killed many
of the kids.
On the island s northern and western
slopes are considerable groves of cab
bage-palm and cypress and, for an is
land so nearly all rock, there is con-
siderable growth Of grass. We collect
ed some specimens of the small land
birds, and picking up our goats on the
way down, reached the vessel about
dusk, footsore and weary.
For several days WEE pulled about the
shores, IN our small boat, in an en-
deavor to locate the elephant seal. but
We're not successful; and so finally
sailed the Freia around on the weather
side of the island. On the morning OF
the thirty-frst, we pulled away from
the vessel, in the small boat, to ex-
anime stretch of shore that seemed
to be the most promising place not
yet explored. Sure enough. on pull
ang up to small beach, lying snug
against a giant cliff nearly 1000 feet
high, the excited cries of "Elefante,
mueha elefante! mucha grande!' from
my Mexican rowers, caused me to real
ize that the long eoveted quarry was at
hand. We saw several of the big seals
asleep on the sand, and two big bulls
were swimming in the surf, believing
and fighting. Not wishing to brighten
them until our vessel was safely an
chored in position for business, we
pulled quietly away and returned to the
F'reia. The wind had died out during
the morning and the Freia had drifted
with strong current, some fifteen
miles in a southerly direction, and it
took nearly forty hours to tack back
to the seal-beach, where we came to
anchor on the morning Of June second.
Dropping anchor about a quarter
mile from the beach, in six fathoms of
water, and making all snug aboard, Mr..
Carroll and |, with two rowers, went
ashore. 1t was certainly wonder
full sight, this herd of gigantic animals
all soundly sleeping, and seeming
automatically the while to throw sand
over their bodies with their front flip
pers. I suppose this was to protect
themselves somewhat from the sun and
to keep off the sand f1es. When | /
made noise, they raised their heads. |
gazing in wild establishment, some IN |
slight fear at what was probably their |
hrst glimpse of man-gazing with the |
largest, roundest. darkest, most beau, |
TRULY liquid eyes into which it had |
ever been my fortune to look; and
rlght here my heart smote me when l /
MINING tHcSc WoHueTIuf /
animals, with such eyes of liquid velvet. |
Upon flourish of the arms and our
closer approach, several of the cows, I
IN fright, started for the water. The
big bulls elevated their heads to full /
height, rising on their front fiippers |
and throwing themselves into a posi- /
ton of attack or defense, opening their
mouths wide and emitting a.. gurglin. |
roar; also showing set Of teeth which /
would do the largest grizzly credit. /
considering that the largest of these /
bulls was nearly seventeen feet in /
length, over eleven feet in girth. and |
weighed probably $500 pounds, they
made an impressive picture. I have |
heard the roar or bark of many seals. |
such as stellars, California sea lion. |
fur seal, etc., but the roar of the sea
elephant is more like the roar of the
African hon than anything I have ever
After viewing the herd TO our salts
faction, we took a number of photo
graphs which are probably the only
photographs from life of the elephant