The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-08-07
thing was becoming monotonous
On Moving Ground.

ground that trembled and seemed to |
sag. The roots that held it to the al |
most straight up and down rocks were
strained. We thought we could hear
them giving, and how tenderly and GIN
gerly we crept on and on until the |
dangerous place was passed, and how |
there was a steep ascent up the smooth, |
wet, red clay. Those who went before |
clambered laboriously. | was the tenth |
man, and breathed heartfelt "God |
help the tiftieth mani from the bot |
tom of my heart. | learned later he
poor tagged out creature,-had all b 1t
given up the wordsworth face of slime
to slip back to death a thousand feet
below.
Once more we stood on the main ridge.
We were now. at dusk, as far away from
our dinner as we had been at noon-in
fact. farther away, for now we knew
that we must not only find a possible
way down to the valley, but cut every
foot of it.
Forward or Back?
Our lieutenant and our guide stood
there on the ridge. their figures out
lined in the setting sun, Leilehua on
one hand. Kahana on the other. a
march back meant a night on the ridge,
dav on the march, one more night in
the old camp. and another half days
march-all without food. Moreover,
our last drop of water was gone. The
decision was made to press forward,
and the bolo squad began to cut a way
! along the ridge.
Straddling Mountain.
| For many miles the summit of the
| Koolau range is less than a yard in
width. This statement is no exaggera-
| ton. and moreover. the upper ten or
: fifteen feet of this ridge is composed
of nothing but moss and ferns and de-
! caying trees. With every blast of
| wind our bit of mountain top strained
| by the weight of fifty men swayed and
rocked Men who had passed through
| campaigns blanehed Young men lay
| down in the narrow trail and clutched
/ the grass on either side.
There were places for hundreds of
feet when the apex of the ridge was
| less than two feet wide and many men
! dared not look down. There, 2400 feet
in air. on the thin edge of a razor
! blade. these little humans stood SILVER
ing, for heavy rain had begun to
descend.
Worn Out, but Plucky.
For the first time discoura cement
settled down on the men, but there was
/ not a thought of turning back. That
would mean disgrace. Men wanted to
| throw away their rifles and pay the
price. but that would dishonor their
commanding officer. Once it seemed to
| the rank and file as though the bOlo
men might make the great long Stop
| ing spur mile away before it was
quite dark. and a cheer of encourag e-
ment went up, but a hundred feet fur
Their thick foliage retarded all rapid
progress and gathering gloom made fur
Their work dangerous in the extreme.
Camp Where You Stand.
"IIaIt where you are came the
command. "and find the best camping
places you can for the night.
There was silence. The sun setting
behind Leilehua outlined against the
sky above Kahana. fifty men standing
on the extreme summit Of our island
range. The army does not often inspire
| me; but as ! stood there, on a little
knoll of the ridge and looked along that
line of fifty men in khaki, strung out
for half a mile along a narrow ridge
where a single misstep might mean in
slant DEATH line on either side OF
| which I could look down almost sheer
pals. I respected those men and. when
7 thought of the hardshipS of the day
and its dangers. a real thrill of pleas.
ure ran through my veins to realize
that for the time being, at least, l
was one Of them.
Plugged Music
"WeIl. I'll be damned" was the
exclamation of musician Hall as he at
tempted to blow the mud out of his
bugle. \ roar Of laughter passed down
the line. and with Jest and badinage
these soldier men turned in supperless
to bed.
Almost a Panic.
If YOU have never been ashipbOard
or in a crowded hall where someone
started a panic by the cry of fire. -
or in an earthquake city. when the
solid earth rocked. YOU do not know
that sinking feeling in the stomach
that comes when you catch that terri
blv contagious disease called panic.
In the scenic darkness a blast of
wind shook our moss ridge until it
| swayed, some one cried. Landslide, -
There WIS a moment Of terror. II pass
I'd along the line \ fool might now
have completed havoc Men were
ready. almost crazed with fear, TO fling
themselves from the ridge and trust
TO clutchng the foliage on the sheer
pals below. The horribly contagious
disease spread along the line in a
twirkIing-few escaped it. One paled
nan cried out. but his voice trembled,
Lie down, bows, it's all right and
we laid down Some Of these fifty men
did not rise again until morning.
Sleeping With Death.
saw more than one seasoned soldier
sleeping lengthwise in the trail. his
hands clutehing the grass on either side.
He might easily roll with a single move
2400 feet into Kahana Valley, or by
turning over the other way, in a single
turn. start back to Wahiawa.
/ Many men admitted in the morning
that they had spent much Of the night
n fear. for the little fringe Of rolling
moss on the ridge trembled violently in