^% J NaT \ s ". Qass Book WALTER R. STEINER COLLECTION THE LATE HONORABLE PAUL ISENBERG TO WHOSE MEMORY "THE MASTER PLANTER" WAS DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR. The Ma^er Planter or Life in the Cane Fields of Hawaii By JAMES W. GIRVIN WITH NOTES BY LEVERETT H. MESICK HONOLULU. HAWAII: PRESS OF THE HAWAIIAN GAZETTE CO., LTD. I9I0 BEQUEST OF on. WALTER H, STEIIUgD JAN. 20, IMS COPYRrGHT 1910 By The Hawaiian Gazette Company LIMITED CONTENTS. t- PAGE Dedication vii Posthumous (Introduction) ........ jx CHAPTER. L A New Home in a New Country, and the Introduction of the Hero ....... I II. California in "The Days of Old, the Days of Gold, the Days of Forty-Nine" ...... 5 ^ III. San Francisco, Like Rome, Sits Proudly Upon Her Hills 8 IV. Off for the Islands — Sight of Diamond Head Compensates for an Uncomfortable Voyage . . . . il V. Honolulu as it was in Days of Yore — Grass Houses and O Many Things That Would be Curios Now . . 15 VI. "Kansas" is Busy Investigating the Business Possibilities ^^—X — Lively Times in the Days of the Whaler Man . 19 Proves to be a Jewel" — "Kansas" Making Headway 46 XIII. Some Interesting Details of Plantation Work — The En- : trancing Haleakala Trip and What it Reveals . 51 111 IV Co7iients. PAGE XIV. Phases of Plantation Life — Native Language and Lore — Native Divisions of Land — Dyestuffs Used by the Plawaiians 58 XV. More Hawaiian Lore — Land Tenure — Tabu System — Pri- mitive Tools and Patient Labor — Where Fell the Chivalry of Hawaii ...... 63 XVL The Hawaiians : Whence Came They and the Flora of Their Islands ? — Their Knowledge of Medicine and Surgery 68 XVII. Hawaiian Hospitality and Customs — Pageantry of a Royal Tour Around the Island of Oahu . . 72 XVIII. The Transformation of "Kansas" — From "Shipped Man" to Plantation Manager in Eleven Months . . 85 XIX. Hawaii Leads the World in Scientific Sugar Cane Cul- tivation ........ 89 XX. The New Manager Makes Innovations that Startle the Silurians ........ 95 XXI. Treating of the One-Time Contract Labor Conditions on the Sugar Plantations ..... 98 XXII. Our Hero Has a Name at Last — and an Old-Time Friend Appears with Abundant Capital .... 102 XXIII. Madam Takes a Native Maiden Into Her Household, and Has an Interesting Character Study . . 107 XXIV. Madam Interests Herself in the Natives, and Learns Many of Their Peculiarities . . . .110 XXV. The Flappy Marriage of Kamaka Is Followed by, Alas, a Too Frequent Sequel — Piquancy of Native Cooking 112 XXVI. Mrs. Breed Learns How to Prepare and Preserve the Many Delicious Native Fruits . . . .116 XXVII. Madam Embellishes Her Home With Native Curios that Attract the Charmed Attention of Visitors . . 120 XXVIII. The Once Obscure "Kansas" Becomes Owner and Manager of an Immense Sugar Estate . . 123 XXIX. Capital and Labor as Yokefellows — A Cooperative Scheme that Worked — Christ Quoted . . . 126 XXX. Fascinaiing Small Farming Applied to a Big Plantation — Wheat, Corn, Potatoes, Butter, Chickens, Honey . 129 Contents' v PAGE XXXI. "And of All That Thou Shalt Give Me I Will Surely Give the Tenth Unto Thee." — Gen. 28:22 . . 131 XXXII. The Baleful Effects of Alcohol on the Native— The 011a a Temperance Aid ...... 135 XXXIII. The Telephone Publicly Used on Maui Before It Became General in the United States .... 138 XXXIV. The Primal Curse Applied to Cane Culture — Manufac- turing and Marketing the Sugar .... 140 XXXV. Native Labor Becoming Scarce, Experiments With Many Peoples Were Made — A Political Review . . 144 XXXVI. The Chinese and Their Relation to Hawaii — Vices and Virtues of This People ..... 148 XXXVII. A Resume of the History of the Hawaiian Islands — From the Rise to the Fall of the Monarchy . . 151 XXXVIII. Our Hero in Review Again — Experiments With Elec- tricity — Mention of Noble Men and Women of Hawaii ........ 155 XXXIX. The Silver Wedding of the Breeds Was Celebrated by a Luau and Hookupu of Grand Proportions . . 159 XL. The Hawaiian Language — Its Lack of Harsh Consonants Makes It Easily Adaptable to Music . . . 165 XLI. The Education of Children in the Hawaiian Islands — An Original Perplexing Question Well Solved . 170 XLII. Religion of the Early Hawaiians and Why the People Were Ready to Receive Christianity — Evidence of Early Civilization ...... 178 XLIII. Debasement and Decimation of Hawaiians Due to White Refuse of Civilization Who Preceded Missionaries 180 XLIV. Life in Hawaii and What It Stands for to People Who Call the Islands "Home" ..... 183 XLV. Metal Being Unknown to the Ancient Hawaiians, the Art of Weaving Entered Into Their Every Utility 191 XLVI. A Brief History of the Sugar Industry of the Hawaiian Islands — Sugar Cane Indigenous to the Soil . . 194 L'Envoi 197 DEDICATION. This book is most respectfully dedicated to the memory of the late Honorable Paul Isenberg, A man who rose from the ranks in the cultivation of sugar on the Hawaiian Islands. A man whose broad sympathies reached out to the laborer of every nationality, and whose hand was always open to assist any one in distress. A man for whom the Ha- waiians had the greatest respect and veneration, and who did much for their advancement by his example, assistance and advice. A man of that Teutonic race which will eventually dominate the globe from its inherent love of and maintenance of the purity of their homes and their observance of the Sabbath day. The Author. POSTHUMOUS. In the year 1906, Mr. James W. Girvin was Librarian for the Hawaiian Gazette Company. Through my connection with the same company, I became well acquainted with Mr. Girvin, and he unfolded to me, at divers times, a mind stored brimful of useful knowledge. Any leisure moment I had I considered well spent in converse with him, especially upon affairs Hawaiian, of which he was a veritable walking en- cyclopedia. At that time he was working on the closing chapters of "The Master Planter," and through our intimacy I learned much of his ideas and aims in regard to the book ; and evidently won his confidence, for he submitted the manu- script to me for criticism and correction from a typographical standpoint. The press work upon the book was well under way at the time of Mr. Girvin's accidental death from drowning on the 11th of December, 1906. Of course, the work came to a sudden standstill then. Later it was decided to publish the book, following Mr. Girvin's known ideas in regard to it as closely as possible — and a large package of proofsheets and manuscript, just as Mr. Girvin had left it, was entrusted to me for disentanglement and comipletion. I found the closing words had not been written, or if written were not found — so I have supplied them. A surprisingly large number of books have been published with something Hawaiian for subject matter — generally in- dicative of a wide-spread romantic interest in these "Isles of the Blest." Mr. Girvin's "The Master Planter," on the ix X Posthumous. contrary, may be regarded as an antonym to romantic — exact, historical, unadorned. It seems almost incredible that so much information could be crowded into a given space as appears in this book, and the continuity of the plot not be irreparably broken. In breaking the story up into chapters and giving them head- lines, I am aware that limp justice has been done, for a single caption could not vvrell cover more than a single paragraph in many cases — as one umibrella makes a miserable mess of covering more than one person in a rainstorm. The story in its entirety strikes me as a delightful pot-pourri, some new fragrance being encountered at almost every turn. There is something in the story for everyone. It is an encyclopedia of things Hawaiian ; cross-indexed it would be almost in- valuable as a hand-book of Hawaii. The hero of the story is a composite character, exemplify- ing the sterling worth of the pioneers to Hawaii, who made of it the most advanced cane sugar producing country in the world. Mr. Girvin made the story of "The Master Planter" the vehicle for conveying to the public a great fund of useful information that he had gathered in many years of keen observation. The dedication is his. A composite character — yes, but the trait given to "Kan- sas" of acquiring so much diversified knowledge of the peo- ple and the country, will very well fit the author himself. Nearly four years have elapsed since Mr. Girvin's death, and in that space of tim^e kaleidoscopic changes have taken place in affairs Hawaiian. Ordinarily, a book written four or more years ago about Hawaii would need rewriting now. Not so with "The Master Planter," however; its statements remain facts, and will have the same abiding value as has a standard encyclopedia. Leverett H. Mesick. Honolulu, 1910. THE LATE JAMES W. GIRVIN, AUTHOR. THE MASTER PLANTER CHAPTER I A NEW HOME IN A NEW COUNTRY, AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE HERO. AWAY back in the early sixties, in a little cabin in one of the ravines leading- into Grass Valley, Nevada County, Cali- fornia, there lived a small family, the history of the head of which it is the intention to relate in the following chapters. ^ Our hero had come from Kansas, and the miners, addicted to giving nicknames, had dubbed him "Kansas" from his hailing from that State ; but in reality he had lived there only five years, having emigrated from the northern part of the State of New York. He was a tall, dark-whiskered man of thoughtful mien and reflective mood, while his wife was a sprightlv little lady of a most cheerful disposition. The young couple ^had a child born to them in Wichita, but the little girl sickened and died, and the parents felt that Kansas could no longer be home to them, so they turned their faces westward. They had accumu- lated a little sum of money, and could have done well enough but for the spirit of unrest which took possession of them afte^ "the light of the household" had gone out. They had a friend in Grass Valley whose glowing description of California, and especially of that region, determined them to cast in their fortunes and grow up with the State. After a long and weary journey from the end of the then imcompleted railroad they arrived at their goal. Their friend was not to be found, he having drifted after the ignis-fatuics of rich reports in a distant field, as so many of the miners did. The surrounding country pleased them, and at this season was covered with innumerable species of wild flowers such as they had never seen in the east. Although an horticulturist by study and pro- fession he saw colors such as he had never seen before. Brown, 2 The Master Planter; or green, and drab lilies growing wild, yuccas ten feet high covered with a cloud of iridescent bells, flowers whose brilliancy could be matched nowhere on this mundane sphere, and the whole sur- face of the undulating country clothed with a carpet of small flowers to even name which would require chapters. The cli- mate was invigorating and the scenery grand beyond description. They decided to settle there. His occupation had been that of gardener, and he quickly determined that there was more money to be made in supplying the various neighboring mining camps with vegetables than in gold digging, and the income would be more certain. An old man who had acquired a large tract of land was pleased to give him as much as he would cultivate for a nominal share of the products. A rough little shanty, abutting a ridge, went with the claim and was to be their future home. It was sheltered beneath the umbrageous branches of one of the grand old live- oaks which dotted the plain and hillsides. Here the young couple proceeded to make their home with as much cheerfulness and unanimity as the birds which built their nests amidst the leaves of the perennial tree which covered them. Little by little they gathered around them the necessities of life and for home comfort. Women were comparatively scarce in that part, and many of the miners made a detour from the highway, nominally to ask for a drink of water, but in reality to see the little bird- nest with the Eastern robin in it. Quite a number of the miners succeeded in obtaining the privi- lege of taking their meals at Madam's table, for which they gladly paid fifty per cent, more than they could have lived for at the mill boarding house. During the summer the table was spread under the shelter of the shady live-oak branches, and by winter a fine commodious addition had been added to the house. The home- made bread, butter, and buttermilk were luxuries to be had no- where else, and the refining influence of a good woman was ap- preciated by those who were permitted to enroll themselves as of "Kansas's" household. His cows, chickens, eggs and garden- truck had a market limited only by the supply he was able to produce. He found the soil to be excellent, and that everything planted produced abundantly. By hauling some of the pulver- ized tailings from the mill and spreading it on the adobe soil he supplied to that clay its corrective, and the yield of beets, onions, potatoes and vegetables was something marvelous. Some of his Life in the Cane Fields of Hazvaii. 3 mangel wurtzel beets, planted for cow feed, weighed more than 150 lbs., and pumpkins grew so thickly that it was possible to walk over a field by stepping from one pumpkin to another. There were some drawbacks, however, in the form of vermin. The air teemed with birds and insects and the ground had its myriads of gophers and squirrels, while from the plain came up the cotton-tail and the jack- rabbit to devour anything green. His strawberries, raspberries and other small fruit were preyed upon by the quail, catbirds and others, whilst his melons were sought after by badgers and other quadrupeds. Deer frequently came down at night and revelled in his corn and cereals. Game was plentiful, and grizzly and brown bear threat- ened not only to decimate his pig-pen and calf-yard and honey- stands, but to make life a burden. Indians straggling through the country frightened Madam, but were harmless. The table was rarely without venison, quail, pheasant or other game. The miners united with "Kansas" in pursuing the bears, mountain lions and fur-bearing ferae, and they became somewhat scarcer. ]\Iadam was sorry sometimes to see the song birds destroyed, but self protection is the first law of nature. In the early mornings, and at even, the air would be redolent with harmony from in- numerable meadow larks and thrushes. Every bush in the chap- paral on the hillsides had its colony of bird life. The long table out of doors was frequently surrounded with men, who, judged by their rough appearance, were Ali Baba's forty thieves, while from their conversation, which was extremely edifying, their antecedents could be discerned. Naturally, from their occupation as miners, geology and the origin and formation of the globe was frequently the theme of debate and conjecture. Still there was no subject which was not discussed. Sometimes politics was introduced, to the disgust of Madam, as that subject led to wrangles from which neither edification nor profit was to be obtained. The men were from different parts of the East and naturally disagreed. Some were Southerners, one of them hav- ing brought two slaves with him who were regularly paying him their wages on a promise of emancipation on receipt of the cost of bringing them out and to their value as estimated at home. "Kansas" had been one of th'^ radicals in his late place of resi- dence, and it is well understood that in the State of Kansas there is to be found no one who does not take an active interest in everything pertaining to politics. The throes at the birth of that The Master Planter. State had threatened to dismember the Union, and the war which was then raging was considered one of the outcomes of it. Madam ahnost decided to discontinue keeping boarders, and eventually succeeded in reducing the number to a few who could control themselves in the heat of political debate. Their Chinese cook and laborers appeared to be thoroughly at home in this strange land, and when Madam undertook to give them lessons in English on Sunday afternoons she had a class which appreciated her kindness. CHAPTER II CALIFORNIA IN "XHE DAYS OF OLD, THE DAYS OF GOLD, THE DAYS OF FORTY-NINE." CALIFORNIA, covering ten degrees of latitude, has surprised the people of the United States not only in its mineral re- sources, but in the fertility of its soil and the exuberance of thought of its inhabitants. Within those ten degrees of lati- tude, which by the way have proven in the Old World to have contained the cradle of the human race, and today hold the ruins of the world's earliest civilization, can be found a greater variety of the fauna and flora of the globe than in any other part. The appreciation which the early settlers had of its marvelous climate, scenery and possibilities was indelibly stamped on it by the manner in which they named different localities. We find Paradise, Banner, Golden Gate, Silver City, Loveland, Wood- land, Greenville, Bloody Gulch, Dead Horse, Grizzly Flat, Antioch, Acme, etc., etc., and the earlier Spanish settlers used up the whole calendar of Saints in naming the diflferent points and localities in this great State, and finally in despair at the paucity of the calendar dubbed a bay Todos Santos (all Saints). Rough men, made hardier still through their contact with the Plutonic rocks from which they obtained the auriferous metals, named many places in accord with some obstacle which attracted their attention, as Whiskeyville, Dead Man's Gulch, Eureka, Sacra- mento, etc. Drawn thither by the prospect of acquiring speedy wealth from mining, people of all grades of intellectual culture and from every nation under the sun can be found. It was a common thing to find men who could speak many languages as well as men who were conversant with the classics. Although a little book of fifty-two leaves was the most common, the man who found his intellectual treat in the Bible, Shakespeare, Horace, Virgil, or some of the scientific works was freely met with. All appeared equally rough, and it was only on close inspection that the diamond was discovered. Rough in appearance, wild in 6 The Master Planter ; or action, and coming from different parts of the States and of the world, still men of similar thought and inclinations naturally drifted together, as the magnet will draw particles of iron from sand made up of grains of disintegrated rocks of every class. Men of ever}^ profession and trade made up the army which crossed the plains in search for gold. Amongst them there natur- ally predominated those who had followed farming or manual labor. These were observant of the natural facility of the soil to produce crops, and also of the ready market for the products. The claims made by the Spaniards prevented much of the land from being acquired by these agriculturists, but little by little many little holdings were acquired and small orchards and gar- dens began to be cultivated. Our hero's small ranch appeared like an oasis in a desert, for California in the dry season has a most desolate and burnt-up appearance. He had brought out a small stream from the canon (or canyon) above the premises, and all shrubbery and trees as well as the vegetables planted by him throve remarkably from the supplied water. "Kansas" had excavated a cellar into the hillside, against which the house abutted, and had put down a drive well therein from which a deliciously pure water was obtained. Having procured an olla, one of those earthern vessels which the Spaniards had introduced into the country, and which the Indians made from clay and carried about for sale, and which on account of its porosity materially aided in cooling the water, he hung it to a limb of the live-oak. Thirsty travelers from all directions de- bouched from the main road to get a drink of this cooling water, and gradually the place became so central that when necessity for establishing a postoffice was felt, "Kansas" station was fixed upon as the most convenient for the miners in that whole region. Our young couple prospered in every way, and not only made money from their own exertions, but, having grub-staked several prospectors, "Kansas" was fortunate in being able to sell out of several claims to good advantage. The healthiness of the climate was remarked, and they had enjoyed life as much as could be ex- pected from the isolation Madam was compelled to endure. To make money alone was not the height of their ambition, and "Kansas" did not feel that it was justice to his wife to seclude her in a mountain camp. After four years residence in Grass Valley he determined to move to San Francisco. During their Life in the Cane Fields of Haivaii. residence in the mountains a boy and a girl had been born to them, which materially added to the mother's cares. He had acquired the quarter section, which he first rented from the old ranch owner, and now disposed of his holdings and the fine site for a good round sum. His intention was to either establish himself as a florist in San Francisco or engage as a scenic gar- dener with some of the wealthy nabobs of that metropolis. CHAPTER III SAN FRANCISCO, LIKE ROME, SITS PROUDLY UPON HER HILLS.* * ' T/' ANSAS" had made a study of the science of agriculture JX from the best works to be obtained, and was thoroughly familiar with the requisities of different soils in the mat- ter of correctives, manures, and fertilizers. Being farmer-born he appreciated the lectures at the agricultural college he had at- tended, and during his practice of several years in Kansas and in California he had the opportunity of testing many of the teach- ings he had received and also of watching his own experiments. He knew that for the best results from planting it was as neces- sary that plants should have their proper plant food as that ani- mals should have food that would digest. Also, that it was as requisite that this food should have reached its correct stage of fermentation to promote assimilation before being absorbed by the rootlets of the various plant-life. Being somewhat of an artist and designer, he had drawn many plans of flower gardens adapted to the embellishment of homes of lovers of beauty in that line. Some of the colored designs which his portfolio contained were models of carpet gardening, laby- rinthine walks bordered with vari-colored plants, which enclosed beds of brilliant flowers. Many happy hours he and his wife spent in designing parterres of beautiful flowers, grasses, border plants, etc. This was done as much for pastime as to have on hand a collection of designs or patterns as guides in selecting the most appropriate for dififerent situations. One of his ambitions was to obtain the supervisorship of some large grounds where, with a free hand, he might make a showing of what esthetic cul- * She "sat," for a large part of the city of San Francisco, including practically all of the business portion, was destroyed by earthquake and fire following it on the 18th and 19th of April, 1906. A monetary loss of $400,000,000 was caused; and many human lives were lost, the exact number will never be known. Phcenix-like the city has risen from its ashes, and now, 1910, in about four and one-half years after its destruc- tion, is better built than the old city was. Life in the Cane Fields of Hazvaii. 9 ture could effect. He did not overlook the immense market which the love of the masses for cut flowers and potted plants af- forded, but kept that in the background, as it were, as a matter of secondary consideration. Arrived in San Francisco he proceeded to endeavor to enlist some of the wealthy property owners in a scheme to ornament their homes, he to undertake the supervision of a number of such. He recognized the natural possibilities of the city, on account of its being built on many hills, for ornamental gardening. Al- though the soil of the sand dunes of the whole peninsula on which the city was built was poor, that was a matter which might easily be corrected ; and the lay of the land was much better for scenic effect than would be that of a level country. After meet- ing many of the property holders and showing them his plans he found, and was surprised at it, that so few cared for the matter, and all were satisfied with such slight improvements as their wives might make. A few gave him encouragement, and thought such a scheme of cooperating in maintaining a trained gardener as somewhat in advance of the present system, — but there were not enough to warrant his undertaking the work. He abandoned the idea, and turned his attention to establishing a garden, one of the New Jersey style of florists' gardens, wherein he could raise flowers and potted plants for sale. On looking into this field, however, he found that it was pretty well worked and the city fairly supplied. Real estate and rents were high and he could not locate himself. Turning his attention to the humble yet lucrative work of raising vegetables for the market, he found this was very largely done by Italians on the outskirts of the city as well as by farmers on the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, great quantities coming in by steamers every morning. Without much capital he knew he could not compete in supplying the city markets, and he would be again burying his wife in the country. He then turned his attention to other means of providing for his family, and in his peregrinations became quite familiar with the geography of the city and its environments. He tramped over Russ Hill, viewed the city from Telegraph Hill and Black Point, and made the tour of the Presidio and Fort Point. No observing person can survey San Francisco and its noble bay and fine waterways without arriving at the conclusion that it will be the theatre of an immense commercial future. Looking at it 10 The Master Planter. from an artistic standpoint, there is no part of the world that is more beautiful. From Telegraph Hill, as the observer turns on a pivot, the vista, on a clear day, is truly magnificent. Apparently the atmosphere of central California is as pure as in any region on the face of the globe, for the eye can discern points at great distances. San Francisco has been endowed with many advantages, and if man will only make use of them it will assuredly be the center of commerce which will control the trade of the countries which border on the Pacific. The great fresh- water ways flowing towards it will force on her the wealth of the immense agricultural provinces watered by them. The great num- bers of men who were attracted to the State by the discovery of gold, were largely composed of men from the rural walks of life. These quickly discerned the great wealth the State had in her agricultural lands, and soon abandoned the search for the auri- ferous metals. Many of the large Spanish grants were subdivided and the cattle driven ofif, and the lands turned into orchards, vineyards and farms. In early days most of the foodstuffs was brought around the Horn, or from Chili, or the islands of the Pacific. In a few years the Eastern immigrants had fQodstuffs to export, and agriculture began to vie with mining for the first place. Grand as was the outlook for the future city, our hero tried in vain to place himself. In his travels or tramps along the water- front he frequently saw vessels discharging cargoes of sugar and molasses, and tropical fruits, from the Sandwich Islands, and talked with the officers about the prospects there for a working man. Although he received but little encouragement from them, he concluded that a country which produced such large quantities of sugar might be made to yield a living, at least, to a couple who were willing to work. He and his wife made as much of a study of the Islands as was possible from the few descriptive works on Hawaii to be found in the public libraries, and decided to go there and try their fortunes. It was a leap in the dark, but they had ample means to return if the country should not prove satisfactory. CHAPTER IV OFF FOR THE ISLANDS — SIGHT OF DIAMOND HEAD COMPENSATES FOR AN UNCOMFORTABLE VOYAGE. TO save their little hoard they resolved to economize in every way, and to that end engaged passage in the steerage on a small bark which made regular trips to the port of Hono- lulu. They had never traveled on the sea before, and looked for- ward to the trip as to a picnic when one camps out for a season. They laid in a little stock of provisions and comforts, and took up their quarters on board the evening before the vessel was to sail. Early in the morning the vessel was towed to sea, and aftei* the bar was crossed they began to realize the immensity of the ocean. Their quarters were rude and uncomfortable ; it was cold and miserable, and, to add to the discomfort, all four were wretchedly seasick. The great strong man seemed to be the most affected, and could not help his family. Fortunately, a kindly lady in the cabin, who was an islander, a daughter of a mission- ary, and a good sailor, had noticed the children and devoted her- self to their comfort. For three days the sky was overcast, and alternate showers and squalls added to the wretchedness of the voyage. Many a time, during those three days, did the miserable couple wish they were back on terra firma. Then came the genial weather and sun- shine, together with the trade winds, and they began to feel better and enjoy the trip, and help themselves. They began to really enjoy the voyage, and sitting on deck they learned very much of the islands from those who were returning residents. Not hav- ing had the opportunity in San Francisco of meeting islanders, their information was indeed very meager. From the mission- ary lady they heard much of the hardships of the early mission, and of the success in converting the natives to Christianity. Also of the ravages caused to the aboriginal population by the intro- duction of disease and rum by sailors. Much also of the char- acter of the natives, and of their innate hospitable reception of aliens from any land. 12 The Master Planter ; or From the stories told, a very good impression of the natives was obtained. "Kansas" became quite intimate with a man who had passed several years on the islands, and who described the cultivation of sugar and told of the opportunities for investments. It appeared that only a large capital would warrant any one in going into that industry, and from his remarks it appeared, also, there was no other that a white man could make a success at. When fifteen days out, the island of Maui was sighted, the cap- tain saying that the mountain thereon, Haleakala, was ten thou- sand feet high, and visible from a great distance. Sailing along they passed the island of Molokai, and had a fine view of its precipitous mountain range. Then the island of Oahu approached, and the beautiful valleys thereon opened up one by one with en- chanting beauty. Rounding Diamond Head, the town of Hono- lulu, together with the forest of masts in its harbor, appeared. The great forest of cocoa palms which fringed the shore, to- gether with the wealth of foliage of lesser umbrageous trees, created a pleasing impression of the tropical beauty of the place. From the deck of the vessel the panorama presented was a most charming one. The difference between the gloomy, forbidding and sunburnt coast of California, which they had just left, and the verdure-covered peaks of the Island of Oahu, was like the awakening from a dismal nightmare. With an artistic and al- most prophetic eye our hero could see a brilliant future for Hono- lulu. Diamond Head, which they had just rounded, stood out in bold relief, and no one asked why it had been called Diamond Head, as that was the natural name for it, its clear-cut, precipitous sides reminding one more of the facets of a cut diamond than of anything else. Far ahead of the ship could be seen another range of mountains similar in appearance to that at the rear of the city. At the margin of the neck of land which connected the two ranges lay a loch, called Pearl Harbor, upon whose smooth waters the sun glistened. Many valleys, whose sides were cov- ered with verdure of different shades, opened towards the sea, giving promise of enchanting drives and points to lure the sight- seer. Although our hero and his family had forgotten the hardships and misery of the first part of the trip, and were enjoying to the full the balance of the voyage, they, with the cabin passengers, were glad to get ashore. "Kansas" was a brave man, and was not intimidated by what Life in the Cane Fields of Hcnvaii. 13 he had learned of the unHkeHhood of succeeding on the islands. Although the impression he obtained was that there was a great distinction made between rich and poor, and that the prospects for a poor man were not bright, he did not apply it to himself. He had never felt poverty, and had always been able to make provision for his wife and family. In Kansas and California, they were not considered poor, the masses being of their own class. He had been well educated in the public schools, had been a year at an agricultural college and had taught school two win- ters before he had met the young woman who had agreed to take him for better or for worse, and they had gone west. Now they were to live in a country where there was a marked dis- tinction between those who had the possession of money, accident- ally or otherwise, and those who had none. This they could not realize. It did not disturb them very much, as they had within themselves all that was necessary to make life happy, and they merely sought the opportunity to make a living by their own ex- ertions. Also, they were in a foreign country, which they soon found out, as their baggage was thoroughly examined by customs ofificers, and "Kansas" was compelled to pay two dollars for a permit to land. There were no hotels nor hotel runners, and they hired a push-cart to carry their effects to a lodging house in a part of the city where rents were low. Everything seemed strange to them, and in some respects the city appeared like a frontier town. Half naked kanakas carrying sticks over their shoulders, with bundles of dried grass or cala- bashes filled with poi (the staple of life of the Hawaiian), shocked the woman. Numbers of Chinese thronged the streets, and car- ried on innumerable dirty looking restaurants and small shops. The narrow, crooked and winding streets, lined with houses of all descriptions, from those built of rough coral slabs, to frame struc- tures of all imaginable styles of architecture, and with over- hanging verandas, gave one an impression of a place which had grown up, and not been laid out, as the majority of American towns and cities have been. Many rude sailors thronged the streets, forming the crews of the innumerable whaleships in the harbor. Their actions and language, and the heedlessness with which they rode through the city on horses, alarmed our new- comers. The food at the restaurants was good, but they soon found it inconvenient to take the children out three times a day 14 The Master Planter. along the narrow, thronged and ill-kept sidewalks. Finally they obtained lodgings at the Sailors' Home, a fine building which was kept by a delightful old American lady, who seemed like a mother to all. CHAPTER V HONOLULU AS IT WAS IN DAYS OF YORE — GRASS HOUSES AND MANY THINGS THAT WOULD BE CURIOS NOW. AS they gpt opportunities to see more of the city, they found that there were many homes of refinement situated on the main avenue leading up Nuuanu Valley. These were set well back from the street, and were surrounded by a wealth of tropical foliage, and gave the tourist an impression of home and comfort. They climbed Punchbowl, a hill 500 feet high in the rear of the city, from where they obtained a magnificent view of the city, its harbor, and the whole surrounding country. The spires of churches loomed up through the foliage which covered everything. The prospect was entrancing. Grass houses of the natives looked like last year's haystacks, but were by no means numer- ous, they having been superseded largely with frame structures. Cocoa palms here and there had prominence over the lower forms of shrubbery, and bore the appearance of frayed-out umbrellas. A glamour seemed to have possessed our travelers, for they were charmed with everything in view. They were reminded of the saymg of one of the passengers, "that any one who lives on the islands for a time will assuredly come back." The balmy air, the evenness of the temperature, the geniality of expression on the faces of all the conglomerate inhabitants, and the pleasant sur- roundings must be chargeable with this restful, homelike impres- sion. The harbor was small, but seemed adequate for the business of the port. Business appeared to be brisk, and a spirit of con- tentment possessed all with whom they came in contact. The natives, especially the women, were decked out in the most brilliant colors of silks and prints. Both men and women wore leis (wreaths) of flowers or ferns around their hats, the latter being principally home-made from cocoa or other palm leaves. It was quite com- mon to see bare feet peeping from under silk gowns, probably from the comfort of going barefooted. Carriages were not very 16 The Master Planter; or numerous, although drays for carrying merchandise were quite common. It was a frequent sight to see natives seated on push carts, together with their household effects, being moved from one part of the city to another. Gangs of prisoners working on the street, in parti-colored garments, under the charge of a turn- key, were continually on the move. It was also the rule to hire out prisoners to private individuals, as gardeners or chore-men. Amongst the prisoners a few white men were seen, but they were principally natives or Chinese. Evidently, there was no peni- tentiary where prisoners could be kept employed within walls at the manufacture of merchantable wares, as in cities on the main- land. Uniformed native police and soldiers appeared to be quite numerous. The meat and fish markets seemed to be well stocked and well patronized. It was quite a treat to visit the fish market, where both were sold, and watch the manner of selling and de- livery of the wares. The market was always interesting, from the great variety of curious and beautifully colored fishes, varie- ties which were strange to the markets on the mainland. To note how quickly a native salesman would wrap up fish in a couple of leaves, which afforded a handle for carrying the package and at the same time a vehicle, dish, or mode for cooking the same, when the buyer had arrived at home. On visiting the houses of natives, who always welcomed the stranger, our travelers were surprised at the simplicity of the domestic arrangements. To make a fire in a small hole sur- rounded with stones and place a saucepan over it, as the miners did, was the only way (excepting the cooking" of taro) what cook- ing they did was performed. Alany kinds of fish were eaten raw, but this did not have the repulsive features about it that one would expect. When properly cleaned and cut up in lumps there was no blood and gurry, and on trying it they found that it was as delicious as rav/ oysters, and equally digestible. It was quite common to see natives carrying coffee or tea-pots from Chinese restaurants, somewhat the way some of our people "rush the growler" in the East. Saddle horses appeared to be very numerous, and men and women rode equally astride. It did not appear to be unbecoming for women to ride astride, as they had invented a garment for the purpose. It was wrapped around the hips and extended down the inner side of the leg, and was held in place by the great toe in the stirrup. Generally Life in the Cane Fields of Hazvaii. 17 they were made of the most brilHant colors to be had, and a caval- cade of native women galloping through the streets made a very pretty sight. For a tropical country the markets afforded very little variety of fruits. Oranges, breadfruit, ohias (mountain apples), bananas, and a few guavas, were all that was noticeable, whereas in the West Indies a hundred kinds of fruit would be offered. There appeared to be considerable drunkenness on the streets, and even amongst the native men and women, although it was a serious misdemeanor to furnish liquor to them. The police ap- peared to be quite active, and on the slightest manifestation of inebriety in a sailor, he would be taken to the station house, from whence he did not depart until he contributed his share towards the support of the government. A small foundry and machine shop seemed to be very busy turning out sugar machinery, but it was said that most of that used on the islands was imported.* There was a very large fleet of small schooners which plied between the islands, and one steamer, although for speed the schooners were preferable. Great quantities of produce came in regularly, and the wharves pre- sented a busy sight where these small craft were discharging their cargoes of oranges, rice, corn, pigs and cattle. The natives were great travelers, and the decks of these small vessels appeared to be as full of passengers as it was possible. Large quantities of lumber w^ere being piled up along the wharves, and the change from grass houses to frame buildings had set in all over the islands. There appeared to be no attempt to export tropical fruits, nor in fact anything but sugar, rice, and whalebone and oil. The discovery of rock oil, or petroleum, and * This is one of many industries in which Hawaii has forged ahead ■wonderfully, ever abreast of the world's progress. The Honolulu Iron Works is not only now manufacturing practically all the sugar mill machinery used in the phenomenally-enlarged sugar industry of the group, but is building and erecting mills in Mexico and the Far East in competition, with the world. At this time (1910) the biggest sugar mill in the world is being built at the Honolulu Iron Works for the Philippines and will be in operation in 1911; by biggest is meant the largest rollers, not the capacity of the mill. A mill in Cuba is said to have the greatest output capacity, with our own Puunene, on Maui, second. Nearly two dozen of the Hawaiian mills are to the credit of this wide-awake concern. An order is now in hand, from Japanese sources, for the sixth big mill for Formosa. 18 The Master Planter. the numerous uses it could be applied to in illuminating and for machinery, was said to have reduced the price of whale oil, and that industry would cease. The merchants talked over the mat- ter, and it did not appear as if there was anything which could take its place. The rock-bound coast of most of the islands, and the lack of harbors, Honolulu being the only true harbor in the archipelago, gave the impression that the cultivation of sugar must be limited. Coffee, cotton and tobacco had been tried, but for various reasons success in any of them was not prognosticated. The district of Kona, on Hawaii, produced a magnificent, aromatic coffee, but it was said that the scarcity of hands for picking it and the low prices of Central American and Brazilian coffee, with which it would have to contend in the market, would prevent the industry from ever assuming large proportions. "Kansas" tramped the streets and made numerous acquaint- ances, and his Yankee style of making inquiries into every pos- sible matter was remarked. He studied the maps of the different islands, and was given all possible assistance in the survey office. From the surveyors, who had tramped over the different locali- ties, he learned very much. CHAPTER VI "KANSAS" IS BUSY INVESTIGATING THE BUSINESS POSSIBILITIES — LIVELY TIMES IN THE DAYS OF THE WHALER MAN. THE principal food of the natives was taro {arum escitlen- tum), and it was also used in every home. He studied the cultivation of it, and found that it was raised in patches which were diked about with earth or stone embank- ments at great expense. It was raised in water, that is, after the patches were dried up and dug up and the tops of the plant sec in mud the water was turned on and it was kept flooded until nearly ripe, probably 12 or 14 months, and then pulled and the tops cut off for future planting, and the roots sold in sacks or made into poi, a paste made by washing, cooking and mash- ing the taro and mixing with water. I't was a very wholesome food, and our travelers liked taro in any form, either as plain boiled, baked, made into cakes, or as poi. "Kansas" soon saw that he could not compete with the natives in the cultivation of taro, as it required weeding and working as well as any other vegetable, and this could only be done by wading in mud, the best way of doing which was the native style, i. e., naked, with a breech clout on. He saw the love of all classes for flowers and knew that he could make a success of that business, although the natives were very good natural gardeners, and in their little patches raised great quantities. He tramped up Nuuanu Valley, where a small sugar plantation was being carried on. In conversation with the owner he was proffered work, but at a very small salary. When he told that he had a wife and two children to support, the planter said they had no accommodations for a white woman on the place, and "Kansas" could not live on the pay. He went over the Pali, the great precipice which was said to be the scene of Kamehameha First's last battle in subjugating the islands, and visited two sugar estates on the Koolau side. At both places he was nicely received, and at either of them he could have obtained work, but neither of them had accommoda- 20 The Master Planter; or tions for a white woman, and the pay offered was very small. Still, the more he saw of sugar the more he was interested in its culture, and was sure that he could make a success of it if he could only catch on. He and his wife talked over all matters that he learned in his peregrinations, and sh^ could not under- stand wh}^ there should be much objection to a man who had a family. They felt that they had made a grievous mistake in coming to the islands, but she saw his inclination to the sugar industry, and they determined that he should see more of the country be- fore deciding to return to California. He had taken note of the Chinese gardens, which as a rule consisted of several taro patches, dried up and cultivated by hand, as there was no room for ia plow. They paid very high rentals for these lands, especially those near to the city limits, and they packed their produce from door to door, in baskets carried on long sticks or poles across the shoulders. He always had admired the indefatigable industry of the Chinese, but never thought to be brought into competition with it. They worked very hard, and even in the night might be seen watering their little vegetable gardens. There was no room for him in the gardening industry, which he so well understood. He saw the love of flowers and greenery displayed in the homes of the foreign population, and knew that he could make money at potting plants and ferns, — but the sugar cultivation was what he wished to get into. He and his wife endeavored to see all they could of Honolulu, but there were not many public conveyances. Occasionally he induced an old skipper to take his wife out in a rambling old chaise, which looked as if it had come out in the ark, and that Noah, himself, just over a drunken spell, was driving it. It was a good deal better than staying at home, as walking in the tropics, to one not used to it, is very trying. Saddle horses were very numerous, and he induced his wife to learn to use the saddle. The old lady at the Home gladly took charge of the children at times, and they were enabled to get about and see somewhat of the surroundings of the city. They climbed to the top of Punchbowl, from where they obtained a magnificent view of the whole adjacent country. Far to the west a charming vista pre- sented. An immense field of emerald, at certain parts of which the sea w^as enclosed, forming lagoons, appeared to afford agri- cultural possibilities. This great slope was well watered by Life in the Cane Fields of Hawaii. 21 numerous streams from the range of mountains which was the backbone of the island of Oahu. On riding over these lands he found they were only cultivated in the valleys or near the margin of the lagoons, and was told that the balance of the land was very poor soil and was vejry shallow. The taro, sweet potatoes and bananas which throve so luxuriously in that region, were brought up to the city in boats. The roads were merely horse-trails, and, except one, barely wide enough for running gear. He did not believe that lands which produced so heavy a crop of weeds was poor soil, and judged that it was the system of ownership which prevented them from being cultivated. If he had seen the land at another season when all would be burnt up for lack of water, he might not have come to the same conclusion. The verdant appearance was caused by the dense growth of the indigo f era anil plant which had been brought from India with the expectation of cultivating and making indigo. The discovery of the art of making indigo from chemicals had destroyed that hope. He tested the soil and found in many places it was but 12 to 18 inches in depth, covering a strata of coral. Evidently it had been upheaved from the sea and was slowly being covered with alluvion. They galloped across the plains to Waikiki and watched the natives disporting in the sea. To sit under a hau tree and watch the king and his people riding the surf on boards or in canoes was one of the treats. Surely, of all aquatic sports, this must be the one which afforded the greatest amusement. The dexterity with which they handled their surf-boards, and fearlessness with which they rode waves that threatened certain destruction, was a most fascinating sight to a stranger. Either the novelty of tropical life or the beauty of all the sur- roundings, had a charm for "Kansas" and his wife which made them feel that they would strive to make a home on the islands. The stores where whaling captains obtained their supplies were naturally resorts for these hardy men, and here they delighted to congregate and hear and tell stories of their experiences in the Arctic. It is said that here they have killed more and greater whales than ever were taken, and that the described perils were as vividly depicted as an appreciative audience could wish. To visit from ship to ship was called "gamming," and in calm weather, when no whales were in sight, it was a very common 22 The Master Planter; or occurrence for "the old man" to call away a boat and puQl Uo one of the vessels in the neighborhood for the sake of passing! an hour or two in exchanging gossip or to test the neiighbor's cuisine. A lot of these captains delighted to renew their ac- quaintance in Honolulu, and would sit around by the hour "swapping yarns." The chairs they occupied bore the marks of the knives of the "old skippers" who, unconsciously, in their interest in the recitals, whittled away at the arms or wooden seats. One storekeeper, to protect his furniture, drove tacks in every possible spot, but the next season the skippers industriously proceeded to dig out the tacks with their valuable pocket knives. Absentmindedness appeared to be a feature with some of these whaler men. A story is told of one of them who came in coat- less, and, having purchased a coat and paid for it, he joined the circle of yarn spinners. Presently he threw off the garment in his excitement of telling a good one. Then he remembered that he came in to buy a coat, and proceeded to fit himself out again. In the thrilling excitement of listening to some startling story, the coat was discarded and he became wrapped up in the narra- tive. Again he remembered the object of his visit to thei store, and he purchased another coat. This was repeated three times during the evening. When closing time came he was handed back the amount he had over-paid. It went to show that sailors and their money are soon parted. Some of them did not, how- ever, leave their business shrewdness on the other side of Cape Horn, where they were said to have left their consciences, and instances are told of storekeepers being induced to put in a bill for fifty sacks of potatoes, against the ship, whereas in fact a gold watch was the merchandise which was delivered. A glimpse into "Liberty Hall" or "the National" saloons would show how the sailor made his hard earned money fly, and give the reader somewhat of an idea of the effect of rum and white man's influence on the native race. The latter was a two- storied structure with a large saloon on the ground floor, while the second story had two bars in constant occupation during the whale season. Music and dancing enticed the sailors, and numer- ous native women sat around ready to be partners, either for round or square dances. The latter were most in vogue, as more of the awkward sailors could take part in them than in waltzes or polkas. The caller controlled the dance, and at the end of the fifth figure would call out, "March your partner to the bar," and Life in the Cane Fields of Hazvaii. 23 men and women would find themselves lined up to the bar as many as a hundred at a time. Drinks were twenty-five cents each, and when Jack threw down his dollar or a twenty or even a fifty dollar "slug" in payment for his and partner's gin, there would be no change back. Some told "Kansas" at the Home that they repented, when at sea, of having squandered their hard-earned money, even saying that with comrades in the fo'c's'le they had gone down on their knees and solemnly vowed to God never to touch liquor again, and to save their money for their families at home who were de- pendent on them. They were so improvident as to even part with their spare clothing, and go to sea without a sufficiency to shield themselves from the miseries of the Arctic cold. Here they would be compelled to apply to the "slop chest," and were again robbed, as the "shoddy" dealt out to them was not worth one- fourth the amount charged up for it against their share of the season's catch. CHAPTER VII HONOLULU AND THE CHURCHES OF THE OLD DAYS — OUR HERO AGAIN AT SEA, BUT ALONE. THEY visited the native churches, as well as the foreign, and remarked that the populace was at least a church-going one. The large native churches were filled to repletion, and they felt repaid by their observations of the congregations. The dress of both men and women was unique, to say the least. Some of the women were dressed in silks, their hats were of the latest style and their colored kid gloves were quite conspicuous. Others were dressed in gaudy colored calicoes, and wore their native hats with wreaths of ferns or flowers. The men appeared to love to display silk hats, broadcloth clothes, and all felt that it was necessary to wear shoes that could squeak, probably to show their newness. However, whatever their peculiarities of dress were, it was apparent that they were devout worshippers, as was attested by the volume of sound when a hymn was given out. Evidently the natives are natural musicians, as the singing was excellent, all parts in the melodies being well sustained. The language seems to be well adapted to song, as much so as the Italian. The preacher, a white man, was very much in earnest, and the congregation appeared to be much interested. Our travelers could not understand any part of the service, except the tunes, which were exceedingly familiar, such as "From Greenland's Icy Mountains," "Rock of Ages," etc., to which the missionaries had adapted Hawaiian words. A matter which caught their attention was the continual wheezing and coughing all over the vast congregation, and which must have been more or less distracting to the worshippers. Evidently it was the sign of the pulmonary diseases which have decimated the population of the islands, the change from nudity to wearing clothes weakening the cuticle and making the party susceptible to colds and influenza, formerly so freely repelled by a skin inured to sun and rain. Life in the Cane Fields of Hazvaii. 25 There were two foreign churches in the city, one a very large one on Fort street, where the most of the fashionable people at- tended. The pastor in charge was a very eloquent speaker, and was worthy of the large salary it was said he received. The choir was well trained and was not, as in the East, composed of paid singers. Of two of the sopranos one has since made a national reputation as an opera singer. Our travelers felt more at home in a little church in the rear of the Sailors' Home, called the Seaman's Bethel. The earnest old preacher seemed like a father to his congregation, and was interested in the personal welfare of each member. He often talked with "Kansas" and his wife, and gave them great encour- agement of ultimate success on the islands. In both churches, however, they were taken by the hand by members and made welcome to the city, and asked to call at the different homes. They needed more than the "glad hand" just then, and it was all depending on his exertions. For his wife's sake he was ex- tremely anxious to live in Honolulu, and to that end sought em- ployment of any nature. Had he a trade or profession he could have done very well, as wages to mechanics were good and em- ployment was easy to be obtained. As an ordinary laborer he could not earn sufficient to keep them. _ Much as they admired the churches, Sunday schools and so- ciety of the city, and strong as was their desire to make a home in Honolulu, all his attempts to do so met with no success, and they determined that he should visit some of the other islands. This was their first separation, and they felt very sad over it, and determined it should be but a short one. "Man proposes and God disposes," is an old saying, and in this instance was a true one. He decided to go first to Lahaina, on Maui, and after seeing that island go to Hawaii. Traveling on inter-island ves- sels is quite expensive, and he asked the captain of a little schooner if he might take a deck passage. The captain said that "white men did not travel that way, but if he was hard up he would give him a passage." He denied being so poor as to be unable to pay his passage and was finally permitted to pay two dollars for a "deck passage" to Lahaina, the captain telling him that he would have to provide his own food and blankets, and that they frequently made the trip in a night, but were sometimes two or three days. Taking his roll of blankets and a package of lunch, he bade his wife and little ones a sad farewell. 26 The Master Planter. Again he was at sea, but this time on a little bobbing schooner, whose action was so different from that of the noble bark on which they had arrived that he soon succumbed to the mal de mer. Lying on deck with the spray dashing over him, and the wind blowing down onto him from the foresail, surrounded by kanakas, w-ahines and sea-sick Chinamen, and feeling so wretched, he thought he had reached the lowest round of the ladder. Now and then the schooner would ship a sea, often caused by the; wheelman to make the deck passengers squeal ; and the com- bination of pigs, sour smelling poi, calabashes, traveling tins, wet children crying, and sick Chinamen was almost more than human nature could bear. Then w'hen the breeze died out the schooner would roll in the trough of the sea, and the sails would slat about, exposing the passengers to the blazing tropical sun. Our hero paid very little attention to the view of Molokai or Lanai as the schooner either drifted up the channel or wallowed in the trough of the sea, at times in close proximity to either of these islands. Why a man should go to sea at all, when the United States was still "large enough to give us all a farm," he could not comprehend ; and he there decided that he would go back to that fair land as soon as Providence would let him. The resolutions of a sea-sick man are probably based on the action of the changing positions of the molecules which compose the brain, and are as permanent as the beautiful pictures seen in the ordinary kaleidoscope. Oh, the misery of those two nights up the channel to Lahaina ! it burned an impression on his soul never to be effaced. Afterwards he felt grateful that he had been so horribly sick, as his sense of wretchedness was thereby blunted. On the second morning the schooner came to her an- chorage at Lahaina, and innumerable clamorous boat boys swarmed her decks, vicing w^ith each other for the privilege of carrying the passengers ashore. CHAPTER VIII LAHAINA, THE FORMER CAPITAL OF THE KINGDOM MORE DIS- COURAGEMENTS FOR THE MAN FROM KANSAS. FROM the anchorage, which is in the roadstead, Lahaina ap- peared to be embowered in trees, amongst which the bread- fruit, cocoanut, kukui and mango maintained the suprem- acy. Situated at the base of a serrated range of mountains, which were clothed in verdure from the peaks to the sea, it pre- sented the most charming aspect. Many grass huts and a few frame houses lined the beach for a distance of more than four miles, from which it appeared that the inhabitants preferred to live near the shore. On going ashore, however, our hero was surprised to find that the umbrageous foliage concealed the great- er part of the town. Streets there were along which adobe build- ings, in every stage of decay or dilapidation, ranged themselves. The first impression the visitor gained was that when a build- ing fell there it was a public improvement. Lahaina had been the capital, and in its day boasted of the ''halepiula," or palace of the king. Evidently, the foreigner had brought there, in earliest days, the art of building houses from adobe, as practiced by the Spaniards in California. These buildings, when kept in repair and the scoving or surface of plaster maintained, present a hand- some appearance, but when the thatched roof is allowed to fall off or get out of repair, are very quickly destroyed by the fierce tropical rains. The coming of the schooner had apparently brought out all the inhabitants of the town and the surrounding country, and our hero was surprised to note the great number of horses and riders dressed in the gayest of colors. He afterwards learned that every man, woman and child owned a horse, pasturing it on any one's land. The natives appeared very friendly, none failing to wish him a hearty "aloha." He found lodgings in a house sur- rounded with canefields, and after getting a bath and change of clothing proceeded to find a restaurant. His first impressions of Lahaina were extremely pleasant, and he hoped to be able to find 28 The Master Planter; or employment there and to get his beloved family again with him, never to part again. Chinese restaurants v^ere numerous, but he found an old Dutch baker who kept a coffee shop, and who had the reputation of making the best bread on the islands. Perhaps he did not do justice to that first meal? The baker thought he was hungry. On the way up to the sugar mill to seek employment, he did not fail to notice the thriftiness of the cane on either side of the road, and the innumerable stalks which sprang from one hill. It was all under irrigation and grew in trenches where the water was permitted to settle away. Arrived at the mill, he met one of the owners, who talked freely with him of the news of the main- land and of the war and the prospects. After asserting his capa- bilities as a farmer, he made inquiry as to the possibilities of get- ting employment. He was promptly answered that they had no work for him, firstly because he did not understand the work, nor the language, and could not therefore act as a luna or overseer, and they would not let a white man work in the fields as a com- mon laborer. Neither could they place him as a teamster or as a laborer in the sugar house. They had natives for teamsters, and Chinamen for dryers and packers, and the only white men on the place were the overseers and mechanics. He told the planter that he was a practical farmer, and could do any part of the agricul- tural work on the plantation. That he was extremely anxious to get work, as he had a wife and two children in Honolulu to sup- port, and that he would be content with a very small salary until such times as his services were appreciated. The planter in- formed him that there were no accommodations on the place for a white woman, and they could not employ him. Crestfallen, he walked away down towards the beach, where he chatted with an American storekeeper. On inquiry as to the con- sumption of vegetables and from whence they came, he was as- sured that they did not use much in that line, and that beef and Lanai mutton and taro were the mainstay of Lahaina. Taro grew prolifically in the concealed valleys back of the town, and potatoes came from Kula on the other side of the island. He seemed to be balked at every turn. He remarked that he saw overseers riding round herding Chinese and natives, and he reckoned he could do that kind of work, or handle the plow. "Ah, my dear sir," said the storekeeper, "you cannot talk the language, and, moreover, there is not a plow on the plantation." Life in the Cane Fields of Hawaii. 29 Was it possible this great crop of cane was planted by hand labor? Yes, the lands which aggregated this great plantation were all trenched by shovel and mattock. The expense was enor- mous, but he was informed that one planting was sufficient from which to cut cane for five years, and there was some that had not been replanted in sixteen years. The second and succeeding crops were called rattoons, which, if well cared for and frequently irrigated, produced almost as much as that from the first planting. Our hero reckoned he would have the proper kind of plow at work if he was the owner. He suggested that he could learn the language and cane culture. "No doubt of that," said the merchant, "but you will find that planters are not breaking in white men." Poor white men were looked at suspiciously, unless they were mechanics. There certainly seemed no show for him. He wan- dered around the plantation observing the manner in which the cane was planted and studying the plant itself. Also he ascended towards Lahainaluna, the college where native graduates from the common schools were finished off. He noted the source of the streams which irrigated the fields, and saw that Lahaina was most aptly situated for an immense rich plantation. On call- ing at the college he was pleasantly entertained by the principal, and shown through the rooms, and the nature of the studies of the young men. The teaching was in native, and the scholars appeared very intelligent. They did their own planting of taro and sweet potatoes, and their friends furnished them some fish and meats, and altogether the tuition and living cost very little. Many of the graduates obtained employment as surveyors, and some went into law or the pulpit, the majority, however, drifting back to their ordinary mode of life. Lahaina appeared to have every advantage for sugar culture, not only from its rich soil, abundance of water and proximity to the landing, but from the natural lay of the land, the cane getting the benefit of the sun until the last minute of the day. The heat at midday was something remarkable, but the mornings and even- ings were delightful. In the evening he met an old missionary, one of the class he had read so much of in his earlier days. He was invited to call and met the missionary's wife and daughter. They chatted familiarly with him, heard of his wife and little ones with sympathetic ears, and could not realize the barrier which stood between him and an opportunity to earn a liveli- 30 The Master Planter; or hood. The house was one of those old adobe or stone buildings, carefully whitewashed, and having green blinds. Standing back from the street it had the appearance of comfort and home. In after years, in riding to Lahaina on jury duty or court busi- ness, it seemed to loom up as a place where true rest from the heat of the road or business cares was certain. They showed him many curios from the northern seas, presented by their whaling friends, and also many rare shells and curios from the south, which had been sent by brother missionaries. They admitted that he was the stamp of a man the country was in need of, and urged him to keep up his courage and he would get an opportun- ity to show his worth. The old missionary remarked "That Ha- waii was a country where a man found his level sooner than in any other." How we do love sympathy? It appeared that the few words of sympathy extended to him by these old people had done him more good than anything that had happened since his arrival at Honolulu. They invited him to breakfast, but he declined on the ground that he wished to make an early start for the other side of the island. They said their boys were engaged as over- seers on some of the plantations over there, but knew they could be of no assistance, as they were not sure of their own tenure of office, in that it had been decided to reduce the number of em- ployees. A kind farewell, and an urgent invitation to make their house his home whenever he might come to Lahaina again, and he was gone. At daylight he started with his roll of blankets on his back on the way to \Vailuku. As he tramped the roads at that early hour he noticed the laxity of discipline amongst the laborers and the indifferent manner in which the cane was cared for. How his fingers itched to get a chance at improvements? He was a true farmer, and knew that one hour's work at dawn was worth two at noon. He saw where he considered mistakes were made in laying out rows of cane, that they might obtain the best results from irrigation as well as full play for the circulation of the regular winds. He had an idea that, next to water, air had most to do with the cultivation of sugar. He enquired continually as to the best season for planting, stripping, cutting, etc., etc., and also noticed a difference in canes as to color of stalk and size of leaf. Life in the Cane Fields of Hazvaii. 31 Men did not appear to know much about sugar, or perhaps were not as observing as they should be. He recognized that the industry was in its infancy. His time was not all lost. He saw the abuse of the animals on the plantation ; evidently they would not live out half the natural work life. He saw the waste of time by the employees, as well as of the animals. Carts with a wheel- barrow load, and carts overloaded, were being driven belter skelter to the mill. He saw men and women idling away their time in the fields, and saw cane growing from roots so old that it evidently had not produced its maximum for the past four years. And yet the owners got rich. What would the result be if a little brains and push were added? How delightful the early morning hours are on the islands! The road along which he walked was a path through the Garden of Eden. The hedges on both sides of the road were covered with vines of the wild nasturtium and convolvulus, and innumer- able hibiscus and papaia trees shed the fragrance of their blos- soms on the morning air. Trees loaded with mangoes, cocoanuts, papaias and castor and croton oil nuts or beans, together with the mass of mimosa and mesquite beans, proclaimed that nature was doing her best to make "life in the tropics" easy for man. The sky was full of light from the rising sun, which is invisible here until quite late on account of the height and proximity of the mountain. The eternal lap-lap of the wavelets on the beach, to- gether with the innumerable sounds of awakening animal life, united to produce a charming pjicture of an earthly heaven. As he strolled along the Lahaina beach and out through Olowalu and Ukumehame he remarked that some day there would be a large plantation established there. The man from Kansas, with his observing eye and enquiring mind and Eastern vim, would make his mark yet ! As he reached the top of the mountain at Manawainui and caught a view of the Wailuku kula or plain, and got his lungs filled with the invigorating trade winds, he felt glad that he had failed in Lahaina. Here was scope for the imagination. Here were thousands of acres of unoccupied land covered with a mag- nificent robe of emerald. Could it be that men had failed to ob- tain possession of this immense tract, or was there some obstacle in the way? Here was room for an immense plantation, prob- ably 20,000 acres. Sugar yielded two and one-half tons to the acre, and sold at $240 per ton, while the cost of raising did not 32 The Master Planter. exceed $ioo. His Yankee brain was at work, and while cogitat- ing matters the ground passed behind him in such strides that he had reached the Waikapu stream before he was aware of it. Slaking his thirst and bathing his head and face, he felt refreshed, and pushed on to Wailuku. CHAPTER IX lAO, THE YOSEMITE OF THE ISLANDS — DERIVATION OF THE HA- WAIIAN WORD FOR LAW — WAILUKU AND ITS DEFINITION. WAILUKU, the name of a little village at the entrance cf lao Valley, is also the name of a large tract of country extend- ing across the plain, from one range of mountains to the other, on East Maui. This valley, lao, has frequently been called the Yosemite of the islands. It is evidently a huge crater, which has been extinct for ages, whose precipitous sides are clothed with perennial ferns and evergreens. It is an admirable basin for catching water, which from ancient times had been guided in ditches out onto either side of the valley to supply the myriad of taro patches of the ancient inhabitants. Far up in the valley can still be found signs of the cultivation of the soil by a people whose great numbers had compelled them to live in a part that, on account of the absence of sunlight, was so uninviting. From this valley, however, many of the Hawaiian necessaries of life were obtained. Here grew the ti leaf (draccna tcrminalis, or cordyline), which serves as a wrapper for food, for plates, for a vehicle for cooking, for the scant clothing of the ancients, for thatching temporary huts, for medicine, and a thousand other uses the Hawaiian puts it to. It is greedily eaten, also, by the herbiferous animals, and its root, which grows very large, is much sought as a very sweet and nutritious food. Un- fortunately, like many other vegetables, it contains much alcohol, and was used by the ancients for making a beer. The white man showed them how to make a spirit from it, which was called okole-hao, on account of a musket barrel being used to convey and condense the steam from the boiling expressed and fermented juice. To this introduced art may be ascribed much of the fatali- ties of the Hawaiian. In this valley grew, also, the kukui or candle nut, used by the natives for making their torches. The raw nut is very laxative, and is used also as an emetic. The husk of the nut makes an indelible dye, and is an astringent used in medicine. When 34 The Master Planter; or roasted it forms an excellent condiment, and is always used in feasts. On the sides of the ravines which open into the valley grew the olona (touchardia latifolia), so useful in making" fish lines and nets. Also the wauke (B. payyrifera), from the fibre of which their cloth and quilts were made. The valley was the source from which they obtained many of the herbs whose medi- cinal qualities were well known to the kahunas^ or doctors. Above all, however, the valley as a catch-basin for water was most appreciated, as this district supplied foodstuflls for a large section of the islands. Most of the internecine wars had arisen on account of disputed water rights. Time and again had rules been made for the equable division of the water, only to be broken by some overbearing neighbor. These rules had been committed to memory and passed down from father to son, and were termed "kanawai," meaning pertaining to water, and from thence comes the present Hawaiian word for law. The rivalry for the life-giving water extended far from the banks of the stream, and many people from a distance were dragged into the wars which took place, either to defend rights or to overpower those who maintained them. Taro from the patches in Wailuku w-as, after being cooked, pounded and wrap- ped in bundles in ti leaves, carried great distances, and in times of famine to other islands of the group. This valley was the scene of one of Kamehameha First's great battles, where, aided by fire arms procured from traders, he was enabled to overcome Kalanikupule, king of ^laui, and perma- nently add Maui to his conquests. It is said that the battle raged so furiously, and that the number of slain was so enormous, that the opening of the valley was so filled with the dead as to dam up the stream, and wdien it burst away the river ran pure blood, the valley being thereafter called "Wailuku," the water of slaughter. The ancient name of the stream is unknown. Judging by the traces of cultivation, the district on the eastern slope of West Maui must have been densely inhabited. Four fine streams issue from this range called respectively, "Wai-kapu," tabued water, "Wailuku," "Waiehu," muddy w^ater, and "Waihee," retreating water. The district was called "Nawaieha," from these four streams. Today these streams give names to little villages which nestle up against the spurs of the range, the lands adjacent to which have been mostly utilized for cultivating cane. The once Life in the Cane Fields of Hawaii. 35 numerous inhabitants have been superseded by Asiatics and whites. Fine stone churches, each with a handful of members, stand as monuments to the labor of the early missionaries in each village. This also is the history of every district on the islands. Imported cattle have denuded the mountains of verdure as far up as they could climb, and reduced the water supply by destroying the rain and cloud-catching evergreens. Nature will soon recover, however, if the cause is removed. It is said that in old times great numbers of cocoanut palms grew along the sea coast, below this district, not one of which is seen today. All had been destroyed in the frequent internecine wars, and the sugar planter finds the trunks embedded deep in the alluvion carried down by the furious torrents which take place almost annually. The harbor of the district, Kahului, is a very beautiful one, and yet has not the necessary protection from the sea to make it a safe one at all seasons. The fishing rights of the chiefs of the difi^erent lands, bordering on the sea, were most strictly enforced, and the natives being expert fishermen regularly fed the fish to encourage them in coming. From the sea the range of mountains with the extensively cultivated lands in the fore- ground, makes one of the prettiest pictures of island scenery. CHAPTER X AT WAILUKU KANSAS IS ADVISED TO KEEP ON TRYING IN SPITE OF THE DISHEARTENING OUTLOOK. ARRIVING at Wailuku, and securing good lodgings and get- ting refreshed, our hero strolled down to the sugar mill. The manager was a very pleasant man, invited him in and showed him the whole working of the establishment — the grinding, liming to correct acidity, boiling in open train, distributing into coolers for crystallization, and packing in kegs for the market. Here all seemed to go like clockwork. The mill was on a side hill, and half of the cane of the plantation had to be carted across the valley and up the hill. Once up, the whole process was down, down to the very cooper shop where the keg- ging was done. "Did it pay to haul ; would it not be better to have the mill lower down?" queried our hero. "Yes," the manager said, "but the mill was here, and we can- not make up our minds to make the change." This man appreciated the man from Kansas, and invited him to dinner and to spend the evening. He is a bachelor, and will be glad of company. Then comes the after-dinner chat on the ve- randa. The Kansas man finds it takes longer to bring cane to maturity in Wailuku than in Lahaina, as they preferred the native red cane which was slower in growth than the small yellow cane used there. "Would it not pay to try the Lahaina cane?" asked "Kansas." "No," said the manager, "we are perhaps prejudiced against it; any way we think the cane we have is the best adapted to this section." The Lahaina cane is richer in saccharine matter, but it is so small. During the conversation the manager heard the whole story of our hero's adventure to the islands, and realized his trouble. "You will have an up-hill fight, my friend," said he. "This is not a poor man's country. Of course the poor are the most nu- Life in the Cane Fields of Haivaii. Z7 merous, but how are you going to get a start with the weight around your neck which you have in the form of a wife and fam- ily ? They must Hve, and you cannot get any pay worth speaking of short of two years hence." Then the Kansas man told him of the waste and lack of econ- omy, and of intelligent culture he had observed, etc., etc. The manager replied, "What you say is true, and we have not got down to Eastern economy and methods yet ; but the profits are so large that we can afford to overlook those little things." ^^ "Some day you will not overlook anything," said "Kansas"; "all will be needed in competition." Then he asked if the man- ager could give him employment. "No," said he, "although I believe you are competent and will eventually succeed. I have run over the whole field and do not see where I could place you. There is nothing but the most de- meanmg work I could set you at, and I would not do that." "What yould you advise?" said "Kansas." "Keep on trying. Go to Waihee and see their plant. They may be able to place you, but I understand they have a whole lot of missionary boys there and have orders to cut down their force. Anyhow, I should keep on trying." It looked very blue for this practical man, that he could not get an opportunity to show his worth. CHAPTER XI THE MISSIONARIES HAD TROUBLE, TOO — OUR HERO HAS WORK AT LAST, BUT AS ^SHIPPED MAN." THE next morning our hero started for Waihee, a distance of three or four miles. Walking through the fields, he took note of the careful manner in which the cultivation was done, the plow being used everywhere, and the cane laid out in rows in most systematic manner, so that while getting the full benefit of the irrigation it also was open to trade winds' so far as possible. He was overtaken by a man riding a mule, who accosted him in a friendly manner and conversed with him in re- gard to his impressions of the country and especially of the fields. "Kansas" replied that what he saw came nearer to his idea of a proper method of cultivation than on any other plantation. "I am glad to hear you say so," said the rider; "I am the man- ager of Waihee plantation, but one of the missionaries of La- haina laid out the plowing and planting, and is overseeing the cultivation." The rider asked him if he was interested in sugar. He replied that he was deeply interested ; and then as they went along told him the story of his great desire to learn the business, and of his capabilities in the farming line. The manager said, "You are the kind of man we want, and we would like very much to have you and your family settled with us and form part of the small society at Waihee ; but, unfortunately, I am not able to give you employ- ment, as I have orders to cut down my list of employees, and must even part with my brother-in-law." He invited him into the mill and showed him through the whole works. It was truly the best mill and plantation on the islands. Everything was on a large scale. It had the most land, the most water, the best management, and in many ways was the best property our hero had seen on the islands. He was in- vited to dinner, and met the manager's nice family, and talked over his own prospects. The manager advised him to persevere and he would assuredly catch on somewhere. Life in the Cane Fields of Haivaii. 39 "The sugar industry is in its infancy," said he, "and not one- tliird of the land on the islands adapted to its culture is under cultivation. It is bound to be the coming industry and main- tenance of the islands, and will take the place of whaling " As our hero parted with him and his wife and family all of them wished him god-speed and success, and invited him to come again ; and they would be pleased to learn of his locating himself badly he walked back to Wailuku, in a verv depressed state of mind, and could not understand why he should be debarred from working at his beloved vocation. Then he wrote fully to his wife, explaining at length the attempts he had made and giving a terse description of the beautiful country, depicting the horrors of the sea trip and his disappointment in obtaining work He spent several days in Wailuku, and tramped the valley and looked over the surrounding countrv. He became acquainted with two old missionaries, and from them learned very much of the manners and customs and history of the Hawaiians, as well ot the history of the mission and their early trials. One of these came out as a teacher and devoted his life to inculcating the native youth, especially girls, in the rudiments of education being aided by his amiable wife in teaching the details of home keep- mg. as sewing, washing, cooking, and all the little arts the knowl- edge whereof has made our mothers the true helpmeets thev have been to their husbands. He had also introduced cotton and endeavored to cultivate it and manufacture clotn. The other missionary was a preacher, and conducted services in the stone church in the village, as well as maintaining a theologi- cal school from which native missionaries were graduated, several of whom were sent on missions to the South Seas, while others occupied pulpits in the islands. Judging from their erudition and kindly natures, it is certain that if these men had not felt called to give their lives to leading the heathen of the Sandwich Islands to the light, they would have risen to eminence amongst their fellowmen of the Eastern States. In their homes he was made welcome, and when they became acquainted with his abilities and character he was encouraged by them to persevere in his endeavors to learn sugar culture, and the requisite knowledge of the vernacular of the countrv. Towards the latter he was given very valuable assistance and directions as to how to learn the language the quickest. Having more than a week to wait for an answer to his letter, 40 The Master Planter; or he took every advantage of the time, in company with the aged preacher, to study the language ; and during that time he learned very much of the hardships the early missionaries passed through. The preacher had been one of the fourth reinforcement of the Mission to the Hawaiian Islands, making with his wife nineteen in all, on board a vessel which was six months in coming around Cape Horn. After a passage which must have been one of misery from the exceedingly cramped quarters on board, but which was never referred to by him other than to speak of the beauties of such lands as they saw, and of the extreme kindness of the cap- tain and officers of the vessel, they landed at Honolulu, and were almost immediately sent off to the Marquesas Islands as prime missionaries. His wife described the horror of life there, w^hich fortunately for them was limited to but eight months, as the English mission had undertaken that field. The people were of the lowest type of humanity, nude, rude, uncouth, cannibals, thieves, and were terri- ble. On their return to Hawaii they were stationed on Kauai for nine years, where he learned the language thoroughly and labored assiduously amongst the people with great success. On his health failing there he was sent to take charge of Lahainaluna academy until 1849, when he was given a year's rest, which he occupied in surveying on the mountainous region of Maui and aiding the natives in procuring titles to their allodial estates. In 1856 he accepted a call to the church at Wailuku, where our hero met him. He had supervision of several churches in the district, and journeyed from one to the other on an ambulat- ing old horse, on what was called "the missionary trot." He was beloved by all who met him, and the vilest white man or the lowest native had a good word to say of him. His salary, or stipend, was exceedingly limited ; but they were enabled to rear a family of nine children, all of whom received educations above the average. The old gentleman was of Kentucky stock, and fearless in denouncing any crookedness on the part of the king or those in authority, and yet withal so liberal in his views that no one could take offense. At the golden wedding of the old couple, which is spoken of in a later chapter, his oldest son, in an address to the parents, said: "By example much more than by precept, you have taught us to live for something higher than what the world counts suc- cess, and to seek the favor of God more than the praise of men. Life in the Cane Fields of Hawaii. 41 We thank you that you have taught us to be rather than to seem; to abhor all that is false and all that is sordid or base ; and to cultivate charity, forbearance, humility, and other old-fashioned virtues, "And thus to bear without abuse The grand old name of gentleman. Defamed by every charlatan And soiled by all ignoble use." Truly a character whose name should be enrolled on the scroll of fame, and one whom all men should hold up before them as an ideal to which they should aspire to shape their lives. The following week "Kansas" received an answer from his wife, which electrified him. Quick-witted woman ; loving helpmate ; she writes, "We have enough to live on for two years, even if you should not do a stroke of w^ork during that time. Get a job on a plantation on any terms, and learn the language and the business. I can earn a living, if necessity compels it, where I am." She always appreciated her husband and had taken him "for better or for worse," but so far had found him "for better." Now he determined the course he should pursue, and we will see in the following chapters w'hether she was wise or otherwise. A woman's instinct is often better than a man's deeply thought out scheme. The following morning our hero waited on the Wailuku manager, and tendered him his services, in any capacity, and at any figure he should offer. The latter flatly refused to employ him, saying he could not endure seeing a white man of his stand- ing at menial work, suitable only for coolies, and he had no other to give him. He was loth to leave Wailuku, where he could have the com- panionship and instruction of the preacher in wdiose company he delighted, and on whose every expression he hung as we have seen students in our colleges following the lecture of a great pro- fessor. He called on the preacher and told him of his resolution, and was iiivited to call at the parsonage whenever he might come to Wailuku. Bidding his new friend and his charming wife farewell, our hero tore himself away. With his roll of blankets on his back "Kansas" trudged across the Wailuku sand dunes and plains and ascended toward Makawao. Makawao is the name of a large 42 The Master Planter; or part of the western slope of East Maui, and has the reputa- tion of being- one of the dreariest parts of the islands, being windswept by a zephyr which from old times was called "Ka ua ukiukiu o Makawao," (the whistling rain of Makawao). Notwithstanding its bleakness, Makawao was noted for the richness of its soil, and its concomitant good crops, as well as the healthfulness of its inhabitants. It was a weary, hot walk, but our hero now had much to occupy his thoughts, and as he toiled through the red dust and heat he dwelt with delight on the instructive conversations he had enjoyed with the preacher. Resolutions and plans for the future were formulated, the suc- cess of which would depend upon circumstances. Towards noon he came to a plantation and sought out the owner, amongst the intricacies of the mill, to whom he applied for work of any kind. Many of his appearance had tramped the road before, and the planter had good cause to look on them suspiciously. After scanning his appearance and questioning him somewhat as to his wish to do land-work, for all loose white men were presumed to be runaway sailors, he was told that he could have work, "but," said the planter, "no one works here who is not shipped, and if you are willing to ship your job is ready for you." He would not take him unless he signed a contract to work a definite time at so much per month, and to do any kind of work he was set at, either in the day or night. "Kansas" now found that he had obtained what he had so long sought, viz : the oppor- tunity to learn the business of sugar planting, and all that implied, and determined to accept the terms, no matter what they were. The terms offered were "eight dollars per month and found, ten hours' work per diem, to work by day or night as directed, twenty-four dollars in advance, and to engage for one year." The contract was signed in duplicate and acknowledged, and "Kansas" was bound to work or be imprisoned. He was shown a room, about lo by 12, in a cottage having two such rooms and a veranda in common. A bed, table, chair and wash-stand completed the furniture. The cottage faced towards West Maui, and from the veranda one of the most glorious pictures of ever-changing scenery presented itself. He soon freed himself from the superfluous real estate collected on the long tramp, and after his ablution and a little rest felt that he was going to like his new home. Naturally it appeared bar- ren and cheerless, but he knew he could soon surround himself Life in the Cane Fields of Hazvaii. 43 with the few necessary comforts, and felt grateful for his suc- cess. At dinner time he went in with the mechanics, and had a good, hearty meal, and was told that he was not expected to go to work until the morning. He passed the afternoon in walking about the premises, and taking note of the mill and surroundings. The planter told his wife that "he had shipped another white man, and that he would prove either a jewel or a devil." She remarked that his "runaway sailors had not proven to be of much value as farm hands." The next morning "Kansas" was set at piling firewood, and he put in a good day's work. The climate was cool and bracing, and he felt that he could do as much work per diem there as in California or Kansas. The wood piling initiation lasted but a few days, when he was set to work with a Portuguese mason building stone walls, of which there were miles on this planta- tion. Stone walls had a two- fold purpose, viz: to clear the land of rock, which protruded in many places, or to make partitions between fields wherein cattle were kept. The Portuguese was a good v.'orkman, and the novice took his first lessons in masonry willingly. The most of the walls were built by building suitable rocks as a base and placing the upper stones on in such regular manner that they would stand for all time. Often near the gates mortar was used in building, to give the work a clean cut appear- ance, so our hero learned stone-wall building, with and without mortar, and this lesson was not lost on him. After three weeks of this out-door work he was set to washing the floors of the sugar-house. There was no other road, he had to do as others did, and bravely and good naturedly, in his bare feet, he plied the bucket and swab. It was a wretched mill, poorly planned, and its machinery was in keeping with it. Novice as he was. he could not help noticing that the bagasse, as the trash or pulp which came through the rollers was called, was not as dry as it should be, and a large percentage of the cane juice was thus lost. This bagasse was thrown out and spread on the ground surrounding the mill, and there by hand-turning dried in the sun for use as fuel, in addition to the large quantities of firewood hauled in from the forests. It was the endeavor to produce as much No. i sugar as possible, and this caused the molasses tank to fill rapidly. Molasses was of very little value on account of the high freight and heavy duty at San Francisco. 44 The Master Planter; or The darkey sugar-boiler was a very careful man, and watched the cane as it came to the mill, and tried to separate that which was rat-eaten or borer-punctured, as those stalks were sour and affected the whole mass with which they blended. Still they had to go through, and it required a much larger weight of lime to be used to correct the acidity ; and also, as a consequence, a cor- respondingly less proportion of No. i sugar could be obtained. He strained all the juice which came through the rollers, and anything which went through his screen rose to the surface of the first clarifier, where heat was applied. He seemed to be quite secretive in regard to the quantity of lime to be applied, and how he arrived at the proper weight to be used. He made good sugar, if it was a poor mill, and that satisfied his employer. He watched the men working at the train, as the row of open kettles was called, and kept them continually sweeping the surface with long paddles. He also pursued the firemen to keep up a regular flame, a very difficult matter where they had to feed the furnace continually with dried bagasse. Paddling, bailing, and skimming seemed very hot work, as the poorly-ventilated mill appeared to be filled with steam from the boiling juice. The mill-men were all natives, who seemed willing to turn their hands to anything. They chaffed the man from Kansas and told him he could not stand their work. They wore only pants made of denims, and the perspiration poured down their breasts and backs. He "reckoned he could do any- thing that a kanaka could do," and this remark being quoted to his employer, he found himself set at "sugar boiling," as the boys called it in derision. The sugar-boiler was the best paid man on the plantation, but skimm.ers of boiling pots received but seven or eight dollars per month. After a few days he found it very agreeable work and far from being unhealthy. How his wife cried as she read his weekly letter wherein he graphically described his life on the plantation. He made no complaints of the hardships he endured, on the contrary, described every thing in a humorous vein ; but she could read between the lines, and in imagination followed him as he stood in the cloud of steam skimming the train, or, barefooted, washing the gummy floors. He had described the process of drying sugar, and she could see him bare-footed and bare-armed tramping in the coolers where the boiled juice had crystallized, digging it up and filling it into tubs, which by the help of a native were carried to a cen- Life in the Cane Fields of Hazvaii. 45 trifugal and dumped in. This machine was about the size of a large wash-tub, and had wire-gauze sides and turned on a spindle at the rate of 1600 to 2000 revolutions per minute. The centrifugals were enclosed in an iron frame to prevent accident in event of explosion. Still accidents happened some- times, from the carelessness of the men or from the slipperiness of the floors, caused by the dripping of the syrup. Should a man become over-balanced and fall into the centrifugal while it was in motion, it would be almost certain death. Such an accident happened to a poor kanaka who worked in company with our hero. Our man felt that death had come very near to him that time, and imagined the consequences to his wife and little ones should he have been the victim of such a catastrophe. When his wife read of the accident she wrote him that he was her all, and although she had the greatest confidence in him and his careful- ness, she urged him for her sake to be careful. The local papers made a great ado about the acccident, one editor insinuating that the planter was not wholly guiltless of manslaughter in allowing the floors to become so sloppy. It had a good effect, in that thereafter the floors were kept in somewhat better condition. The works were closed for the day and the floors and mill cleaned up. CHAPTER XII SOCIABILITY ON THE PLANTATION AND AT CHURCH — AND HE PROVES TO BE A JEWEL" — "kANSAS" MAKING HEADWAY. THE planter's wife, a most estimable lady, was accvistomed to visiting the makahiki houses, as the quarters was called, to look after the comfort of the men and women. During our hero's first week she called on him, and told him that ser- vices were held in the church in Makawao, and he was welcome to the use of a horse to go there if he chose. He took her at her word, and the following Sunday morning found him on the road to church. It was an exceedingly interesting service to him, although the sermon was more or less prosaic. Although all were strangers to him, they had the same old hymns to which he had been accustomed in his New England home, and he gladly joined in the praise service. He had a rich baritone voice; and the lady who played the little reed organ seemed to throw her whole soul into it. The small congregation appeared to pay the strictest attention to the sermon, and was very devout. After the service there seemed to be a great deal of handshaking and pleasant chit-chat amongst the neighbors, but our hero was unnoticed. Not en- tirely unnoticed, however, as several asked who he was ; one planter, who was a great lover ot music, remarked that he had a very fine voice. His employer's wife told that "it was another deserting whaler whom her husband had shipped." When "Kansas" was untying his horse the preacher's daughter came up and offered her hand, saying, "You appear to be a stranger in our community, but we are very glad to see you." He offered to assist her to her horse, and she accepted the courtesy. He opened the gate for her, and as she passed out touched his hat to her, but she wheeled her horse about and remarked, "We live a mile or so above here, and have an abundance of figs, if you would like some." He mounted his horse and was soon be- side her. Some of the ladies remarked, "That is just like Mary, Life in the Cane Fields of Hazvaii. 47 shespeaks to every one." However, he had a pleasant chat with an intelhgent lady, which he never forgot. He told her that he was a contracted laborer on plantation. She said, We are glad that you have come to live in our neighborhood " and hoped he would come regularly to church. He promised her that he would do so, as it made a pleasant break in the week re- marking that he considered the keeping of the Sabbath Day holy (or wholly) was one of the great reasons why the Anglo-Saxon race had taken such a lead in the world's civilization. Arrived at the parsonage he was told that he was welcome to all the figs he wished— and they were truly delicious. Those large purple figs how he revelled in them; they certainly are the most delicious of any on the islands. He was 'invited in to lunch, and met the aged preacher and his amiable wife, and spent an hour in conversation that to him was most instructive. The old eentle- man had lived long on the islands, and he and his son and daughter had felt _,t their duty to go home and take part in the fhn" 7/-. T""',T" ^" *^'' '"^'- ^" ^''^ o^^^ ^\?e the parson had thought It advisable to marry again, and in the East had found a suitable mate to share his declining years. As fate would have it^ a second family^ of two, sprung up to add to their pleasures fZ7he m'et'" "°' ^^""^ ''' '"'"'^ °^ ^^^' '' '''' ^'''^'^''^^ On his way down the long, tedious road he communed with himself recalling the kindness of the mission family at Lahaina and that of the two at Wailuku, and of the close friendship whS had sprung up between himself and the preacher at the latter tT'rL u l'''''^J "^vitations to him to come again when pass- ^S- ^^'^^'J'^i f ^^f "« class distinction of him in their Asso- ciation He felt that the thought he was harboring, that the rich made an incisive distinction between themselves and the poor laboring class, was erroneous. Was not the distinction purely mythical on his part? Was it not engendered from over- remaiks? He feared he himself was the originator of such a fancied distinction. He knew of the extrenfe hospitability of the planters between themselves, as he had noted the frequent rZ7f/'f/'^'''''''' °^ ^^^-^^'^"^^ '' tJ^^ plantation, and^con- cluded that they were somewhat right in being reserved in taking to their firesides people of whose antecedents they knew nothin' careful of them. Here indeed was a treat. What cared he for the men who looked down upon him on account of his poverty, and being a "shipped man," when he could have the company of such men as Tyndall, Lyell, Huxley, Darwin, Hugh Miller, and a host of other scientific writers, as well as of authors of works of fiction too numerous to mention? It put new life into him to look forward to the pleasant nights he would have in such company. The work was hard and the hours long, but neither as hard or long as he had been accustomed to in Kansas and California. The planter had a very valuable library, selected with good judgment by some one who knew what was necessary to keep in the country. Of works on the steam engine, chemistry, botany, political economy, history, geography, etc., etc., there was a plethora, besides a number of periodicals. This privilege of using the library was a gift which for once was appreciated to its fullest extent. It was like a shower of rain on a thirsty soil. Never in his life before could he comprehend so thoroughly what he found in books. Day by day he worked away at the mill, doing all kinds of work, from firing up, cleaning boiler tubes, cleaning the en- gine, skimming, drying sugar, feeding the mill or turning trash in the mill grounds in company with native men and women. Sometim.es he would be sent with the teams into the woods towards the rainy side of the island, for firewood, during which trips he learned much of the nature of the Hawaiian forests and of that part of the island. He saw the efifect of the pasturing of cattle amongst the large trees. They destroyed the dense Life in the Cane Fields of Hawaii. 49 tropical under-growtli which preserved the moisture, and in a few years large trees died. It could be but a matter of a few years when the windward slopes of Haleakala would be denuded, and this barrenness would affect the rainfall most injuriously to the balance of the islands. Sometimes the gang of teamsters would be placed under his charge, and he could not but notice with what reluctancy they obeyed his orders. He was of the same contracted class as themselves, even if he was a white man. Still he got the work out of them, and with a little tact succeeded in getting back early in the day with satisfactory loads. Little by little his employer came to lean on him for service of many kinds, and he was frequently on horse-back in all parts of the estate, either with a gang of men or carrying orders for changes to the different overseers. This gave him a great in- sight into cane at different stages of growth, and into the extent of the estate. He could see the absolute waste in the attempts to cultivate cane on parts which had proven valueless, and also he could discern the necessity for correctives and fertilizers to certain soils. In so broad an estate there must naturally be a variety of soils. To treat all alike, therefore, would be wasteful and reprehensible. Still this was exactly what was going on. Fortunate indeed was the planter, that prices of sugar ruled so high and wages were so low. Nature had done so much in sup- plying a rich soil, brilliant sunlight, and wind, and ample rain, if man only had the requisite knowledge to take advantage of those blessings. "Kansas" noted the errors made or permitted, and also made note of what he would have done if he was the owner. Of course it would be out of place for him to offer sug- gestions, but at times he did so when opportunity favored it, or when his opinion was asked. His employer told, at the table, that he had said "that 'Kansas' would either prove to be a jewel or a devil, and he proves to be a jewel !" His wife remarked that "Kansas" was a great reader. Her husband said, "i do not care how much he reads, as long as he does my Avork well, and I must say he is the only zvhite trash I have ever met who does well and quickly everything that is entrusted to his care. I sent him with the teams over into the forest for wood and he was back here in half a day, whereas any luna I ever sent before always managed to keep the boys and cattle away until night. He can build a stone wall as good as 50 The Master Planter, Portuguese Joe. Bob White says he knows as much of the prin- ciples of the steam engine as he does, and I guess he is right about that, although Bob is pretty handy when anything is broken down. I have an idea that the fellow could boil sugar. Old John has to go to Lahaina on the jury next week, and I have a notion to give 'Kansas' a show to see what he can do in that line." CHAPTER XIII SOME INTERESTING DETAILS OF PLANTATION WORK — THE EN- TRANCING HALEAKALA TRIP AND WHAT IT REVEALS. THE following week, when John was off to Lahaina, our hero was set at sugar boiling, although under the eye of the planter, who was himself a master hand. He got along famously, in fact he was surprised that there was so little in it. As the juice came in from the rollers he skimmed or rather strained it, for naturally much fungus which grows on all cane, came over as well as detritus of other descriptions. Judging by the taste and color of the juice, he could tell if acid prevailed in injurious percentage. In such case lime was applied, but great care was used in this respect, as the chemical action of the lime on the saccharine matter prevented crystallization to some extent, and also changed the nature of the product. When heat was applied in the container in which the juice was received it caused all extraneous matter to rise to the surface, from whence it was skimmed, and the heated juice was again strained before gomg into the first of the train of boiling pots. Here it was boiled and evaporated to a certain consistency, deter- mined by the saccharometer. and finally its proof density was determined by hand-testing. It was then conveyed to large tanks, which were probably 15 inches deep, and presented a large surface to the atmosphere, where it was allowed to crystallize, and from whence it was carried to the centrifugals. Patience, watchfulness, and prompt action to arrest the graining at the proper stage — that was all, excepting the prime necessity of keeping all the kettles scrupulously clean and free from fer- mentation. For two days the planter fumed and puffed about the mill, which was as much as he could endure, and the third day he was off to the port of Kahului, where his vessels lay at anchor. He said, "Now 'Kansas', be careful and do not burn that sugar, a strike is worth more than your year's wages !" and he departed leaving our hero in charge of the mill and all the men therein. 52 The Master Planter; or There was no sugar burned there, and if the planter had been a little more observing he would have noticed that the output was a little larger for the next three days. He had taken note of old John's watching for rat-eaten or borer-punctured cane, or that which had not reached its proper stage of ripeness, and set such aside to be either destroyed or ground together. He soon learned from the color of the juice, as well as the taste, the requisite weight of lime to use as a corrective to the acidity. By the saccharometer he discerned the difference in the density of the juices from dift'erent helds, and formed an opinion of the causes of the difference. He was too good a farmer not to know that sugar is made in the fields, and not by any chemical concoction in the mill. The essentiality of preserving the crop at the mill and curtailing all waste there was also very apparent. Where proper cultivation was used, and the cane kept clean, that is, stripped regularly of the older leaves within which the borer lays its eggs, and where the puncturing is done by it, the yield of juice was not only greater but its percentage of saccharine matter was much higher. Our hero reveled in the delights of every part of sugar culti- vation — the plowing, manuring, cultivating, stripping, and har- vesting the crop. The different stages of labor he went through, instead of being laborious, irksome and unpleasant were done by him with a cheerfulness and earnestness and watchfulness which could produce none other than an appreciation by his employer, and which would create a lasting impression on his part. The bracing climate of Makawao, and his care of his person, combined to ensure him good health, and he grew robust and tough in all his muscles. Frequent long and hard rides made him a good horseman, and every opportunity was taken by him to learn the geography of the island as far into the Koolau country as the district of Hana. Situated at such an elevation as he was, he had a continual view of West Maui and the beauti- ful villages along that range of mountains, together \\n\h their w^hitewashed mills and churches. It truly was one of the most beautiful landscapes to be found in any part of the world, with its variegated colors, the sea and the land, the light and shade, and the view into the great valleys. "Kansas" was not always confined to the plantation, and on more than one occasion had been detailed to travel with a party to Ulupalakua, a fine plantation owned by Capt. Makee, situated Life in the Cane Fields of Hawaii. 53 on the other shoulder of the great mountain. This was at an elevation from 1800 to 2500 feet above sea level, and where they were entirely dependent on the rainfall for their crop and for living purposes. The owner was truly one of nature's noblemen, and delighted in entertaining his neighbors or strangers from all parts of the world. He was very broad in his views and liberal to a degree. He was always pleased to have an opportunity to converse with men from whom he might possibly learn some- thing, and was no respecter of men's clothing. The first time "Kansas" was there the Captain noticed with what assiduity he cared for the horses, apparently being as solici- tous for their welfare as for himself. He, although anxious that the stock should have water, saw that they did not get much until they were cool enough from their journey, that it would not in- jure them. Then he took care that they had plenty of rich cane tops, and fed them himself. These little matters attracted the Captain's attention, and he took the first opportunity to get into conversation with our hero. Like all the old sea-dogs, he was addicted to an early cup of coffee, and seeking out "Kansas" he invited him to partake of coffee and johnny-cake with him. "Kansas" had climbed to Prospect Hill, a knoll planted to eucalyptus by the owner's directions, and from where a good view of Ulupalakua plantation and the vicinity was to be obtained. He was asked as to his opinion of the site for a plantation, and of the soil. The Captain was surprised to note the wealth of knowledge that this hostler had in regard to agricultural matters in general, and of the notice he had taken of the immediate sur- roundings. During the three days the party remained there the Captain, without any apparent neglect of his guests, sought as much as possible of "Kansas's" company. At other times, when he visited there, he was made as welcome as if he was one of the nabobs of the islands: and when Capt. Makee visited Makawao, he asked for "Kansas" and showed him every courtesy, to the astonish- ment of both his employer and the mechanics of the place. We will see in later chapters how this acquaintance ripened into friendship, and to the Captain's financial benefit. "Kansas" was frequently at Wailuku and Waihee, and renewed his acquaint- ance with those whom he had learned to appreciate in those villasfes. 54 The Master Planter; or At one time he was sent with a party to Haleakala, the huge mountain, 10,000 feet high, at the base of which his plantation was situated. The party consisted of a U. S. Geological Com- missioner, two islanders and the guide, a missionary's son, who lived well up the mountain and was familiar with the intricacies of the numerous trails which crossed and recrossed each other in a thousand directions. They started early in the day and at even- ing were at the summit. From this point the view is grand, all the islands of the group being in sight, the overhanging cloud effect entrancing the tourist and chaining him to the spot. The horses were quickly tethered, and a large lot of firewood collected from the scrubby growth of brittle shrubs which covers the surrounding country. After the sunlight had diminished the cold was intense, and the party bivouacked in a cave at a little distance below the summit. Hav- ing disposed of supper, the party grouped themselves about the fire at the entrance to the cave, when "volcanoes and their causes" were discussed. The Commissioner had traveled over Yucatan, Mexico and the southwestern States and Territories of the Union; had visited and followed the wonderful Colorado river from its source to its mouth in the Gulf of California, and had formed his theories of subterranean forces. He had visited Kilauea, ]Mauna Loa, Hualalai and Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii, and remarked on the peculiar absence of manv of the volcanic products found in other parts of the world. He reasoned on the difference between aa and pahochoe, forma- tions in the flows on Hav.'aii. Spoke of the rapidity with which these corroded, disintegrated and dissolved, and of their forming soil of the finest character in so short a period. Our hero was entranced with the conversation, and although it was his duty to "fire up" and care for the trembling horses, he was loth to leaA'-e the circle of discerning educated gentlemen long enough to properly attend to these. The Commissioner noted with what interest he listened to the conversation, and, as the fleas drove sleep from the eyes of the weary party, he continued the conversation on through the night. It w^as "a feast of reason and flow of soul" which needed no artificial stimulant to sustain. At dawn they were on top of the mountain watching for the coming of the glorious orb of day. This is one of the grandest sights it is in the power of man to obtain. The face of the earth Life in the Cane Fields of Haivaii. 55 was buried in cloud, excepting the pinnacle upon which the party stood. Presently the bright rays of the rising sun pierced the eastern horizon sufficiently to lighten up the whole upper surface of tile downy strata which covered mother earth, and then the brilliant disc seemed to burst from the shroud which enfolded it, and Sol, in all his glory, began his diurnal journey. Rising majes- tically, he appeared to draw up with him a large part of the downy strata he had cleft, which presently appeared to fall back to its place, as a saucer might adhere to a cup. The upper sur- faces of the clouds are by no means level, in fact present the appearance of an undulating country covered with snow. A slight breeze occurring cleared away the portion of clouds which covered the immense crater of Haleakala, and exposed to view what the Commissioner denominated the largest caldera known. He iised this term in contradistinction to volcano, in that a caldera may be described as a pit in which numerous vol- canic cones have been formed. The Commissioner purposed visiting the floor of the caldera, from which journey some of the party excused themselves, as the ascent therefrom would be more of a task than their weak lungs could stand. The atmosphere, at this elevation, is exceed- ingly rare, and some complained of nausea. It was arranged that our hero should accompany the Commis- sioner and another member of the party, the guide offering to take charge of the horses. The balance of the party proposed secur- ing some specimens of the silver sword (argyroxiphium Sand- zmcense), which is found only at this elevation. Flocks of wild goats also attracted their attention, and promised some good shooting. The party began the descent into the crater, and went with such Titan strides down the black scoriae of which the sides were com- posed, that they were soon on the floor. Many of what appeared to be sand-dunes from the top of the mountain were found to be craters, some of which were 500 feet in height. They wan- dered around some, and the feasibility of riding into the crater was discovered and the Commissioner determined to send for the horses and ride out on the Koolau side. Our hero proffered to go and bring the party, and leaving one canteen of water he commenced the ascent. He found that what took but a few minutes to descend required much longer time to ascend. The rarity of the atmosphere, which made exertion 56 The Master Planter; or difficult, the great heat of the sun, from which there was no shelter, and the ever-moving scoriae, made his task a hard one. However, Yankee grit "will get there," as the boys say, and he was soon on the siunmit. The party refused to go farther with the Commissioner, and taking the guide with them left our hero, with the water, provisions, and three horses. Riding round to the entrance of the opening, and leading the other horses and baggage, he finally reached the party on the floor. They now started for the windward side of the island, through the crater, and having reached the Kaupo gap at an elevation of 7600 feet, were forced to camp. The lack of water for the horses was the only drawback. There is a hole where water may be found at most seasons, but they were unable to discover it. Bright and early in the following morning they began the descent, and after riding through a most precipitous country arrived at the sea. Turning easterly they arrived at Hana long after night- fall, the whole party badly used up. The Commissioner kept up the interest in the ride by calling attention to the peculiar formation of the innumerable precipi- tous gulches which they crossed, the great tree-ferns with their weird and wonderful fronds. The sides of these gulches or ravines were densely covered with vegetation, over which climbed the ieie, wild nasturtiums, and convolvulus vines. Many moun- tain-apple trees were seen, peculiar in that their magenta blos- soms grew immediately from the trunk or large limbs rather than from the ends of branches. The small valleys in those ravines all appeared to have more or less signs of cultivation or of having been cultivated. Several native houses were passed, the inhabi- tants invariably inviting the travellers to rest and eat. At one house, newer than the others, they took lunch, the native prepar- ing chicken in a marvelously short time. Here the gentlemen submitted themselves to the operation of lomilomi, which they admitted was very restful. It is merely a kneading of the mus- cles by hands which are accustomed to the operation. At Hana the gentleman with the Commissioner decided that he could not undertake a return journey, and they agreed to return in a boat to Haiku. They directed "Kansas" to lead the horses back to Makawao, and he started away by the lower road through the Koolau country, arriving at Makawao after a two days' jour- ney of danger and difficulty. Crossing many of the streams was very risky at times, as those streams were subject to sudden rises Life in the Cane Fields of Hawaii. 57 of water, and there were no brids^es. He felt thankful for a safe return, and yet amply repaid for all his care and anxiety by the store of knowledge he had acquired, not only from the Commissioner and his companion, but from the knowledge of that well watered country, the sources of whose streams he had wit- nessed. He had also made the acquaintance of the Commissioner, which was not only renewed in a few days, but which in after years in Washington proved mutually agreeable. CHAPTER XIV PHASES OF PLANTATION LIFE — NATIVE LANGUAGE AND LORE — NATIVE DIVISIONS OF LAND DYESTUFFS USED BY THE HAWAIIANS. OUR man was sent, the boiling season being over for a time, into the fields with a gang of men to clear away the fields and prepare the rattoon or volunteer crop. The fields were run over with fire and all the superfluous leaves and weeds destroyed and the cane given a chance to again sprout. As this plantation was not under irrigation, and the cane was planted at different eleva- tions, some of it was ripe whilst other parts were just being planted. With a gang he undertook stripping, which is one of the hardest jobs on the plantation, not only on account of the ex- treme heat in the center of a field, but from the sharp serrated leaves of the cane whose edges cut like a saw and knife com- bined, when by accident the leaves are not properly grasped, or a jerk of the arm throws the back of the hand against a project- ing leaf. He worked as faithfully at this stripping as at any other work he had been set at, and soon found that by attacking a stalk systematically and grasping the leaves firmly from the base upward, they all came away freely. He saw the utility of the work, for the eggs of the borer could be seen in many a leaf stalk ready to be hatched and get in its deadly work on the cane. Also, the cane appeared to thrive better when the effete leaves were removed and the wind had an oppor- tunity to clear away the hairlike fungus which covered the stalk at the base of the leaves. The natives jeered him, and challenged him to race across the field. He found that he could not compete with some of the older hands, who were adepts at the work, and with one sweep could clean a stalk. Still he persevered and soon became quite quick at the work. The leaves, being stripped, were thrown in between the rows, and after the cane was cut fire was allowed to run over the field, cleaning it of all trash and vermin. In this our agriculturist felt that a great waste was committed, Life in the Cane Fields of Hazvaii. 59 for although the ashes was a very good complement to the soil and the fire a grand vermin exterminator, he contended that it v^ould pay well to carry all to a small valley and there make a great pile of compost against planting time. It was noticeable the rankness with which the cane grew in certain valleys where the rains were slow in percolating the soil, also on some slopes where the actinic rays of the sun could operate to best advantage. He frequently studied out what would be the difference in the total crop of this plantation if water could be obtained to put it all under irrigation. He had made frequent Sunday excursions into the woods, or wet country, on the wind- ward side of the island, and had crossed the innumerable valleys, both above and below, which lay between the plantation and the Hana district, and had noticed the loss of water in those ravines by percolation. He came to the conclusion that by tapping those streams at a good elevation water could be brought round to the leeward in supply only limited by the aqueduct, and probably sufficient to irrigate ten times the land under cultivation, and make the aggregate product four times what it was. He kept his counsel against the future, but his Yankee brain was at work. He had now worked ten months on the plantation, and felt competent to fill any position. He had very little company on the ranch among the employees, as the hands cared very little for the work or improvements in it. Still, some of them passed their evenings at his cottage, and made use of his numerous papers and magazines. Whenever any fancied improvement could be made he had made note of it in a m.emorandum book carried for that purpose, a custom which he had pursued for many years. He believed in nailing a passing thought, and in enlarging upon it when writing up his daily journal. When he heard a new word amongst the native hands he invariably looked it up in his dic- tionary, and this course improved his knowledge of the vernacu- lar in a remarkable degree, and in after years proved of great value to him. The native language was the medium of conversation between the Chinese and other laborers, and a perfect knowledge of it was necessary. He had systematically and diligently studied it from the time he first met the preacher at Wailuku. He had procured a phrase book, a grammar, and a Hawaiian-English English- Hawaiian dictionary, and being acquainted with the Spanish and French languages he easily acquired the proper pronunciation. 60 The Master Planter; or Still he always felt that he had learned more from the New Testa- ment, which was printed in parallel columns of Hawaiian and English. It had been translated from the Greek direct, with which he was also familiar, by a master hand, and by the time he had read it through he was spoken of by the natives as one who spoke their language as fluently as they did. He often surprised the younger generation by using words with which they were not familiar. He learned many of the meles, or chants, from the elder Hawaiians, who had received them from those whose duty it was to learn and pass down the genealogies and history of chiefs by song and saga. He was surprised at the extent of the vocabularies of some of even the common laborers who went with him to the woods. They could tell the name of every tree, plant or weed that grew there. They could enumerate hundreds of kinds of fishes, some of which had different names at different ages. When it became bruited abroad that "Kansas" was a Ha- waiian scholar, his company was sought by some of the chiefs and kahunas, or doctor priests. At the house of a chief named Hikiau, who had been a warrior and favorite of Kamehameha, he frequently met some of the old-time people who freely discussed with him the arts and sciences of the ancient Hawaiians. They described their weapons of war, and from what woods made, and where those woods were ob- tained. Also the woods best adapted to the manufacture of culinary vessels and for the few agricultural implements re- quired. Their knowledge of the medicinal properties of certain herbs, and of the vegetable poisons, was quite extensive, of which he invariably made note. He was much surprised to note their knowledge of dyes and pigments used in dying their cloth and in painting their canoes, etc. To illustrate their knowledge of paints, his notes show that to make oil they expressed the kernels of the kukui nut by means of a lever. The residue was burned and the dense smoke arising therefromi was caught in an inverted calabash, from which came their fine lamp-black. In tatooing they used the green juice of the covering of the kukui, mixed with the pulverized carbonized shell of the same. This made an indelible black. For a yellow dye the turmeric root was used. Certain flow^ers were used to obtain the bright pinks and reds, although by no means lasting. Sepia from the squid was also used as a Life in the Cane Fields of Haivaii. 61 dye. To dye black they frequently steeped the kapa"' (made from the wauke) in taro patches, the oxide of iron therein contained giving them a permanent color. These discussions with the natives w^ere exceedingly inter- esting, and he seldom passed a Sunday afternoon without learning something of the wisdom of the natives. Their divisions of land were so peculiar that he made diligent study into the origin of title to real property, and even took the trouble to visit, in company with one acquainted, the crater of Haleakala to see what was the matrix from which the boundary lines of all the divisions of East Maui were ob- tained. It was a large flat stone, called Pohakupalahalaha, the cracks, natural or artificial, radiating fronn the center of which, on being extended, were held to be boundary lines for the different ahupuaas, as the divisions were called. It was a remarkably simple division, and as it had supernatural au- thority for its embellishment, was respected by all. Thus germinating at a single point in the center of the island, and widening out at the sea, there was given to each chief and his tribe a land which would supply all the simple necessaries of life. At the seafront he had his fishing rights ; a little above land suitable for cultivating taro and sweet potatoes ; then the woods for his yams, canoes and fuel ; farther up his indis- pensible ti land; then his hardwood land for weapons and domestic and agricultural implements ; then his grass land for thatching his house; and finally the land of the fragrant sandal-wood for barter. In the bordering ravines grew the bamboo, so useful for house building and for fishing purposes, as well as the wauke and olona.f from which he made his cloth, twine and nets. The ancient tenure of real property was very insecure and depended largely on the whim of the chiefs who, with their satellites, rode rough-shod over the common people. "Hemo oe," (you are out) if said by a chief would throw a man and his family onto the world fromi lands they had occupied for generations. The feudal system prevailed in all its severity * Kapa, a cloth (sometimes called tapa) made generally, from the inner bark of the wauke, a species of the mulberry. t Olona. a shrub, the bark of which when dressed resembles bleached hemp or flax, and is made into small cords. Olona is also the name of the cord itself. The name is also given to animal tendons or ligaments. 62 The Master Planter. and absoluteness. Of course all this was now changed since the Great Mahele, or division of lands under Kamehameha III. He called on all chiefs and commoners to bring in their proofs of ownership or of residence and cultivation, and give them up to him ; he then issued Royal Patents to such as made satisfactory proofs of title by prescription, they paying into the treasury a commutation and the cost of surveying. CHAPTER XV MORE HAWAIIAN LORE: LAND TENURE — TABU SYSTEM — PRIMITIVE TOOLS AND PATIENT LABOR — WHERE FELL THE CHIVALRY OF HAWAII. THE titles given at the Great Division of lands were allodial, that is, free from military burden and other service to an overlord or chief, excepting such taxes as the regular legislature might impose, the government, however, re- serving any minerals which might be discovered. To the chiefs were granted such ahupuaas or large divisions as they had inherited or possessed, excepting such lands as had or would be awarded to the common people within the peripheries thereof. ]\Iany chiefs induced their people to refrain from applying for lands, promising to allow them to live on them for ever. At the same time a law was passed that in event of the grantee and his heirs dying out, the small lands should not escheat to the government but to the owner of the ahupuaa in which they were situated. Islands were divided into districts, mokus, ahupuaas, ilis, kalanas, kuleanas and leles, and in Honolulu into house lots. Fishing rights were another peculiar feature of the ancient government, and many such remain to this day. A chief would claim a certain fish amongst all which frequented the waters opposite his land, and when the fisherman brought in his catch the konohiki, or agent of the chief, would insist on that one kind of fish as his perquisite. Otherwise the sea was open to all. Again the king took all the flotsam and jetsam which came to the coasts of any part, and whale bone or teeth was his especial perquisite. The tabu system was very onerous and burdensome on the people. A particular bird would be ordered to be tabued to the king, or a chief, and woe betide the bird-catcher who did not make returns of all such as was caught by the bird-lime 64 The Master Planter; or smeared on the trees by him. Women were not permitted to eat many things that it was proper for men — as pork, fish of some kinds, bananas, cocoanuts, etc. Of course, they did do so, but had to do it surreptitiously, and many were put to death when informed on by enemies. The men did most of the work of cultivating and prepar- ing the food, and in this respect differed from the Indians of North America. In fact, women, amongst the Hawaiians, stood on a higher plane than among other races. The origin of a distinction between chiefs and commoners was told to "Kansas" in this way, viz.: that originally all men were chiefs and some fell from their high estate and became vagabonds and servants or slaves amongst strangers, and mul- tiplied. This is the opposite of the white man's theory, viz. : that all were commoners, but by physical superiority some succeeded in getting their fellows down or to cause them- selves to be looked up to. The konohiki of the chief would ruthlessly take the poor man's pig or fowls without any thought of remuneration, and his taro would be sequestered whenever it pleased the chief or his satellites to take it. A man could never know what was his own, whether it was his wife or daughter, animal or product of his labor. Notwithstanding all the hardship which the people endured and the absolutism under which they lived, they throve and multiplied and probably would have kept on doing so but for the advent of the white man and the introduction by him of disease, rum, a superficial demand for luxuries, and the breaking up of their homies. When first the white man came he found the natives a hospi- table, friendly race, willing to be led to the right and respecting the superior wisdom of the stranger. They are still a hospitable, kindly people, who are in no ways malicious or vindictive. One of the phases of life amongst the ancient Hawaiians was their indefatigable perseverance and application in work- ing up tools, weapons, and culinary vessels from the hardest of woods with the simple instruments of stone which they had. A certain quality of flint was found on the higher eleva- tions on the mountains of Hawaii and Maui, which they deftly split and tied to the fork of a small branch of a tree and used as an adze. This was their main tool, and with it was ■ fashioned the remarkably symmetrical calabashes and canoes so largely used by them. In cutting down the im- Life in the Cane Fields of Haicoii. 65 mense trees from which their canoes were made, the labor, with such instrumients, was enormous. Stone axes and poi- pestles were, by these flint adzes, fashioned from hard vol- canic stones, as well as maika ''' stones, which they used in a favorite game. When an enemy conquered a part of an island and felt they could not hold it, they ruthlessly destroyed any fruit trees, as the cocoanut or breadfruit. This was an enormous task, but they would sit around the bole of the tree, as many as could get near it, and the incessant tunking at it with their blunt instruments would bring the monarch to the ground. As a sample of rude barbarism this is only excelled by the modern bombarding of cities and the destruction of the homes of non- combatants of our day. The canoes and calabashes, having been shaped by the rude tool, were finished by hand. Pumice stone from the volcano was used to rub down the inequalities left by the tool, and shark skin, and breadfruit leaves were used for the final polish. These calabashes were so symmetrically made, that although round bottom