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NATIVE HAWAIIAN FSHERMAN NEAR HILO
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HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
CHAPTERS FROM A BOY'S LIFE
IN THE ISLANDS IN THE
EARLY DAYS
BY
HENRY M. LYMAN, M. D.
WITH TWENTY-SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS AND TWO MAPS
CHICAGO
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1906




COPYRIGHT
A. C. MCCLURG & CO.
Io06
PUBLISHED MARCH 17, I906
I,
I I
rtt taktsfobe Iprelns
R. R. DONNELLEV & SONS COMPANY
CHICAGO




CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
PAGE
A New England Family a Century Ago —Studying for the
Ministry - Williams College and Andover Seminary - Zeal
for Missionary Work-Longing for "Afric's Burning Sands"
- Marriage of Two Kindred Souls -A Long Farewell-A
Doleful Wedding Journey -On Shipboard at New Bedford
-A Premature Putting to Sea -A Stormy and Uncomfortable Voyage-A Blasphemous Ship's-mate-In Port at Rio
de Janeiro-Around Cape Horn -Through the Pacific Seas
-In Honolulu Harbor-A Home in Heathen Lands.   I
CHAPTER II
Birth in a Bamboo Cottage - Earliest Recollections - An Unfortunate Start in Life- Trials and Discomforts of the Missionaries - Breaking up of Families - Saving their Children
from Contamination - "General Meeting" at Honolulu —
The Event of the Year - Distribution of Stores and Supplies
from Home- Communication between the Various Islands
- Horrors of Sea-trips in Native Vessels -A New Home
at Hilo....... 
CHAPTER III
Learning to Read the First Picture-book - The Bible at Four
Years Old - Stimulations to Piety and Scholarship - Methods of Parental Discipline —A Coasting Canoe-voyageA Mountain Expedition -First Sight of Mauna Kea -"-  Ned
the Bullock-hunter" -Shipwreck in the Surf-In our New
Home -A Hawaiian Boarding-school- Visits from Rovers
of the Sea.......        23, 




vi                    CONTENTS
CHAPTER IV
Voyage from Hilo to Honolulu -An Arid and Volcanic Country- Difficult Irrigation- An Adventurous Playmate- The
Royal Chapel at Honolulu - Preaching to Three Thousand
People - Native Princes and Princesses - The Return to
Hilo - Education Begun in Earnest - The Beach for a Play
Ground - An Important Episode - Commodore Wilkes and
his Exploring Expedition -An Observatory on the BeachThe Ascent of Mauna Loa - A Scientific Enthusiast in the
Crater of the Volcano -  Dinner on Shipboard - A Memorable Event - Beginnings of Civilization among the Natives 40
CHAPTER V
Splendors of Dawn in the Tropics - Hilo Village at Daylight
-A Country of Perpetual Spring -Hawaiian Table-fare
- Tropical Fruits - Diversions in Rainy Weather - Building a New   Church Edifice-Open-air Services for Five
Thousand People - Some Old-time Acquaintances - A
" Store " on the Island - The First Hawaiian Sugar-millSome Queer Specimens of Humanity - Material and Spiritual Foes....                                      57
CHAPTER VI
Road-making in the Island - Family Equestrianism - Excursions to the Interior -Visit to the Volcano Kilauea -Wonders of a Tropical Forest - A Night of Terror - Beside a
Lake of Fire - Descent into the Crater - In the Inferno
Back to Safety - The Rainbow Falls of Hawaii - Cocoanut
Island - Learning to be Amphibious - Dinner by the Sea
- An Elevated Play Ground -Whale-fisheries in the Harbor
-Remnants of a Vanished Industry.                   79
CHAPTER VII
A Strange Craft in our Harbor - Arrival of a U. S. FrigateSocial Visits -On Board a Forty-four-gun Man-of-War -




CONTENTS                             vii
The Smell of Powder - Distinguished Strangers in Port
-The King of the Islands and his Court - Primitive Medical Practice - The Tragedy of Death - Progress in Studies
- Beginning   English  Literature- Reading  under Difficulties........            99
CHAPTER VIII
More Visitors at Hilo - The Native Nobility of the Islands -
Advent of an Important Personage - Father Dole and his
Punahou School —Another Voyage to Honolulu -Scenes
and Incidents at Sea - Honolulu in i846- An Uninviting
City - Old Scenes Revisited...            I 14
CHAPTER IX
School-days at Punahou - An Old-fashioned Scholar and
Teacher - The Schoolroom and the Farm - Daily Routine
of Work and Play - By the Evening Lamp - Holiday
Excursions - Mountain-climbing - Sights and Incidents in
Honolulu - Sunday    Experiences - Services  at   Bethel
Chapel - Notables among the Congregation- The Wel-,
come School-vacation - Voyage Back to Hilo - Some Difficult  Navigation - Becalmed   at Sea- A     Tempestuous
Night - Home Again.....        27
CHAPTER X
Arrival of Notable Visitors to the Islands -A Berserk Explorer
-A    Distinguished Naval Officer-On Board a U. S.
Sloop-of-War - Voyage back to Honolulu - A Glorious
Spectacle- The Summit of Mauna Kea from      the SeaSchool-days Again-A Vacation-trip among the IslandsAn Experience with Sharks - A Whaleboat Excursion
- A Stormy Passage - Making the Shelter of a Coral Reef
-A Canoe Voyage - New Arrivals from Boston — Close
of School-A     Lovely Apparition- General Meeting at
Honolulu -  News from the Outer World...   44




viii                   CONTENTS
CHAPTER XI
Visitations to Outlying Villages - In Volcano-land -At Home
with the Natives —Their Happiness and ContentmentMissionary Work among Them - Religious Rites and Ceremonies-The Pastor and his Flock-Tobogganning on
Grassy Slopes-The Goddess of the Volcano-A Pestilence-bringing Ship - Ravages of the Disease - School-life
Suspended - Another Excursion to the Interior - A Tropical Storm - Bridging a Torrent with a Rope - A Glorious
Memory.                                               57
CHAPTER XII
A Newcomer to Honolulu-The U. S. Line-of-Battle Ship
Ohio - Experiences on Board - Trying to Get Under Way
-The Routine of Sailor-life on a Man-of-War-Work,
Ceremony, and Grog - Music and Prayers - Unlucky
Deserters- A Flogging on Deck - Preparing the Ship for
Action-An Impressive Spectacle - Man Overboard and
Rescue   -.                                              173
CHAPTER XIII
Changes in Honolulu - The California Gold-fever - Trouble
between Hawaii and France - Arrival of French Warvessels — Alarm in the Islands - A Bloodless VictorySome   Strange  Phenomena- Days of Darkness- Two
More Years of School-Studying the Flora of the Islands
- Wrecked on a Coral Reef- Fire on Shipboard - A
Choleric British General - An Astonishing Reception to
Distinguished Guests - Social Life in Honolulu - Mysteries
of the Dance.....86
CHAPTER XIV
Political Reorganization in Hawaii-Changes in Land-tenure
-Surveying the Island —Carrying a Surveyor's Chain



CONTENTS                              ix
-Field-work and its Compensations -The Ascent of Mauna
Kea - Night in a Mountain Cave - The World in a FogUpon the Snowy Summit-A Path over Glacier IceNearly 14,000 Feet above the Sea - Magnificence of the
View - The Hawaiian Yosemite - Over Half a Mile of
Waterfall - The Natives in their Mountain Wilds.. 203
CHAPTER XV
New Official Dignity - Appointment as Hawaiian Landsurveyor - At Work with a Party of Natives in the Field 
From the Seashore to Mauna Kea - Cutting a Path through
the Forest -Wonders of Nature     Bird-life  Pleasures and
Hardships of the Camp - Forest Fires - A Volcanic Eruption - An Appalling Spectacle - Back to Honolulu - Coming of the Small-pox- Vaccination of the Natives- A
Final Mountain Expedition - Ravages of the Volcano -
Hunting Wild Cattle - Death of the Monarch of the Herd 218
CHAPTER XVI
Departure for the United States - The Final Leave-taking -
On Shipboard for the Voyage around the Horn- Good-bye
to Hawaii-Our Ship       Quarters and   Companions- A
Motley Crew of Sailors - A Masterful Captain - Making
a New Main-mast - Crossing the Equator - Harpooning
Porpoises and Chasing Whales - A Week of Idle Calm -
Islands of the Southern Pacific- Visits Ashore - Heading
for the South Pole - Ships that Passed - The Genius of the
Polar Region - Tierra del Fuego-Rounding Cape Horn
-In Atlantic Waters.......           24
CHAPTER XVII
" There She Blows! "- A School of Sperm Whales - Boats
in Pursuit - Harpooning and Making Fast - Night-search
for a Missing Whale-boat - Two Whales Alongside -Ten



x                      CONTENTS
thousand-dollar Prizes - "Cutting in"    the  BlubberTrying out the Oil - Working Northward - The Coast of
Brazil  A "Blackbird Hunter" of the Seas-In the Gulf
Stream-An s Old-fashioned Northeaster "    Terrific Storm
at Sea- Montauk Point and Block Island - In New Bedford Harbor - On Shore in a Strange Land..261
INDEX......275




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
NATIVE HAWAIIAN FISHERMAN NEAR HILO             Frontispiece
Two NEW ENGLAND SCENES IDENTIFIED WITH THE EARLY
MISSIONARIES: OLD BUILDING AT WILLIAMS COLLEGE- OLD
MASSACHUSETTS HARBOR..                        6
MAP OF HAWAIIAN ISLANDS AND SKETCH-MAP OF THE ISLAND OF
HAWAII....                                    10
VIEW OF HILO, WITH VOLCANO IN THE BACKGROUND  NATIVE
HAWAIIAN VILLAGE...14.
TWO TYPICAL SCENES: VISTAS OF MOUNTAIN AND VALLEYALONG A NATIVE VILLAGE STREET....   30
VIEWS OF NATIVE VEGETATION: A CANE-BRAKE-ALONG A
HAWAIIAN ROADSIDE..                            38
THE LYMAN HOME AT HILO...             48
IN THE CRATER OF KILAUEA......    52
GROUP OF HAWAIIAN PALMS.60
ERUPTION IN THE CRATER OF MAUNA LOA-MAUNA LOA AND
THE CRATER OF KILAUEA..                           86
LAVA CHIMNEYS IN KILAUEA — RIVERS OF MOLTEN ROCK IN
KILAUEA.......   92
MISSION SEMINARY AT LAHAINALUNA...        I6
KAWAIAHAO CHURCH    PUNAHOU SCHOOL- HILO BOARDINGSCHOOL.....             24
xi




xii        LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PORTRAIT OF FATHER DAMON — BETHEL CHAPEL, HONOLULU   136
A  MISSIONARY ADDRESSING THE NATIVES- A MISSIONARY
PAYING PAROCHIAL VISITS...                  64
ABOVE THE CLOUDS-CLOUD SCENERY FROM A MOUNTAIN
To.........  210
OVERFLOW OF THE LAKE OF FIRE, KILAUEA... 230
MODERN VIEW OF HILO.....               242




HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
CHAPTER I
A New England Family a Century Ago- Studyingfor the Ministry - Williams College and Andover Seminary - Zeal for
Missionary Work-Longing for  Afric's Burning Sands"
-Marriage of Two Kindred Souls -  Long FarewellA Doleful Wedding Journey - On Shipboard at New Bedford- A Premature Putting to Sea - A Stormy and Uncomfortable Voyage - A Blasphemous Ship's-mate - In Port at
Rio de Janeiro - Around Cape Horn - Through the Pacific
Seas -In Honolulu Harbor - A Home in Heathen Lands.
EARLY in the last century there lived in a small
farming community in Connecticut a family of the
name of Lyman. Of the nine children, the oldest,
my father, was early set apart by his parents for the
ministry of the gospel; and their slender resources
were carefully husbanded in order that he, the chosen
one, might be thoroughly educated for the church.
After his graduation at Williams College in Massachusetts, in 1828, he was sent to study theology at
the famous Seminary at Andover. It was a time of
great religious fervor in New England, and the flames
of piety and asceticism were kept at a white heat on
Chapel Hill. The numerous students were consumed
with zeal, and many of them were longing to lay down
I




2


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


their lives on "Afric's burning sands," or any other
uncomfortable place to which their duty might call
them. The American Board of Commissioners for
Foreign Missions had its headquarters in Boston, only
twenty miles away; and it was a part of the duty
of its officers to supply fuel with which to sustain the
ardor of missionary enterprise among the youthful
theologians.
While my father was in his senior year at Andover,
he accepted an appointment to the mission at the
Hawaiian Islands —or Sandwich Islands, as they were
then more commonly called; it being the desire of the
Board to send large reenforcements of missionaries there
during the Winter of 1831-32. It was a part of the
plans of the Board that only married men should be
sent as missionaries; and thus the subject of matrimony
was brought up in a very practical way. About this
time, my mother, Miss Sarah Joiner, left her Vermont
home for a short visit to relatives in Boston. Of a
bright and ardent temperament, the religious and other
privileges which she enjoyed at the metropolis exercised
and exalted her whole soul. She attended the annual
meeting of the Board of Foreign Missions, and was
profoundly affected by all she saw and heard. It was
indeed a memorable occasion for her, for it shaped the
course of her whole future life. This was the period
of repressed energy and enthusiasm in New England,
before the day of vast industrial and railway enterprises,
and the opening to settlement of the great Western territories, when there was scarcely any outlet for the energies of young people except through church work




A LONG FAREWELL


3


and religious extension in foreign lands. My mother's
overpowering religious fervor, combined with circumstances which led to an acquaintance with my father
and profound sympathy with the plans and purposes
of his life, caused her to accept joyfully the lot of a
missionary's wife.
One stormy evening in November, 1831, David
B. Lyman and Sarah Joiner were married in the village
church of Royalton, Vermont. It was known that the
young couple were to embark immediately with a company of missionaries bound for the Sandwich Islands;
and the unusual circumstances caused almost the entire
population of the village to be present at the marriage
ceremony. It seemed a funeral rather than a wedding,
for in those days it was understood that a foreign missionary was very unlikely ever to return to his native
land. Was it not set down in Holy Writ, that " No
man having put his hand to the plough, and looking
back, is fit for the kingdom of God"? That settled
the whole question. The snow-flakes flew, the winds
of Winter wept and wailed among the branches of the
maples and elms, as the muddy stage-coach rolled up
to the door at two o'clock in the morning, and
bore away the young couple from the home and the
friends who gave up that sweet bride.  Farewell,
farewell, father, mother, sister, brothers dear! A long
farewell indeed! for they were never to meet on earth
again.
The second day of this mournful wedding journey
brought the travellers to Boston, where they were
joined by eight other newly married couples, all bound




4


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


on the same errand to the heathen Sandwich Islanders.
They were to sail one week later, from New Bedford, where a little whaleship of some three hundred
and fifty tons burthen had been engaged to carry them
to Honolulu. Another wearisome stage-ride took
them to their port of departure, where they were
greeted with the information that they had come too
soon, and that the ship would not be ready in less than
a week or ten days.
This delay was 'by no means a misfortune, for it
gave the homesick young women a chance to dry their
eyes and have a little rest before embarking on the
deep. At last, however, the day of departure arrived,
and at an early hour the missionary band was mustered
upon the deck of the ship. A fervent prayer for fair
weather and favoring gales was uttered by the representative of the American Board, who had accompanied
them from Boston; Captain Swain came from the custom house with his sailing-papers; the mooring-cables
were cast off, and the ship was hauled out into' the
stream. It had been the intention of the commander
to run down into the outer harbor, and, casting anchor
there, to complete his preparations for going to sea;
for the ship was yet far from being ready to leave
port.  But it was one of the most delightful days of
the Indian Summer - the twenty-sixth of November.
So, as the owner of the ship, who had accompanied
the party down the bay, got into his boat to return
to the city, he called out to the captain:
"Well, Swain, it's so pleasant I guess you'd better
keep right on and run out to sea."




AN UNCOMFORTABLE VOYAGE


5


"Very well, sir!" replied the officer; and, crowding on all sail, away went the good ship Averick, and
was soon out of sight.
The order of the ship-owner proved to have been
ill-considered. The deck was covered with sea-stores
that had been received only at the last moment; the
cabin was filled with coils of rope and miscellaneous
articles thrown in from above, to make room on deck
for more. From early morning till the going down of
the sun, my father worked to make a path for my
mother from the companion-way to their state-room.
That night, all the storms of heaven were let loose
upon the devoted craft, and for two weeks the little
ship was at the mercy of the winds. Away into the sea
went the hen-coops, together with the fresh provisions
that had been left on deck; and the sailors thought
themselves lucky in not being washed overboard too.
It was about fifteen days before the tempest abated
sufficiently to allow of clearing out the cabin and putting
the ship in order. During that horrible fortnight, the
poor women were penned up in their state-rooms, while
it was with difficulty and danger that their husbands crawled over the piles of stuff in the cabin.
Immediately in front of the steps that came down from
the deck stood an open tub of butter and a bucket of
tar, both of which had become immovably wedged into
the passageway. The chief mate of the ship —one of
those blasphemous sea-dogs who were then in great
repute on Cape Cod and in foreign waters -whenever
he came below, would invariably plant one foot in the
butter-tub and the other in the tar-bucket, and, thus




b


6-       HAWAIIAN      YESTERDAYS
established, would stand, shaking his fists, and pouring
forth volley after volley of maledictions against all missionaries and their works, until His Satanic Majesty
must have been thoroughly satisfied with the ardor
of this his faithful servant. Only after the lapse of
two entire weeks, when the gale had blown the ship
half-way across the Atlantic Ocean into warmer weather
and more quiet seas, were means found to clear the
cabin floor, and to muzzle the imprecations of the
chief mate.
When, finally, it became possible to ascertain the
condition of the ship, it was discovered that one of her
lower masts had been sprung, or partly broken, in the
gale; so the captain decided, though the weather was
now warm and pleasant, to steer for Rio de Janeiro,
where a new mast could be procured, before venturing
upon the perilous passage around Cape Horn. For my
poor mother, this was a fortunate circumstance. During the tempest, and for a week longer, she had been
compelled to remain in her berth, not merely seasick,
but ill with a raging fever. It was not until they
had entered the tropics that she recovered sufficiently
to come on deck.
In the month of January, I832, the Averick sailed
into the magnificent bay of Rio de Janeiro. The passengers were variously accommodated on shore, and
my parents had the good fortune to be invited to make
their home in the family of an Englishman-a man
named Kerr, if I rightly remember my mother's narrative. This gentleman owned a villa overlooking the
bay of Botos Fogos, about two miles from the city; and




OLD BUILDING AT WIIIJAS  OLEG
a~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OLD3C, MA~rllftSSACHUSETTSB~S HARBORI:
TWVlO NJEW ENGLAND SCENES IDENTrF'IED 'W'ITH THIiE EARLYr MISIONC)ARIES.......~ ~ ~ ~ ~~" 1~..~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~a...i








AT RIO DE JANEIRO


7


the usual mode of transit between the two places was
in boats that were rowed by negroes, who stood facing
the bow and pushing the oars, instead of sitting on the
thwarts and pulling like white oarsmen. But this was
only one of the many things that to our northern voyagers were new and strange in this tropical, Roman
Catholic, negro-inhabited country. Those of the party
who were in good health passed all their time in
exploration of the city, in which they found many
objects delightful to the eye and to the mind, and also
much that stirred their righteous souls with compassion and indignation. My mother, however, saw very
little of the place, since it was deemed best that she
should not be exposed to the heat of the sun during
convalescence from the violent fever through which
she had passed. But she was never weary of the
lovely view of the bay, with its forts and islands and
neighboring mountains looking down into the waves
that sparkled in the sunshine, revealing a world of
movement and life as the tall ships came and went by
the way of the narrow channel through which the
waters of that sheltered haven were united with the
tides of the illimitable ocean outside.
About two weeks were consumed in needful repairs, and then the voyage was resumed. It was long
and tedious, but without further calamity or marked
adventure.  The cabin was much more comfortable
than it had been at the start from New Bedford. This
time the pig-pens and hen-coops were not washed overboard,- at least not before their occupants had been
consumed by the hungry passengers. There was great




CHAPTER II


Birth in a Bamboo Cottage - Earliest Recollections - An Unfortunate Start in Life -  rials and Discomforts of the Missionaries - Breaking up of Families - Saving their Children
from Contamination-" General Meeting" at Honolulu- The
Event of the Year - Distribution of Stores and Supplies from
Home - Communication between the Various Islands - Horrors of Sea-trips in Native Vessels - A New Home at Hilo.
I WAS born in my father's bamboo cottage, in Hilo,
at half-past eleven o'clock A. M., November 26,
1835.   My earliest recollections are enshrined in a
baby-wagon. I remember lying in a little wooden box
that served as the body of the cart, which was supported on four srhall discs that had been somehow
carved out of a wooden plank as substitutes for wheels.
A plain wooden tongue, or handle, projected in front,
like a ship's bowsprit; while locomotion was effected
by the efforts of a native Hawaiian boy, who had been
taught to curb his natural propensities, and to pace
soberly through the paths of the little garden, dragging after him the wonderful vehicle that bore me and
my fortunes. Sometimes, however, when my father and
mother were out of sight, far removed at their work
in the great thatched schoolhouse, the copper-colored
young barbarian would quicken his steps, rushing
rapidly around dangerous corners among the flowerbeds, until I was jolted into a condition of wailing
IO0




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EARLIEST RECOLLECTIONS


II


terror, or perhaps even cast out high and dry, like a
shipwrecked mariner flung helpless upon a desert isle.
These incidents must have occurred while I was very
young, as I was quite unable to enter any form of complaint with my mother, who evidently knew nothing
of these antics on the part of my "bearer," for in the
presence of the foreign saints, nothing could be more
circumspect than the painful care with which he paraded
himself and his charge.
Another reason for referring these reminiscences
to the above-mentioned date lies in the fact that,
though I was unable to formulate any specific charges
against my custodian, —indeed, hardly conceiving of
such treatment as anything out of the ordinary course
of nature, but rather as something to be accepted and
endured, like the daily rite of ablution and other more or
less disagreeable experiences,-I was already acquainted
with the names of certain familiar objects. Lying on
my back, cushioned on a little pillow in the babywagon, I was from time to time aware of long halts
beneath a vast and spreading shade, agreeably cool and
delightfully verdant, seamed and gashed with numberless apertures, through which was visible the deep and
vivid blue of the canopy that I afterwards learned to
know as the sky. This umbrageous shelter I recognized by name as a tree. Evidently I was in the path
of verbal acquisition, soon to arrive at the full power
of articulate and sufficient speech.
I have just now spoken of lying on my back while in
the enjoyment of the above-described mode of transit.
I do not remember any other attitude in connection with




I 2      HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
those early exercises. Unlike the sturdy moon-faced
Yankee infants, erect in their gorgeous cars, who now
advance impetuously against me around every corner
as I peacefully endeavor to promenade the up-town
streets and boulevards, my early carriage-riding was
conducted in a manner far from aggressive. My
mother has told me that during the first two years of
life I was sickly and feeble, —sometimes, indeed,
hardly expected to live. And hereby hangs a tale that
requires a deeper stirring of the memories of the past.
When the early missionaries of my father's time
embarked for heathen shores, it was the universal understanding that they went for life. No return was at
all probable, unless failure of health should render their
labor useless. And, in fact, there were few men or
women who, having once made a voyage of six months
round Cape Horn, would ever care to repeat that
experience. But this was not the root of the matter.
It was expected that the devoted missionary, arrived
at the scene of his future labors, should house himself
in a dwelling of aboriginal construction, and should, so
far as possible, nourish himself and his family with the
native provisions of the country in which he abode.
Thus cast out upon the remote Hawaiian Islands, the
pioneer missionaries found themselves compelled to
seek shelter in straw huts, without floors or glazed
windows or proper ventilation. The native food, though
abundant, was coarse and ill adapted to the adequate
nourishment of refined and educated men and women.
Flour, butter, sugar, and delicacies of every kind, were
brought from Boston round Cape Horn, and exposed




AN UNFORTUNATE START


I3


for at least six months, in the hold of a ship, to the
attacks of worms, weevils, and similar vermin, before
reaching their destination. Eggs were a great rarity;
milk and fresh butter were luxuries whose use had
been almost forgotten. Under these unfavorable circumstances, in an enervating climate, flooded by an
annual rainfall of a hundred and fifty inches, depressed
by homesickness, half-starved, and overwhelmed with
grief at the loss of a child, her first-born son, it is not
strange that my mother's health gave way, and that I,
who came into the world during this unfavorable
period, had to suffer in my own person the consequences of the abnormal life that my parents were
living.
Fortunately for me and my parents, as well as for
the other families at the out-stations of the Hawaiian
mission, the managers in Boston at length awoke to a
comprehension of the fact that it was very poor economy
thus to send educated and capable men and women to
inevitable disability and premature death. So they
despatched a physician to each one of the principal
islands, and also expedited lumber and other materials
needed for the comfortable housing of their missionaries. In this way my father's predecessor, the Rev.
Joseph Goodrich, had been provided with a neat little
two-storied wooden house, painted red, and famed all
over the islands as the perfect reproduction of a New
England farm-house. Shortly after my birth, all the
necessary lumber and hardware having been received
from Boston, a one-story cottage of approved Cape
Cod pattern was erected for my parents, on a site a few




14      HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
rods nearer the shore than the other mission-house.
Into this small but comfortable dwelling my father removed his household goods; and here my mother
began the task of renewing her shattered health and
creating a home for her family. This was the place
with which my earliest recollections were connected;
and it was in the little garden in front of the house
that I took the air in my home-made baby-cart.
Here were passed the first three years of my life,
during which occurred various events, of which
only a few were impressed upon my memory with
sufficient force to survive through all the subsequent
years.
But before the dawn of recollection-before my
birth, in fact-many changes had taken place at the
Hilo missionary station. Its original occupants had
been assigned to other stations, and had removed to
other islands. Mr. Goodrich's family had increased
and multiplied to a degree that rendered it expedient
for him to seek opportunities for the education of his
children in the home-country. The experience of
the Tahitian missionaries convinced the members
of the Hawaiian mission that it was not safe to permit
their children to grow up exposed to the coarse influences of the wild inhabitants of the islands. The little
ones were therefore kept as far as possible away from
the natives, and were on no account permitted to learn
their language; on one occasion, as I find from my
mother's journal, she was in great distress at finding
that I understood the meaning of her order to a native
servant to close the door. The only way of escaping




VIEW OF HILO, WITH VOLCANO IN THE BACKGROUND
I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ii | II
OF IIN0I 
I  ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~................ ---- -IFRMOLD WOODCUTS
Of
I l I l I I l l  1                   1~




0
I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
o~~~~~~~




BREAKING UP OF FAMILIES


I5


these evils, during the early days of missionary work,
was to send the children to their relatives in America.
In several instances this had been done when the
unfortunates were not more than seven or eight years
old.  But the trials of the parents, confiding their darlings to the care of rough sea-captains for a voyage of
six months, —little girls, even, having been thus sent
without mother or female companion,- were too painful to be repeated. Torn shrieking from their mothers'
arms, the wailing infants were hurried away, around
Cape Horn, and sent to live among strangers, in order
to preserve them from contaminating contact with the
Hawaiians. Their souls were saved, no doubt; they
were safely handed over to their American kindred,
and put in the way of getting a Christian education,
- but at what an expense of feeling! The poor
mothers' hearts were simply broken, and there was no
more to be said about it. Missionary martyrs, they
laid their all upon the altar; and what difference would
it make whether life went out with one pang more or
less before the last vital spark was quenched? But
human nature did finally assert itself, and it was decided that no more such heart-rending separations
should occur. Accordingly, when Mr. Goodrich's
family was well on the way to overflowing the little
red farm-house, his ecclesiastical brethren, in General
Meeting of the Mission assembled, gave him leave to
surrender his station to my newly arrived father, and
to sail with his flock to the old home in America.
Just at this time there arrived at Honolulu a little
ship, no larger than the Averick, full-freighted with




I6   HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


a new reenforcement of missionaries from Boston,among them the Rev. Titus Coan and wife, people
with whom our lives in the Islands were to be somewhat closely associated. The Hawaiian Islands were
at that time almost the only field that was easily accessible to American missionaries; accordingly, they
were sent there in full force, until the native population was nearly as well provided with spiritual guides
as New England itself. This circumstance, together
with the isolation and leisure of the people, was chief
among the proximate causes of the remarkable religious
"awakening," as it was called, that began in the year
1837.
When the newcomers arrived, they found their
predecessors assembled in the General Meeting of
the Hawaiian Mission. This was the annual convention, held in May and June, at Honolulu, to which
place the missionaries were convoked from all parts of
the Islands.  So far as possible, they were accompanied by their wives and children, and were all
entertained by the resident families. This gave an
opportunity for the renewal of acquaintances and
friendship, and for the formation of new ties with the
more recently arrived brethren and sisters. The regular sessions were held daily in the mission schoolhouse, a small adobe building, furnished with wooden
benches, and a desk, precisely like an old-fashioned
Yankee schoolhouse. Here the veterans read long
reports of their labors during the previous year, and indulged in much serious discussion as to the best method
of circumventing the Adversary for twelve months




SUPPLIES FROM HOME


I7


to come. While the fathers thus aired their oratory,
the matrons sewed or dreamed, but never thought of
uttering a word, no matter how important in its bearing upon their own welfare the subject of debate might
be.. But after each session, at the long dinner-tables
and the tea-drinkings that gave opportunity for display
of the social side of these gatherings, the women were
not slow to express the workings of their bright and
active minds.
For the families that occupied the lonely outstations, where from one year's end to another no white
people except themselves, or at least none better than
degraded beach-combers, were ever seen, these annual meetings were the consolation of their lives.
During the five or six weeks of their progress there
was rest from the routine of saving heathen souls, and
opportunity for society with their own kind. Then
there were provisions to be selected from the supplies
that came each year from Boston; crockery to replace
the broken dishes; calicoes and chintzes to barter for
food with the natives; thread and. needles, buttons,
hooks and eyes, modest bombazines and alpacas, and
coarse cotton cloths, out of which to fashion raiment
for the rising family, - everything to be purchased for
a year ahead, and paid for out of a salary of four hundred and fifty or five hundred dollars a year. Hence
the time of General Meeting was a season of activity
and forethought. Alas for those who came late to the
annual distribution of supplies! Most of the clothing
furnished had been purchased in Boston from the unsalable residue of various slop-shops in that metropolis.




18   HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


But even thus advantageously procured, the garments
were not always sufficiently numerous to supply the
needs of all. On a certain occasion, the Reverend
Mr. Richards arrived from his station at Lahaina, only
in time to ascertain that the last vestige of clothing
had been distributed, leaving him literally "out in the
cold." This was a dreadful disappointment, for his
only pair of black trousers was in the last stage of disintegration; and in what other color could he appear
before the Lord as an honored and God-fearing ecclesiastic? His excellent wife came cheerfully to the
rescue, bringing forth from some hidden store an old
black satin skirt —trea:;ured memento of youthful
gaiety and worldly pleasure.  This long-discarded
article was now offered again upon the altar of sacrifice, and under the housewife's deft manipulation reappeared once more upon the stage of active life,
transformed into a suit of staid and sombre hue   a
thoroughly regulated specimen of a genuinely evangelical pattern. But alas for poor human nature! The
incident was eagerly caugkt up by the profane beachcombers of Honolulu, and all along the seacoast of
New England was recited the story of the luxury in
which the Hawaiian missionaries were living. "Why,
their clothes are made of nothing less expensive than
the costliest silks and satins!"
This same Mr. Richards was the hero of a baptismal ceremony that was not without its ludicrous side.
On a certain day, being engaged in his church baptizing the infant children of the native converts, a stalwart
couple advanced upon him, with a leather-lunged




A BAPTISM


19


pledge of affection borne in tne arms of the father.
"By what name shall this child be baptized?" asked
the pastor. " Beelzebub," promptly replied the coppercolored parent.  It was at that time the fashion
to select scriptural names for the rising generation;
but this choice could hardly be allowed. "Oh, no,"
said Mr. Richards, "that won't do. Beelzebub was
the prince of devils,-we must n't name any one after
him." The poor people seemed much cast down by
this declaration, and protested that no other name
would fit their first-born. "Why, yes," responded
their spiritual adviser, "there are plenty of good
names in the Holy Book, —Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
David, Jonathan,-any number of them."       But
the catalogue of Jewish worthies aroused no enthusiasm in the savage breast. At last, however, after
a season of profound meditation, interrupted by sundry grunts and nudgings on the part of the divider
of his joys, the face of the father cleared up like
the sky after a tropical shower, and he joyfully
announced that his son should be called Mikalikeke
(Mr. Richards), for that was certainly the name of a
good man. This perfectly truthful affirmation could
not be denied in open church, and accordingly, the
infant was at once made a Christian under the name
of "Mr. Richards."
To return to our General Meeting. Let us hope
that this time no one was too late for his share of the
good things that were going. As a matter of fact,
this June gathering, in the year 1835, was a season of
special rejoicing, for it witnessed the arrival of the




20   HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


new reenforcement, bringing the latest news, only six
months old, from homeland and from all the rest of
the world besides. The ladies of the mission felt a
chastened joy in welcoming these young wives, for
they wore upon their youthful forms the latest fashions in dress that were consistent with a holy life,fashions that would remain unchanged at least until
the arrival of the next reenforcement, some time in a
very indefinite future.
For these transcendent social delights, however, our
good fathers and mothers,- the mothers especially,had to pay very dearly through the discomfort to
which they were subjected in the voyages to and from
Honolulu. The outlying stations of the mission were
nearly all situated upon the other islands of the group,
at distances varying from seventy to two hundred and
fifty miles from the capital, the only means of communication being afforded by the occasional excursions of the little schooners that belonged to the king
or his chiefs. At one time, indeed, the authorities in
Boston provided a small ketch, or brigantine of some
sort, for the use of the mission; but the craft proved
to be unseaworthy. Such vessels as continued to ply
between the islands were manned by native seamen,
and were crowded and filthy beyond description. A
night in the stifling cabin of one of these boats, to say
nothing of the added horror of sea-sickness, was for a
delicate woman as exhausting as a long fit of illness. My
mother, in the first eight years of her bondage, made
several of these descents into purgatory; but from the
year I840 until the close of her life, only once (in




A NEW HOME AT HILO


21


853) could she be persuaded to repeat her experiences
of torment by undertaking the voyage to and from
General Meeting.
Having thus arrived in the midst of the missionary
assembly, it was not long before Mr. Coan's great
ability as a preacher won recognition. It was decided
that as soon as he could acquire a sufficient knowledge of the Hawaiian language he should take charge
of the Hilo church; while my father, who had had
some experience as a teacher in Connecticut, should
proceed to establish a high school at the Hilo station,
in which were to be combined the features of a boarding school and manual-training school.
These particulars having been duly arranged, my
parents embarked with Mr. and Mrs. Coan, and after
a voyage of fifteen days, touching at various island
ports as they sailed, the party arrived at Hilo, July
21, I835. The Coans at once began to keep house
in a single room, partitioned off with native mats, at
one end of the stone schoolhouse which had been
erected by the original pioneers at the station. My
parents occupied a portion of the building during the
construction of their wooden cottage. Early in the
year 1836 all the changes had been effected. Mr.
Goodrich had departed for America, leaving the little
red farm-house to be occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Coan
as long as they lived. Our new house stood a few
hundred feet nearer the shore; and in the space between the two houses, a large thatched building of
native construction was erected for the accommodation of the boarding-school. Its pupils numbered




22       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
thirty-five of the brightest Hawaiian boys, chosen from
the different primary schools over the whole island.
They lived in the big schoolhouse where they were
taught by my parents; but their mornings and evenings were spent in manual labor on a little farm near
by, where they raised the vegetables that formed the
greater part of their daily food.




CHAPTER III


Learning to Read the First Picture-book - The Bible at Four
Years Old- Stimulations to Piety and Scholarship-Methods
of Parental Discipline-A  Coasting Canoe-voyage -A
Mountain Expedition - First Sight of Mauna Kea — Ned
the Bullock-hunter"- Shipwreck in the Surf-In our New
Home-A Hawaiian Boarding-school- Visits from Rovers
of the Sea.
T   HE events I have already described of course
antedate my own recollections; they are given
chiefly from my mother's note-books, and from other
sources of family information. The earliest incidents
that made a permanent impression upon my childish
memory must have occurred when I was about two
years old. My first playmate and life-long friend,
T. M. C., whom I usually called by his middle name,
Munson, made his appearance in the little red parsonage on the twenty-seventh day of September, 1836;
but I remember nothing of him before I came to be
about three years old.  I was then learning to read;
and having one day become greatly delighted with the
progress that I was making in words of one syllable
illustrated with pictures, I climbed laboriously over
the low stone wall that divided my father's yard from
Mr. Coan's, bearing in triumph the little primer, that
I might show the wonderful book to my as yet entirely illiterate friend Munson. In the lonely life of
23




24      HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
infancy I depended wholly upon my mother for means
of amusement. She was in the habit of showing me
the pictures in Oliver Goldsmith's Natural History,
so that I was able to recognize the picture of every
animal before I could utter its name or talk intelligibly. I had thus become familiar with books, and
was impatient to understand their contents. My
mother has since told me that I used to follow her
around the house with a book in my hands, crying
continually, "Teach me to read!" She finally took
me at my word, and began to instruct me in the divine art. I must have made rapid progress, for upon
the fly-leaf of a little old-fashioned copy of the Bible,
still in my possession, is the following inscription, in
my mother's handwriting:
"On the day when he was four years old, Henry
began to read this Bible through in course."
This signified a lesson of at least one chapter every
day, which some time later was lengthened to three
chapters every week-day and five every Sunday, so as
to-complete the whole volume in one year,-a form
of religious exercise very much in vogue in those days.
My first schoolbook was a little pictorial primer,
the like of which I have never seen since. Among
other elaborate delineations of scriptural scenery was
a queer picture of Abraham preparing to offer Isaac;
and over this I often meditated profoundly. Isaac, of
course, appeared bound with ropes upon the altar; the
ram looked calmly out of a ragged bush in the corner, while past the ear of Abraham flew the angel,
with horizontal drapery trailing uncomfortably through




EXCURSIONS OF FANCY


25


the air. I could not comprehend the possibility of
aerial transit for such an angel, flight being denied to
ordinary mortals. But there was another picture that
seemed to give greater possibility to the idea of such
bird-like locomotion. It was entitled, "The Angel
Appearing to Daniel in the Lions' Den." Such splendid wings! —I was never tired of admiring them; and
my loftiest aspiration was that I too might in some way
be provided with similar plumage.
These angelic portraits, together with the Biblical
tales which I never tired of hearing from my mother's
lips, produced a very lively effect upon my imagination.
If angels actually existed,-and my oracle assured me
that such was the fact,-and if they traversed the
sky in bodies and flowing robes like those with which
the books had made me familiar, I could see no reason
why such beings might not appear to me as well as to
Daniel or Abraham or any other Old Testament patriarch. I often scanned the heavens, and lived in hopes
of beholding some bright celestial messenger winging
his flight from sky to earth.
But in spite of these lofty excursions of fancy, the
picture that gave me the most perfect satisfaction was a
woodcut which represented three little boys playing at
"see-saw" on a board placed across a log. Three little boys!-just the number that filled my world; for I
knew only two in all creation besides myself. This
picture, I doubted not, was intended to depict our trio.
The chubby urchin, high in air at the upper end of
the board, was myself; the second, who balanced
himself on his feet at the centre, must be Munson;




26   HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


and the third, who sat upon the lower end of the board,
could be no other than my infant brother Frederic.
This was the work of art with which I ascended the
stone wall to enliven the understanding of my friend
Munson; nor did I desist with the improvement
of his mind,  I gave my father no peace till I too
had a "see-saw" of my own.
But these scholastic joys were not always unalloyed.
I must have been rather idle at times, for on one occasion my mother gravely threatened to dip me under
water in the tank in the bath-house if I did not get my
lessons better. Despite my dread of this mode of
baptism, I was soon delinquent again, and punishment followed without delay. I well remember the
forlorn little. figure that I presented, standing naked,
dripping and sobbing, by my mother's side after immersion. Undoubtedly, she must have suffered more
than the culprit from the infliction of this penalty, for
she never repeated that form of punishment, no matter how great the offence. Dear mother! It was the
tenderest affection that made her treat me so. She
really thought I should forever burn in hell, if not
thoroughly quenched in water on earth. In those
days every one believed in the old proverb, "Spare the
rod, and spoil the child"; consequently I and my
younger brothers became well acquainted with the rod
of correction before we were five years old. The
flagellations we underwent were no trifling affairs,
though we all grew to be discriminating judges of the
difference between the strokes inflicted by the paternal
hand and. those that were given by our mother. In




PARENTAL DISCIPLINE


27


fact, we were sometimes bold enough, when begging
for a mitigation of sentence, to pray that she might be
the executioner instead of heavy-handed papa. On
one occasion, when six or seven years old, having been
doomed to a flogging, I was ordered into the garden,
myself to select an adequate mulberry stick for the
rod. This was adding insult to injury; so with my
little pocket-knife I made numerous subcortical incisions into the stalk of the twig, weakening the switch
to such a degree that with the first blow it fell harmlessly in pieces across my bare legs. But though I
had taken care to dance and howl most piteously in
counterfeit pain, the fraud was immediately recognized,
and I was straightway made to smart most genuinely
under the strokes of an infrangible rawhide ridingwhip.
These seasons of moral discipline were never undertaken in the heat of passion. We were always accused
and tried with perfect deliberation, and if guilty,
were sentenced to receive condign punishment, usually the next day. This delay added greatly to the
dread of execution, for the thought of a flogging in
future does not swell the joy of the passing moment.
Occasionally the sentence was forgotten by the busy
parent, or a day of unusually good behavior might
sometimes lead to a pardon and remission of the sentence; so that we always had those hopes to sustain.us
through a period of anticipation.  But generally the
domestic authorities were as inexorable as the Fates,
and we received in full measure what had been decreed
for our good.  I well remember the solemnities on




28       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
the occasion of my earliest lie.  I was then for the
first time formally introduced to George Washington
and his hatchet; and after due flagellation, while I
knelt beside her, my mother prayed, and made me
promise, as we wept together, that I would never,
never do so again. Such discipline was rather depressing to the spirits, but no doubt the moral effect was
far better than the result of the floggings that somewhat later enlivened my youthful comrades the W.'s.
There were four vivacious, laughter-loving little
rogues in the family; and whenever any one of them
was to be whipped, the others stood around in a circle
and roared with delight at the capering and yelling
of the culprit. The spectacle was far more amusing
than any dog-fight or cock-fight; but in justice
to those mirthful youngsters, it must be admitted
that their after-life was fully as righteous and successful as the lot of their more thoroughly chastened
companions.
But I am anticipating the order of events. I find
that during the first four years of my life only the
very extraordinary occurrences have left any permanent impression upon the tablets of my memory.
Thus, I remember a few incidents connected with
an expedition to the General Meeting at Honolulu in the Summer of 1838. Instead of going all the
way, as usual, by sea, we coasted the shore for thirty
miles in a large double canoe; then crossed the island
to visit Dr. and Mrs. Andrews at Kailua, whence we
took ship for Lahaina and Honolulu. Even at this
distance of time, I can distinctly recall the sensation




A CANOE-VOYAGE


29


of comfort with which I lay among the blankets on the
platform of the great canoe, watching the dusky crew
as they plied their paddles by the dim light of the
stars, until, rocked to sleep by the heaving of the
waves, I could see no more. Then, the next day,
crossing the Hawaiian uplands, I well remember our
quaint procession, winding among the trees and shrubs
that covered the rugged mountain-side.  In those
days there were few horses,- almost every one journeyed by sea, or on foot, and all burdens were carried
on the shoulders of men. As my mother could not
walk over the almost trackless mountain wastes, she
was conveyed in a manele,-a rude imitation of an
East Indian palanquin,-supported on the shoulders
of two stalwart natives.  Another equally vigorous
young fellow bore me astride of his neck, after the manner in which the little Hawaiian princes of the royal
family were carried by their bearers. My father followed on foot. I have not yet forgotten the delightful
exhilaration with which I enjoyed the novelty of
everything, from the strange foliage of the highland
shrubbery to the whiteness of the clouds that with
cooling shadows touched the peak of snowy Mauna
Kea, as they sailed the sky on the wind that blew from
the eastern sea.
At nightfall we reached the mountain-house of
"Ned the bullock-hunter." This worthy was said to
have been an escaped convict from Sydney, who had
found his way to Hawaii, where he pursued the wild
cattle among the mountains, above the upper border
of the black forest that covered the lower slopes of the




30       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
island. These cattle were the wild descendants of the
pair that was left, a hundred years before, by the famous
English discoverer, Vancouver. They had multiplied
prodigiously, overrunning the wilderness, until the
beach-combers discovered a source of gain in the sale
of their hides and tallow. This led to their indiscriminate slaughter, until the government found it necessary
to protect them by law, in order to prevent their utter
extermination.  But at the time of our visit the
business was in full swing, Ned's house was a large
native structure, thatched with mountain grass, floored
with mats, and provided with a wooden door of
dimensions more ample and convenient than those of
the ordinary Hawaiian dwelling. It was pleasantly
situated, just at the upper line of the forest that encircled the mountain, and was therefore at an elevation
of six or seven thousand feet above sea-level. With
broad forest-lands sloping toward the ocean on one
side, and with Mauna Kea towering upon the other to
the height of fourteen thousand feet, the climate was
deliciously cool and bracing. As the shades of night
closed about us, a bright wood-fire was kindled on
the earth floor in the centre of the house, and the
great hunting dogs-bullock-hounds — came in and
piled themselves in a heap beside the cheerful blaze.
In the early morning I was up and out of doors before
my parents were dressed, admiring those wonderful
dogs as they walked leisurely into the open air, yawning
and stretching themselves in tranquil preparation for
the experiences of another day. Such magnificent
creatures I had never seen before.




VISTAS OF MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY
ALONG A NATIVE VILLAGE STREET
TWO TYPICAL SCENES
OF~~~~~~~~~~~~O
A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1;8
TWO TTPICAL~~~~~~ns
~~~~i~~~~~~i~~~~~~l      O 
'"-*-:~~~~~~~~~~.~.~~.-,  ^I"~. I..




'4


7




FATE OF DOUGLAS                  31
It was near this place that the distinguished English
botanist, Douglas, lost his life. An intrepid explorer,
he first described and named the lofty pines and firs of
Oregon and British Columbia. Then, voyaging to
the Hawaiian Islands, he made an extensive collection
of the curious native plants. Ascending Mauna Kea,
and tarrying over night, as we did, at Ned's ranch, he
incautiously turned aside from the path to examine a
bullock-trap. Going too near, he fell in, and was
trampled to death by a furious bull which had himself
just fallen into the pit. The wild huntsmen drew up
the mangled body, and bore it reverently down the
mountain-side, a journey of two days, to my father's
house, where only a few days earlier the dead man had
been cordially entertained.
Of the remainder of our journey, I can recall
nothing; but, arrivedf at Kailua, I remember sitting
in church on Sunday, watching the crowded audience,
and wondering at the alternate appearances and disappearances of the preacher, as he rose up or sat down
in the high box-pulpit. The people in the gallery
were also a puzzle to me. As only their heads and
shoulders were visible above the solid front railing, it
seemed to me that they must be lying prone upon
the floor with their heads and arms projected beyond
the gallery shelf. Having reached this entirely scientific conclusion, I went quietly to sleep, and thus
enjoyed myself until the close of the service.
The condition of my mother's health was such that
my father left us all at Lahainaluna, in the care of one
of the missionary families, while he went on without




32       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
us to Honolulu. Looking out of the window one
morning, I spied under a shed by the side of the
house, feeding himself with fresh and fragrant grass in
a manger, a beautiful white horse- the first horse I
had ever seen. I at once recognized the animal from
his exact likeness to the pictures in my books, but
how much more splendid was the reality! My chief
pleasure from that time consisted in gazing at him
through the window, breathing in strange equine odors
from the stable, and admiring the graceful movements
of his neck and long white tail, as he gleefully whinnied
and snorted when any one came near his stall.
My only additional reminiscence connected with this
expedition deals with its termination. Our party had
arrived in Hilo Bay, and we were all seated upon the
platform of a big double canoe, paddling ashore from
the schooner which lay out in the harbor. A throng
of natives lined the beach, waiting to welcome their
returning teachers. Just as we were entering the surf
that rolled upon the sandy shore, through some accident the canoes suddenly filled and sank, leaving us
all sitting half submerged in the shallow water. With
a loud roar of Auwe! (" Oh, and alas!") the assembled
crowd rushed as one man into the waves and bore us
safely to the land. In the water the Hawaiians are
absolutely fearless. So soon as they can walk, little
babies are taken to bathe in the sea, and in a very
short time they are able to swim like porpoises. On
one occasion, about that date, a coasting vessel was
upset in a violent squall between the islands of Hawaii
and Maui. Though the nearest land was twenty




IN OUR NEW HOME


33


miles distant, the native crew and passengers boldly
struck out to swim ashore; and several of them did
actually come safe to land, after a day and a night in
the deep. Among these survivors of the wreck was a
woman who for several hours swam with her husband
upon her back; but the poor man died of cold and
fatigue, and had to be abandoned at last before the
coast was reached.
The next memorable event in my experience was
the removal of my father's family from the Cape Cod
cottage to the new home where my parents passed the
remainder of their lives. It was decided by the missionary council to enlarge the boarding-school which
was successfully growing under my father's care. He
was accordingly instructed to select a site where there
would be ample space for the erection of new buildings
for the accommodation of his family and for fifty
or sixty Hawaiian pupils. The houses were built
during the year 1839, on a gentle eminence nearly a
quarter of a mile farther from the shore than the other
mission-houses, and about the same distance from a
conical hill that rose behind our house nearly four
hundred feet above the level of the bay. This hill,
like two others standing in a row behind it, was a volcanic cone from whose still clearly defined crater had
issued in ancient times a flood of scoria which by its disintegration had formed the broad strip of fertile soil that
extended in a straight line to the shore, providing an
admirable situation for the missionary station and for
the-manual-labor school which was to be so largely dependent upon agriculture for the support of its pupils.




34       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
My recollection of the day of our removal is pretty
clear. I was, of course, much exhilarated, racing back
and forth over the narrow lane which had been cut
through the dense thicket of bushes that occupied the
space between our house and the parsonage of Mr.
Coan. The new dwelling was almost a reproduction
of our former habitation, though it had a larger and
steeper roof thatched with sugar-cane leaves after the
native fashion. About one hundred feet to the north
stood the schoolhouse,.a story and a half frame building, placed on a stone foundation and provided with
wooden floors and glass windows, but covered over
with native thatch. The lower floor was fitted up as
a schoolroom, and the upper story was divided with
mat partitions into little sleeping-rooms for the scholars.
Behind this principal edifice stood another building of
ordinary Hawaiian pattern, but furnished with glass
windows and substantial doors. This was the dininghall, or refectory, where the provisions were stored, and
where the pupils were taught to sit on wooden benches
around civilized tables, eating with knives and forks and
spoons instead of helping themselves with their fingers
alone. At a considerable distance in the rear was the
cook-house, —an ordinary native building,-in which
all the baking and boiling for the school was done
according to the usual Hawaiian methods. Besides
these structures, there was a small building designed
for an isolation hospital; also a sort of barn used as
a carpenter's shop and tool-house; and, somewhat later,
when my mother needed assistance in her own housekeeping, a little thatched cottage in which lived the




A HAWAIIAN BOARDING-SCHOOL 35
native couple who divided between themselves the
functions of cook and nursery-maid.
All the labor of housekeeping and care of the school
premises was performed under my father's direction
by the schoolboys themselves; they also cultivated
the adjacent farm, on which were raised the vegetables
that constituted the larger portion of their food. Animal food, in the shape of fish, pork, goat's flesh, and
in later years beef, was generally purchased from the
neighboring population. In this way nearly all of the
time out of school-hours was busily occupied. My
father always rose at four o'clock in the morning, and
spent an hour in bathing, shaving, and reading the
Hebrew Bible by lamplight. At five o'clock the
schoolboys were assembled for morning prayers; then,
as the tropical daylight dawned, their teacher led them
afield, where he directed their labors, planting and
weeding or harvesting the crop, until seven o'clock,
when all returned home to breakfast. From nine
o'clock till noon, they were united in the schoolroom.
The hours between twelve and two were devoted to
bathing and dinner. Then followed another session
in school till four o'clock. An evening hour of farmwork served to whet the appetite for supper, after
which meal indoor recreation and music filled up the
evening till nine o'clock, when all lights were extinguished and everybody went to sleep.
For a number of years my father was the only
teacher, though my mother usually gave the boys
lessons in writing and singing. She was a very sweet
singer, and perfectly familiar with all the current New




36       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
England church-music of that day. Under her instruction, the native boys became fairly good vocalists.
After a time a musical sea-captain presented her with
an old flute; and she very soon learned enough to
teach her pupils how to play on the instrument. The
young people took very kindly to this new form of
music, and began to make for themselves fifes and flutes
from the jointed reeds of the hollow bamboo. Gifts
of an accordion and a violoncello were utilized in the
same way; and before the lapse of many years my
parents had the satisfaction of hearing from their
scholars all the music that could be reasonably desired.
Our house, as we always styled the paternal residence, was a wooden building of one story, placed on
a stone foundation that surrounded a spacious cellar.
There were four rooms on the first floor,-a diningroom and a common sitting-room, and my mother's
bedroom, on the front side, looking out upon the
ocean. Behind our mother's room was a smaller bedroom for my little brother Fred and myself. Behind
the dining-room, opening out of a narrow passage
that contained the stairs, was a small room for the
storage of such articles as were used in barter with the
natives for provisions; in fact, it served for my father's
office and reception-room for such of the people as
came on secular business. In the rear of all was a
semi-detached kitchen, with an old-fashioned open
fireplace and an oven, all constructed out of rough
stones, bricks being then unknown in Hawaii. Upstairs were two attic bedchambers, with dormer windows, from which were visible the beautiful bay and




A MISSIONARY'S HOME


37


the blue ocean that filled the whole northeastern horizon. Toward the west and southwest the land rose
gradually behind the house; and when the weather
was pleasant we could see the entire outline of Mauna
Kea, rising in a glorious dome to an elevation of
fourteen thousand feet, at a distance of about twentyfive miles from our beach. Mauna Loa, rising to an
almost equal elevation, made a less imposing figure
upon the southwestern horizon, since its terminal
ridge was nearly twice as far away.
Thus placed in the midst of such magnificent scenery, our new home was by no means luxuriantly furnished. Every article was of the cheapest and plainest
description, though some of the woodwork, sawed out
of the beautiful Hawaiian koa, might have been very
ornamental had it been sufficiently polished. There
were a large arm-chair for my father, a rocking-chair
for my mother, a high-chair for the baby, and a lot
of red-painted kitchen chairs.  No carpets of any
kind covered the floors, no paper the plastered
walls, no blinds were at the windows -only some
plain white cotton sash-curtains. The sole decoration
consisted of a looking-glass with a'gilded frame that
hung in the dining-room, and a few coarsely colored
lithographic cards, representing incidents in the life of
Jesus, suspended on the walls in the bedrooms. Fortunately, my father had quite a number of booksthough mostly of a theological character; these were
kept in a bedroom closet until, in later years, when
the house was enlarged, they were finally arranged
upon spacious shelves in the new study.




38       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
Such was the home in which our little family of
four was now established, about the end of the year
1839 or early in 1840. Small and scantily provided
though it was, it became a cheerful and happy home.
My mother soon had it encircled with flowers, and
rows of trees (Pride of India) were planted in front
of the house and along the stone wall that surrounded
the boarding-school premises. Everything grew rapidly in that rainy climate, where leaves were always
green, and in less than ten years the trees had overshadowed all the buildings. Strangers who came to
the island were delighted with the beauty of the place
and with the charm of the scenery. But with such
visitors we were not often favored.  Hilo was not
then the place of resort for sailors that it afterward
became during the palmy days of the whale-fishery on
the northwest coast and in Behring's Sea. I remember, when about three years old, the unusual pleasure
of looking up from somewhere near the level of his
knee at the vast bulk of the Austrian traveller Loewenstein, who was on his way home from the exploration of Australia, carrying in his bosom the secret of
his discovery of gold on that continent. This eminent
personage did me the honor of shaking over my head
a bunch of keys which he had withdrawn from his
pocket for the purpose.  Only at long intervals of
time would some lonely whaler cast his anchor in the
quiet waters of our almost unknown harbor, seeking
recreation for a few days before sailing in pursuit of
the sperm-whale along the line of the Equator or near
the shores of Japan.  One such vigorous mariner I




A CANE-BRAKE
ALONG A HAWAIIAN ROADSIDE
VIEWS OF NATIVE VEGETATION




I~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




ROVERS OF THE SEA


39


once beheld, taking his ease in our rocking-chair; he
made an indelible impression upon my childish imagination, for he was a survivor of the wreck of the
Essex-an ill-fated whaleship which had been sunk
in the South Pacific Ocean by an infuriated spermwhale, only a few years before my birth.
Such were some of these rovers of the sea; but our
parents welcomed them kindly, for they generally
came from New England, and many of them were
very excellent people. But some were ruffianly fellows, scarcely above the level of pirates and buccaneers,
who made a deal of trouble among the unsophisticated
Hawaiians. The good missionary fathers were considerably chagrined when, later, they found their
hospitality repaid by the fabrication of imaginative
stories that found circulation in New Bedford and
along Cape Cod, describing minutely the luxury in
which the Hawaiian missionaries were living; how they
were clothed in silks and satins, and were gathering to
themselves houses and servants and great possessions.
But everything is relative; and I dare say that to a
worn-out old sea-dog, after six months of imprisonment among rats and cockroaches in the filthy forecastle of a nasty old-fashioned whaleship, any decent
habitation, no matter how poor, must have seemed
like a palace. Peace be with those ancient mariners!
They have gone the way of all the earth, and are
asleep with their fathers,- wherever that may be.




CHAPTER IV


Voyage from Hilo to Honolulu -An Arid and Volcanic Country
- Diffcult Irrigation - An Adventurous Playmate - The
Royal Chapel at Honolulu-Preaching to Three Thousand
People - Native Princes and Princesses - The Return to Hilo
- Education Begun in Earnest- The Beach for a Play
Ground- An Important Episode — Commodore Wilkes and
his Exploring Expedition -An Observatory on the Beach -
The Ascent of Mauna Loa - A Scientific Enthusiast in the
Crater of the Volcano - Dinner on Shipboard —  Memorable
Event- Beginnings of Civilization among the Natives.
THE removal of my father's school was scarcely
completed, when, early in the Summer of 1840,
the mission families embarked once more for the voyage
to Honolulu. To avoid the foul air of the cabin, my
mother was provided with a wide settee, firmly lashed
to the rail of the quarter-deck, and covered with a
tarpaulin awning. We were conveyed in a small rowboat to the schooner that lay at its anchorage, bobbing
up and down on the little waves. The deck was
covered with native passengers, squatting on their
mats in preparation for an amphibious voyage, as there
was no room for their accommodation below, nor
would they have desired it if offered. Night was
approaching, and the captain grew impatient to sail;
but Mr. Coan, economical of time as usual, still tarried
on shore. At the last moment, he appeared, beaming
40




VOYAGE TO HONOLULU


4I


and bland; and soon we were skimming before a favorable breeze, and were experiencing the first qualms of
sea-sickness. Next morning, fortunately, the sea was
very quiet, so that Munson and I were permitted to
scramble about on deck. What transcendent joy to
stand with our little arms just reaching above the low
rail, watching the sunlight as it danced on the waves,
and ever and anon trying to catch the end of a long
rope which had been left swinging loose from an
upper spar.
On the afternoon of the next day we arrived in
sight of Honolulu. According to the custom of the
time, a white flag was displayed at the fore-topmast
head, as a signal that missionaries were on board. We
were met on the wharf by Mr. Chamberlain, the storekeeper and secular agent of the mission, who carried
us in his wagon to his house, while Mr. Coan's family
was accommodated elsewhere among the friends with
whom they had voyaged from America. The sun was
setting as we unpacked our trunks and arranged all
things for the night in a little cottage that stood
among the trees in the garden. Here we abode during the month of General Meeting, though we had
our meals with the families that were crowded into
the larger house, the permanent dwelling, of our host.
I was dismally impressed by the aridity of the
country. The mission-houses formed a group by
themselves, a little way from the town, on a barren
plain between a lofty eminence, known as Punch-bowl
Hill, and the seashore. The Punch-bowl was an
extinct volcanic crater, quite circular, and deeply




42


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


hollowed at the centre; hence the resemblance which
had suggested the name to the early navigators who
poured out their libations at its foot, in the good old
days of heathenism, before the missionaries had made
an end of all that life was worth living for. The rim of
this crater was surmounted on its seaward side by a number of heavy cannon, and by a tall flagstaff from which
on gala days floated the banner of Hawaii. Behind
this imposing natural fortification the land rose rapidly,
sloping upwards into the central range of mountains
that formed the back-bone of the island. This lofty
crest had been deeply scarred by the lapse of time, so
that it now consisted of alternate ridges and deep broad
valleys through which coursed the streams formed by
the rainfall from the clouds that rested upon the highest
peaks. At the end of the white sand-beach, five or
six miles southeast of the town, another huge volcanic
crater, long since extinct, stood forth some seven hundred and fifty feet above the waves that rolled and
foamed at its base when the strong trade-wind made
music in the vast cocoanut grove that fringed the coast.
Away in the distance, on the opposite side of the town,
twenty miles across the plains of Ewa, beyond the
broad lagoon of Pearl River Harbor, the blue mountains of Waianae slept in the sunshine along the western
horizon. In every direction the outlines of the scenery
were exceedingly picturesque; but for me, who had
been always accustomed to the perennial verdure of
Hilo, the aridity of the landscape was almost painful.
The plain that skirted the shore was bare of vegetation,
excepting an occasional prickly-pear tree, or a bunch




AN ARID COUNTRY


43


of caltrops or of Mexican thistles. The missionhouses, built of dry, hard coral rock, or of sunburned
bricks - the adobe of the Californians -were surrounded by walls of the same material. Within these
gloomy enclosures, the effort to keep alive a few flowers
and a bit of shrubbery was difficult enough. Rain
seldom fell, except in the inland valleys and upon the
distant mountains; so that the only source of watersupply was found in the brackish wells that were sunk
in the yards of the houses. One of my principal
amusements consistedin watching the operations of a
servant who irrigated the desiccated garden. First, a
pail of water had to be poured down the throat of the
antiquated pump to make it suck. Then, a number
of extraordinarily vigorous strokes with the long
wooden pump-handle were needed to start the flow.
Finally, as the water rose to the surface, it was guided
through a series of wooden spouts and aqueducts to
the principal trees and plants, until the well ran dry.
Even so, vegetation did not flourish; the water was
too unfruitfully impregnated with lime and salt from
the underlying coral rock. Only the hibiscus trees,
indigenous to such soil, and a splendid night-blooming
cereus that covered with blossoms the entire garden
wall upon one side of the arid little paradise, could
thrive under such trying conditions,- typical, indeed,
of the mental and moral limitations within which the
insular population was confined.
But there were hours when all this aridity of earth
and sky was glorious indeed.. In the calm and cloudless air of the morning, as the dawn lighted up the




44       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
mountains and drove the shadows out of the valleys,
the level plains displayed a desert beauty that was all
their own. The purity and brightness of the atmosphere revealed every detail, from the clearly outlined
leaves of the humble plants rooted in the thirsty
soil, to the sharply defined tips of the peaks looking down from a height of four thousand feet above
the sea.
Occasionally, under the wing of my mother, I was
allowed to enter the Depository, as we called the storehouse in which were deposited the supplies that arrived
each year from Boston for the use of the missionaries.
These visits afforded much pleasure, though not unmingled with awe and apprehension lest I might
unawares touch and injure something in that precious
collection. The place was usually left to the care of
Asa, a tall young fellow of thirteen years, the eldest son
of Father Thurston, the missionary pioneer. There
was a door that opened directly out of the second story
into the air; and over it, from a protruding beam, hung
a rope and pulleys with which heavy freight was hoisted
into the building. One day, Hiram B., a boy of twelve,
came bustling among the stores in the upper loft, and
presently declared his intention of lowering himself by
the tackle to the earth below. Asa refused permission;
but Hiram was only the more determined to carry out
his design. Setting his feet on the lower pulley, he
swung himself out of the door. The unchecked rope,
of course, ran down at a furious rate, violently landing
the heedless boy on the ground, and hurting him considerably. Jumping to his feet, however, he limped




PREACHING TO THREE THOUSAND 45
away with a parting volley of reproaches for Asa, who
merely looked down from above with a grin of silent
derision. What surprises me as I recall this incident
is the utter lack of emotion with which I viewed the
transaction, as if it were something for which I could
entertain only a spectacular interest, devoid of indignation or fear or sympathy,-a mental attitude very
like the indifference we feel regarding the historical
events.of remote antiquity.
One drowsy afternoon I was taken to the great
Hawaiian church, the Royal Chapel, where Father
Bingham held forth in the presence of the king and his
chiefs and a vast concourse of the common people. The
edifice was an enormous structure, erected in the year
I829, during the first access of Christian fervor after
the conversion of the people. It was a hundred and
ninety-six feet long and sixty-three feet wide, and was
thatched all over with grass, so that it looked like a
monstrous haystack. The pulpit was placed on one
side, midway of the building; and the congregation,
some three thousand in number, squatted, native
fashion, on the floor. Dogs swarmed everywhere, in
spite of strenuous efforts on the part of numerous doorkeepers to keep them out of the sanctuary. Father
Bingham was gifted in prayer, having on one occasion
publicly addressed the throne of grace for an hour and
a half without intermission. This time he prayed only
forty minutes by my father's watch. How long he
preached, I know not; for my sleep was profound and
refreshing. I am confident, however, that we got
home before nightfall.




46       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
Before leaving Honolulu, we dined one day at the
Royal School, with Mr. and Mrs. Amos Cooke, to
whom had been recently confided the education of the
young princes and princesses of the royal family. The
school buildings were arranged in Spanish fashion
around a central courtyard in which was a well that
yielded water for a few exotic plants. There were fifteen or twenty of the young nobility there, from four
to ten years old; and they received me with great affability. One impetuous youth, Alexander Liholiho by
name,-in after years known as the Exalted and
Puissant Sovereign of Hawaii, - introduced me to his
rocking-horse, a magnificent Bucephalus, which he
rode furiously for my edification. Enraptured by this
truly royal splendor, I secretly resolved that certain
persons of my acquaintance should have no peace until
my play-room was equally well equipped. It required
numerous dissertations on the difference between kings
and common people, before my vaulting ambition could
be laid to rest.
General Meeting having been successfully ended,
we all returned to Hilo, very much as we came.
Touching at various stations along the coast, to leave
the different families at their homes, I remember several
landings and re-embarkations before the completion
of the voyage. In this way we visited, for a day, the
open roadstead of Hana, at the east end of Maul, where
the new mission-house and church towered above the
huts of the people in the shadow of a black-looking
hill. A more lonely and uninviting place for the home
of such an accomplished lady as the missionary's wife




THE RETURN TO HILO


47


could not have been found. She did, in fact, subsequently come near dying of heart-sickness; and the
family had to be removed to a more congenial environment, where some trace of civilization might be discovered.
At Lahaina, our party was delayed for two or tnree
days. My parents improved the time by renewing
acquaintance with the families at the station, while I
enjoyed infinite pleasure in sliding down hill on the
smooth inclined surface of a wooden hatch that covered
the outside steps leading down into the cellar of Mr.
Richards's house. So great was the enthusiasm with
which I engaged in this novel sport, that on revisiting
the place six years later one of my first inquiries was
for that enchanting slide. I could hardly believe my
senses when I found that it would not accommodate a
boy of my size, and that one source of pleasure, at
least, had been outgrown.
One of our evenings at Lahaina was spent in the
home of the Rev. E. W. Clark. His dwelling was at
the Seminary, on the hill above the town. I had a
splendid frolic, for there were four children in the
family, - Alvah, a big boy, eight years old; Ann
Eliza, a smiling maiden of six; Carrie, who was about
my own age; and another dear little girl in her third
Summer, Sarah, who in a white frock with low neck
and short sleeves was running round the tea-table and
creating in my mind considerable alarm lest she should
cause an avalanche of dishes upon the floor.
Our last stop before reaching home was at Mahukona, an unprotected anchorage at the north point of




48       HAWAIIAN      YESTERDAYS
the Island ot Hawaii. The schooner furled her sails
in the twilight, and we were rowed ashore to pass the
night in a large native house, only a few yards from
the water's edge. Such repose came as a great boon
to the seasick women of the party. Early in the
morning I hurried out where the receding tide had
bared the sand, revealing among the stones at the rude
landing-place numerous shining pools in which the
clear water rose and fell with the wash of the waves
outside. Busying myself with this exploration, there
came to me, running out of the house where we had
slept, a bewitching three-year-old toddler, dressed in
white, with curling locks all over her head, tripping
across the pebbly beach, and dipping her hand in the
salt water where strange shell-fish clung to the rocks
and shiny seaweeds grew. My heart was fast slipping
from my control, when a matronly voice sounded,
commanding my charmer's return to her place under
the wing of maternal affection. She vanished into the
darkness within, and I never saw her again.
The arrival at home marked an epoch of considerable importance in my life. With a perfectly healthy
little body and a mind enlarged by foreign travel, my
education now began in earnest. My parents, having
passed the period of experimentation, now proceeded
to impart instruction and discipline with an even hand.
The family life was thoroughly methodical, and everything moved like clock-work, as it must in the household of a school-teacher. So much improvement of
my mother's health had accrued from a daily morning
drive at Honolulu, that she decided to continue the




i
i
/3Ct:i




I




THE BEACH FOR A PLAYGROUND 49
practice of early exercise. With that end in view, we
rose at daylight, and whenever the weather was pleasant
we would sally forth for a walk before breakfast. In
those primitive days there was but one available road
-the path from the mission-houses to the seashore.
The other avenues of communication were mere footpaths through the grass, which at that hour was always
drenched with dew or rain. But the beach at low tide
presented a beautiful expanse of hard black sand,
forming an unbroken curve a mile in length along
the southern shore of the bay. The western extremity
of the beach was cut off by a ledge of black rocks,
where the lava from Mauna Loa had in former ages
been piled up against the base of Mauna Kea, which
here touched the sea. At the eastern end of the curve,
an equally ancient flow had pushed far out into the
waves, forming a long, low, rocky point, which created
and protected the harbor. For a number of years,
that mile of sand-beach was our principal playground
and place for athletic sport. My mother went no
more to General Meeting, but devoted herself to the
care of her children, whose constant companion and
instructor she remained so long as we tarried in the
nest at home.
But before we were fairly launched upon this course
of systematic training, our little community was stirred
to its foundation by an event of supreme interest to us
in our remote and tranquil sphere. One dark and
showery day in November, I840, a rakish little foreand-after came gliding into the harbor, and cast her
anchor under the shelter of Cocoanut Island, on the




50       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
eastern side of the bay. She flew the American flag,
and was evidently a craft of a character very different
from that of the wretched schooners that plied between
the island ports. After careful comparison with a
picture in one of my "Peter Parley" books, I pronounced her a Baltimore clipper. It was presently
announced that she was the schooner Flying Fish,
attached to the United States Exploring Expedition
then circumnavigating the globe, under the command
of Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, U. S. N. Commodore
Wilkes, as he was usually called, was at Honolulu with
the Vincennes. and other vessels connected with the
expedition; while the Flying Fish had been sent in
advance with the naturalists belonging to the party.
These gentlemen had landed on the opposite side of
the island, and they were now coming over on foot, to
rejoin the tender which awaited them in our harbor.
In a day or two they arrived, foot-sore and weary,Mr. Couthouy the conchologist, Mr. Pickering the
ethnologist, and Mr. J. D. Dana the geologist. They
had visited the volcano, and were full of enthusiasm
and excitement over what they had seen. Mr. Dana
passed an evening at our house before embarking on
the schooner. He was a slender, active young gentleman, completely absorbed in the accumulation of that
vast store of information which in after years made
him so famous in the scientific world. I listened with
rapt attention while he described the volcano of
Kilauea, over which from our windows was nightly
visible an enormous cloud of steam, illuminated like a
pillar of fire by the incandescent gases and molten lava




AN EXPLORING EXPEDITION


5i


in the crater beneath. He also told us wonderful tales
of the icebergs and islands in the Antarctic Ocean, and
of the cannibals at the Fijis, where he had seen a ferocious savage, in a canoe, calmly lunching off the arm
of a fellow-being, and quietly regarding the great ships
of the Papalangi, apparently considering how most
advantageously to replenish his larder from the human
livestock on board.
In the early morning, before the dawn of day, these
delightful voyagers sailed away, and we saw them no
more; but Munson and I were consoled by the announcement that in a few days Mr. Wilkes would visit
Hilo, and would remain for several weeks, surveying
the harbor and the volcano, and measuring the altitude of the mountains, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
For us, this was joyous news; and we daily scanned
the horizon in search of the promised squadron. It was
not, however, until December, that one morning, as
we were scampering at my mother's side, half-way to
the shore, for our usual run upon the beach, we
spied far out at sea a large full-rigged ship, evidently
making for the port. In a few minutes the whole village was alive, and every tall tree bore on its topmost
branch a copper-colored youth, shouting " Sail-ho! "
as loud as he could bawl. As the sun rose, the ship
flung out the glorious flag of America; and before
noon she was safely anchored in the very centre of
the harbor. We were soon informed that Commodore
Wilkes had arrived, in the Vincennes, but that the
remainder of his squadron had been sent to explore
the northwest coast of America and the mouth of the




52


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


Columbia River.   There, in fact, the Peacock, the
companion ship of the Vincennes, was shortly after
wrecked in the attempt to enter the river of Oregon.
Lieutenant Wilkes was a man of tireless energy,
and thoroughly devoted to his work; consequently we
saw very little of him. He was of small stature, with
brown hair, and a ruddy English complexion. He
was the naval officer who, twenty-one years later, during the Civil War, became so famous and popular as
the captor of Mason and Slidell. In the year 1840,
however, he was chiefly known as a superior mathematician, and one of the best executive officers in the
service. He seems also to have been endowed with
remarkable creative powers; having but recently, with
a single stroke of a pen upon his chart, called into existence an entire Antarctic continent. After an exploit
like that, the ordinary difficulties of an exploring expedition must have seemed insignificant trifles.
In a very few days, a number of temporary houses
and tents were erected near the beach, and a full corps
of observers was at work with divers instruments of
precision, to determine the solution of the different
problems in hand. After a time it was discovered that
the oscillations of the pendulum were disturbed by
the rolling of the surf; so one day a long line of seamen and native laborers filed past our house, transporting on their shoulders everything connected with
the observatory, which was then reconstructed on an
eminence about a mile from the shore, very near the
site of the present Hilo Boarding School. An expedition was also organized for the ascent of Mauna




IN TM' C AT R OF KiLAUFA
R:  a                       1R




O
a




IN THE CRATER OF A VOLCANO 53
Loa, the necessary instruments being conveyed by native carriers', of whom about four hundred were
employed. Mr. Coan reported that at one time nearly
every adult male in his congregation was in the service
of the explorers. The supervision of this company
was largely in the hands of Dr. Judd, who had been
the missionary physician in Honolulu, but had gradually risen to be the recognized friend and counsellor
of the king and court. I was present when, having
just returned from the volcano, the Doctor showed his
blistered hands and arms, and related to my father the
story of his narrow escape from death in the crater of
Kilauea. He had descended into a hollow about ten
feet deep, to collect a quantity of the capillary glass
that is spun by the wind when the melted lava is
blown into the air. Working his way along under the
bank, he suddenly heard a crackling sound among the
rocks, that made him think it about time to get out of
the pit; but first he must gather a particularly tempting bunch of the "hair" that lay within reach. While
thus occupied, there came a roar of escaping gases,
and a jet of melted lava flew up into the air far above
his head. The Doctor tried in vain to climb the overhanging bank, but it was too high for him to reach its
shelving top. The native attendants took fright, and
were fleeing with all possible haste from the scene of
danger. Shouting lustily for help, the Doctor finally
succeeded in recalling one of his servants, who flung
himself on his face, and, reaching his arm over the
edge of the precipice, was able to grasp his master's
hand and to drag him up to the margin of the pit,




54       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
just as the molten lava rose under his feet. The little
crater was immediately filled with fire, and began to
overflow in every direction. With characteristic sangfroid, Dr. Judd did not leave the spot until he had
obtained a frying-pan, with which he dipped up several ladlesful of the white-hot liquid mineral. These
specimens are still preserved at Washington, in the
Museum of the United States Government.
On one occasion, the ward-room officers of the
Vincennes invited the mission families to dine on
board their ship. The day happened to be disagreeable on the water, so the ladies remained at home;
but Mr. Coan and my father, accompanied by Munson and myself, were paddled off in a double canoe to
the ship. No two young New Zealanders could have
more thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of Captain
Cook's barque, the Resolution, than we did on that
our first visit to a man - of-war.  The Vincennes
was a corvette of about five hundred tons burden;
but nearly all of her guns had been removed to make
room for the explorers. Enough, however, of the
pomp and circumstance of war remained to make her
exceedingly interesting. In one of the state-rooms we
found Mr. Drayton, the artist, sketching a little silvery fish that lay on a sheet of white paper before him.
The accuracy of the likeness struck us dumb with
astonishment. We were also permitted to look upon
Vendovi, the cannibal chief from  the Fiji Islands,
where he had been arrested and made over to Commodore Wilkes, who was conveying him under guard
to Washington, to answer for the murder of some




DINNER ON SHIPBOARD


55


American sailors. He was a brawny giant, whose
sullen countenance clearly revealed the misery of his
punishment. He did not live to return home, dying
either before, or soon after, the arrival of the expedition at Hampton Roads.
At dinner on this memorable day, we two little boys
received the lion's share of attention. The table was
spread beneath the open hatchway, and a pendent
wind-sail diffused delicious coolness throughout the
ward-room. The table furniture was wonderful; never
before had such magnificence greeted our eyes, for
there was a silver soup-tureen, and the spoons and
forks were also of silver. The cooking was excellent,
and the service surpassed all our previous experiences.
Water was furnished in crystal carafes, and in the decanters a beautiful ruby-colored liquid aroused my curiosity. "What is that?" I inquired of the affable
chaplain.  "Why, that is port wine," he replied;
"won't you have some?" at the same time pouring
out a small quantity into an exquisitely shaped glass
which he placed beside my plate. But from the
bpposite side of the board my father sent a warning
glance and a shake of his head, so I had to leave the
wine-glass untouched, and lost the first opportunity I
had ever known for becoming acquainted with the
juice of the generous grape.
One of the great disappointments of my life must
be recorded in connection with the visit of the expedition. My imagination had been excited by descriptions
of the marvellous apparatus in the observatory. Among
other things there was said to be a telescope with which




56       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
it was possible to behold the moon as if it were a neighboring object. This fired my curiosity, and I longed
for a peep through that miraculous tube. I learned
one day that all the grown people of our foreign community were invited to visit the observatory, and to
view the moon through the telescope, some pleasant
evening when that satellite would be placed on exhibition. But, alas! the invitation included no little folks.
I shed many bitter tears over this scandalous neglect
of my qualifications as an astronomical observer; nor
was I comforted on being told that Munson did
actually accompany his mother without an invitation,
but that, neglecting his precious opportunity, he had
slept all the evening, and never saw the moon at all.
It may be truthfully said that the coming of the
Wilkes expedition marked the beginning of modern
life among the native inhabitants of Hilo. For the
first time they witnessed civilized action on a large scale,
and became acquainted with the use of specie as money.
Instead of the old system of exclusive barter, silver
coins now began to circulate, and it was possible to
carry on a better trade than the mere exchange of native
bark-cloth and dried fish for American cottons valued
at three yards for a dollar.  Better still, the natives
had a practical exhibition of the fact that white men
were not all either missionaries or beach-combers, and
that there was, indeed, a vast circle of cosmopolitan
interests in which they had hitherto taken no part.




CHAPTER V


Splendors of Dawn in the Tropics -Hilo Village at Daylight —
A Country of Perpetual Spring- Hawaiian Table-fareTropical Fruits - Diversions in Rainy Weather - Building
a New Church Edifice - Open-air Services for Five Thousand People- Some Old-time Acquaintances-  "Store" on
the Island- The First Hawaiian Sugar-mill- Some Queer
Specimens of Humanity - Material and Spiritual Foes.
A   FTER the departure of Commodore Wilkes and
his hard-worked assistants, a great calm descended
upon the bay of Hilo; and for the next two years the
people had little but the salvation of their souls to
occupy them. The regular routine of missionary work
went on, however, without the slightest interruption.
Every morning, unless rain prevented, we rose at five
o'clock and started for the beach, while my father led
forth his Hawaiian pupils to their labor on the farm.
How many beautiful things we learned to see by the
light of early dawn! As we traversed the village, we
could hear from the different houses the voices of the
natives at their family prayers, which were apt to be
voluble and noisy. Sometimes there would be an
audible attempt at singing a hymn, but such efforts
usually illustrated piety rather than melody. The
splendor of the stars in the perfectly transparent
atmosphere of that tropical sky was a revelation that
is utterly impossible under the murky air which veils
57




58


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


the continental areas of the globe; and we soon were
acquainted with Sirius and Aldebaran and Arcturus,
the Polar Bears, and all the other ornaments and captains of the Heavenly Host. My mother had a
celestial atlas, from which we learned the position of
the constellations, so that when night came it was easy
to identify the different stars. The warm and even
temperature of the climate made star-gazing a very
agreeable pastime, -quite another thing from what
I have found it in less favored lands.
We usually reached the shore when the brief tropical
dawn arose over the sea. Then, as the stars paled
and vanished from sight, a world of terrestrial glory
stood revealed. The cool land-breeze ruffled the
surface of the broad bay, and blew the crests of
the wavelets along the line of surf that whitened the
beach. Rare sport we barefooted boys enjoyed, as we
chased the crabs to their holes in the firm black sand,
or ran after the retreating breakers, to gather the
beautiful shells that were sometimes washed ashore.
As the morning advanced, the snowy peaks of the
mountains in the west were tinged a faint purple flush,
that deepened and widened and descended, until the
whole range glowed red with the first rays of the rising
sun. Till, then, we could frolic all over the beach;
but with the coming of sunshine we must hasten home
to breakfast and the duties of the day.
The morning meal and family prayers were finished
by eight o'clock; then my mother, aided by her little
sons, washed the dishes and put the house in order.
By this time, in fair weather, a dark line became visible




HAWAIIAN TABLE-FARE


59


far out upon the horizon, rapidly widening toward the
shore, till the entire surface of the deep blue ocean
was rippled and dimpled by the cool sea-breeze, diffusing everywhere such an atmosphere of comfort that
we never knew the torrid heats which shrivel the majority of mankind in Summer. With us, it was a perpetual Spring,-the most delicious climate in the world.
At nine o'clock: our study hours began, and the hour
of noon marked the close of our school-day. Having
kept a watchful eye upon the kettles and saucepans
while we read and recited, it was no difficult thing for
our teacher to complete the preparations for dinner;
so, as soon as my father came from his schoolhouse,
we sat down to the frugal meal. There was plenty of
excellent bread,-my mother would have that, though
I have seen the day when not five pounds of flour
remained in all Hilo. We had the boiled or roasted
roots of taro (Caladium esculentum) instead of potatoes;
and poi, a paste that was prepared by pounding the
boiled taro and allowing it to ferment for twenty-four
hours. Then there was fish and beef, either dried or
salted; only when some ship lay in the harbor could
fresh beef be procured. A number of years passed
before it became possible to raise chickens, it being
difficult to protect them from nocturnal destruction by
the dogs which abounded in every native habitation.
For fruit, we had bananas and guavas, and occasionally
a pineapple or a watermelon. Our parents improved
every opportunity to procure seeds from foreign lands,
and in this way, after I had finally left home, Hilo
became well supplied with a considerable variety of




60       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
tropical fruit. Next to bananas and guavas, sugar-cane
was our principal resource, and we spent no little time
in chewing and sucking the sacchariferous stalks.
After dinner, there was a whole afternoon for play.
Munson and I spent it together, alternating between
the houses of our parents, or sometimes visiting the
beach, if the morning had been rainy, or if anything
else had interfered with early exercise. When we did
not go abroad, much of the time was passed among the
branches of the trees in Mr. Coan's garden, as the trees
at our house were too young to be climbed. Mr.
Goodrich had planted coffee-plants and guavas without
number; and in one corner of the yard he had raised
a large tamarind-tree, with a dome-like mango-tree
near it. There had been grapes and oranges and
lemons; but the climate was too rainy, and they did
not flourish. Close to the house, almost overshadowing its eaves, grew a stately bread-fruit tree, which in
its season was loaded with spherical fruit, each a globe
as large as a child's head. In all these trees we were
perfectly at home. Our parents wisely allowed us the
utmost freedom in this particular, and no pair of
monkeys could swarm over an orchard more fearlessly
than we. The tough branches of the guavas we rode
as if they were rocking-horses, and after one of our
raids little fruit was left for the birds. That the
mango yielded nothing, was a great disappointment;
so that after a delay of several years, the discovery of
a few blossoms on its terminal boughs was an event
of no small importance. Never was green fruit elsewhere so assiduously watched; and when at last the




GROUP OF HAWAIIAN PALMS




I




TROPICAL FRUITS


6i


fully ripened drupe fell from its stalk, we were there
to lift it from the ground and bear it joyously to Mrs.
Coan. This solitary specimen formed the entire crop
that year, but it proved to be of an excellent variety.
With great satisfaction we ate it, divided among many
mouths; and its huge hairy seed was immediately
restored to the earth in the garden, where it became
the progenitor of innumerable mango-trees all over
the island. In like manner, for a long period of time
a large peach-tree was every year radiant with flowers,
giving promise of abundant crops that never matured,
and supplying Mr. Coan with a convenient illustrative
parallel to the scriptural fig-tree that bore no fruit.
But in later years the peach-tree yielded beautiful
returns without any difficulty whatever. I presume
that in the meantime some polleniferous insect had
reached our shores, and had made provision for fertilizing our barren trees; indeed, it was worthy of note
that for want of bees and such like creatures our
pumpkins and squashes remained unfruitful unless
artificially aided by human intervention.
But of such things we comprehended nothing in
those innocent days. We only knew that fruit of any
kind was a rarity, and we were on the alert to secure
anything of the sort that might come within reach.
Often we explored the banana groves, in search of the
honey that fills the nectary of the blossom; this was
one of the luxuries that took the place of the candy
and sweetmeats of which we had read but which we
had never seen. Occasionally, some traveller from
the volcano would bring a few quarts of rank wild




62       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
strawberries, or a dish of enormous red raspberries,
which, however, were so bitter that they must be soaked
in water for many hours before they could be eaten.
Only two other indigenous fruits do I remember,the melon-like papaya, and the fragrant ohia, or jamboapple, of which a few samples were sometimes brought
to the door by an avaricious kanaka, who generally
filled us with grief by demanding a price so utterly
prohibitory that purchase was out of the question.
Thus we passed many a happy hour. But the sun
did not always shine in Hilo. The harbor lay on the
windward side of the island, and day by day the
trade-wind piled up the clouds against the mountains
so that their heights were seldom visible after nine
o'clock in the morning. One of the most glorious
acts in the drama of evening was the rolling away of
the vaporous masses that veiled the inland peaks.
As the sun went down, the sea-breeze fell, the landbreeze raised the mists that hung over the forest, and
Mauna Kea stood forth, majestic in the last ray of
twilight. All this in fair weather; but the orderly
succession of atmospheric changes was often broken
up by the annual variation of the seasons, and then
the clouds over our heads were dissolved in a deluge
of rain. Severe storms were unusual; but for longcontinued, steady, straight-down, pouring rain, I have
never seen the like in any place. Still, we were very
little annoyed by those Noachian floods. Whenever
an opportunity was afforded, out we went into the
warm showers that never chilled; and many a time the
adventure was repaid by a flash of sunshine, painting




RAINY WEATHER DIVERSIONS 63
the arc of a perfect rainbow in the sky. Often, after
long confinement by reason of the wet weather, our
mothers would dress us in old clothes and let us play
in the rain. Then was the time for damming the brook
that flowed through the yard, so that we could sail our
fleet of boats in the ponds thus called into existence;
and there was no end to the amusement derived from
wading in every ditch that could be found. When a
little older, we sometimes walked out to see the freshets
in the Wailuku, a mountain stream which flowed in a
deep rocky gorge on the north side of the town, about
a quarter of a mile from the mission-houses. In fine
weather, this was hardly more than a rivulet, spanned
by an ordinary plank; but after a long storm it became
a raging torrent, many fathoms in width and depth,
roaring and dashing over the rocks and ledges, and
plunging furiously downward, defiling the salt seawater of the bay with mud and drift from the flanks
of the mountains between which it had flowed.
When thus shut up by the rain, after my lessons
had been finished for the day, I so often managed
to escape from home, taking refuge with Munson,
that my mother sometimes laughingly said that
she would give me away to Mrs. Coan, and let
me stay there all the time. The parsonage did,
indeed, have for me a threefold attraction,-in the
benignant cordiality with which I was always greeted
by Papa Coan; in the music of the rain-drops
pattering on the zinc roof,-a sound that could not
be evoked from the thatch-work on our house-top,
-and, above all, in the weird and wonderful garret




64       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
that lay over the whole of the building. How often
I lamented the fact that there was no such retreat
above the attic chambers in our house! While the
rain flooded the garden, and every leaflet dripped like
a miniature Niagara, we burrowed in safety among the
boxes and barrels in the loft, and carefully scrutinized
the strings of antediluvian dried apples from America
that hung in the roof, if perchance some tiny fragment
might be found soft enough to be devoured. A few
relics of the Goodrich period we brought to light,old shoe-buckles, brass nails, bits of leather, scraps of
colored cloth, torn papers, fragmentary volumes, and,
queerest of all, a pair of English pattens, said to have
been left by the Rev. William Ellis, the distinguished
author and missionary to the Society Islanders. Then
there was the dread pleasure of hunting the rats that
infested the place. In and out among the rubbish
and lumber we pursued our game, but with very
indifferent success. After many ineffectual attempts
on the part of our fathers to construct a "figure-four"
trap, Dr. Andrews came to the rescue and whittled
out one that would work. Baited with cheese, it was
irresistible; and we massacred the foe until not one
was left to lament the extinction of his tribe.
When these simple excitements palled upon the
appetite, we had recourse to the books in the paternal
libraries. Many an hour we spent, prone upon the
bare floor, conning the pages of John Williams's
"Voyages in the South Pacific," or poring over the
chapters in Ellis's "Polynesian Researches."  We
especially doted on everything that contained pictures,




A NEW CHURCH EDIFICE


and much comfort for us lay between the covers of
"The Youth's Companion."   There was also a large
volume of "Selections from the British Poets," in
which we read with delight Parnell's story of Reynard
the Fox, who carried off Chanticleer from the perch
where he roosted beside Dame Partlett his wife. We
understood all about that, for the unconverted dogs
of our Hawaiian neighbors often made similar havoc
among the roosters and gobblers upon whom our
affections were set.
One morning, after a night of heavy rain, I was
standing in our front door-way, when a tremendous
crash arrested my attention. I looked in the direction
of the sound, and, behold, the huge church edifice,
built by the natives on the first arrival of their
missionary teachers, had fallen in ruin upon the
ground. Constructed in 'Hawaiian fashion, its posts
had rotted in the earth where they stood, and were
no longer able to sustain the weight of the rain-soaked
roof. This catastrophe had been foreseen, and for a
long time the native worshippers had devoted a great
deal of time and physical energy to the work of
collecting materials for a more substantial building.
It was decided to have a solid stone foundation for
the new church, so that there could be no more
rotting of pillars planted in the earth.  Since there
was neither cart nor wheelbarrow, nor any beast of
burden, in the place, everything had to be carried by
hand or on the backs of men. In this way a large
pile of basaltic lava was accumulated, and then the
fishermen went in their canoes to the reef outside of




66   HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


the harbor and dived for coral which they brought up
from a depth of eighteen or twenty feet. This was
burned to lime to make mortar for the walls of the
foundation. Then the people went to the forest, a few
miles distant on the mountain-side, and cut down tall
trees to serve as pillars and posts and rafters for the
superstructure. These huge logs were dragged through
the jungle to the site of the temple, long teams of men
pulling lustily at the cables which were fastened to each
timber. Such labor was considered no hardship, for
the natives had always been accustomed to this mode
of transportation for their canoes and other weighty
objects.  A day in the woods after a big log was
regarded as a picnic rather than a laborious task. Many
a time in the gloaming did we hear the cheerful songs
of parties thus returning home with the trunk of a
mighty tree gliding like a monstrous serpent in the
grass behind them. In this way provision was made
for the framework of the church; and then the native
carpenters with their adzes, and one or two white men
who knew something about the use of edge-tools,
hewed the timber into shape, and fashioned the sills
and the uprights and the plates of the great structure.
No metal whatever was incorporated with the work;
every part was joined by mortise and tenon, and all
was held in place by wooden pins driven into augerholes bored for the purpose. Laboring under such
difficulties, a number of years passed away before the
enormous building was finally thatched and ready for
occupation.  In 1842, Mr. Coan saw the ripened
fruit of his labors, and consecrated his cathedral




SERVICES FOR THOUSANDS


67


with all the pomp and circumstance of which the
occasion, and the poverty of the people, would admit.
During the interval of time between the fall of
the old building and the completion of the new, the
congregation was broken up into a number of smaller
bodies, meeting wherever they could find a large
schoolhouse or habitation of more than usual capacity.
Once every three months, however, Mr. Coan reunited
them all in an open-air meeting, for the celebration of
the Holy Communion. One such occasion I remember, - a glorious Sunday morning without a cloud in
the sky.  The vast assembly, about five thousand in
number, sat on the grass under the shade of a cocoanut grove between the shore and a lagoon of fresh
water that lay behind the beach.  Father Coan occupied an extemporized pulpit, while the other foreign
worthies sat on chairs near by. Before us rolled the
ocean, blue, unfathomable, mysterious, eternal. Behind us, in unclouded magnificence, towered the mountains, rising above a world of verdure where silvery
streams and foaming cascades glittered and sparkled in
the sunshine,-fit dwelling-place for these joyous
children of the sea and the sky.  The call of the
leader rang out like a clarion over the congregation,
and their singing was as the roar of many waters.
Then, while the wind murmured sweet symphonies
among the leaves in the tops of the cocoanut-trees,
every head was bowed, and the still small voice of
prayer weit up to heaven from that host.  The communion service was celebrated with wonderful simplicity and fervor, and after prayer and benediction the




68       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
multitude was dismissed for the day. Many noble
churches and lordly fanes have I entered since that
hour, and in many a splendid ceremonial have I
shared; but never have I witnessed anything to compare with the sublimity of that morning communion
on Hawaii.
It was about this time that I made two very interesting acquaintances. My father, when walking abroad
for exercise or on business, frequently encouraged me
to trot along by his side. One day we turned out from
the road to the sea, and tried a new path that led towards
the Wailuku River.  Presently we came to a neat
thatched house, surrounded and half hidden by a dense
shrubbery of coffee plants in full bloom. The cottage,
-for such it was,-unlike the ordinary native houses,
was provided with a floor and with glass windows. An
agreeably furnished reception-room opened on one side
into an airy bedroom, and on another into a large apartment, crossed by a wooden counter, and surrounded by
shelves on which were piles of cotton cloth and all
manner of curious articles, for the most part quite beyond my knowledge. Here we were welcomed by a
short, stout, gray-headed old gentleman, whose kindly
features were handsomely set off by an elegant pair of
white mutton-chop whiskers. This was Mr. Benjamin
P., formerly a resident of Boston, who, years before,
left his home to seek a fortune among the merchants
of Canton. For some reason, after a time he ceased
writing to his family; and his wife, naturally growing
anxious, sent their only son, Benjamin, Jr., to find out




A STORE ON THE ISLAND


69


what had become of his father. Arrived in the Orient,
he learned that his parent had gone to the Sandwich
Islands; and accordingly he followed him thither. There
he discovered the old gentleman, but was unable to dislodge him from the tropical paradise in which he was
established. The young man, being only nineteen or
twenty years old, also soon yielded to the charm of the
place, forgetting the maternal home, and marrying a
handsome young Hawaiian princess, who made for
him an excellent wife and mother of his children. The
father and son, not long before the visit of Commodore
Wilkes, opened a little shop for the sale of general
merchandise; and having the whole field to themselves,
were very successful in trade. The senior member of
the firm lived eight or ten years after my introduction
to him, and was highly esteemed by every one with
whom he came in contact. His son grew very wealthy,
and was for a number of years the most prominent
citizen in Hilo. His wife presided with dignity over
the little court that grew up around her, receiving a
vast amount of respectful attention from naval officers
and travellers who visited the port in later days.
Though understanding the spoken language, she never
would speak English, being too proud to attempt
anything that she could not do well; but in other
respects she was always an accomplished and estimable lady.
On this occasion of my first introduction to a "store,"
I was treated with much consideration, being permitted
to explore the depths of a barrel of dried apples, and
to experiment upon the contents of an ancient box of




70


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


raisins. When at last my father drew me away from
the contemplation of a conical loaf of white sugar, the
shop-keeper cordially invoked my speedy return, and
presented me with a small circular mirror, about three
inches in diameter-a gift as gratifying to me as it could
have been to any one of the little savages for whom
it was originally designed.  From that date our occasional visits to the store were reckoned among the rare
privileges of existence. To our unsophisticated vision,
that emporium was a museum of wonders like those of
which we had read, but nowhere else in our tiny world
could find.
On another day, walking a little farther, we found
the new road extended beyond a dense grove of breadfruit trees to a considerable enclosure where a number
of thatched houses had been recently erected. Two or
three almond-eyed gentlemen, with long braids of hair
coiled about their heads, were persuading a yoke of
half-tamed oxen to walk in a circle, dragging after
them a beam that rotated three vertical wooden rollers,
between which a native boy was insinuating slender
stalks of sugar-cane drawn from a pile by his side. A
rivulet of juice was pouring into a wooden gutter that
penetrated the side of an adjacent building, from which
a cloud of steam continually escaped.  One of the
Chinamen laid down his goad, unrolled his queue, and
led us into the boiling-house, where three large trypots, evidently after long service in the extraction of
oil from the blubber of the sperm-whale, were set in
solid masonry over a fire that was fed with the dried
stalks of cane from which the sap had been previously




THE FIRST SUGAR-MILL


7i


pressed. Into these cauldrons the juice flowed from
the mill, and in them it was bubbling and steaming at
a furious rate. The pig-tailed gentleman courteously
explained to us, in choice Cantonese English, how to
know when the process had been carried far enough;
and then he showed us the syrup, ladled hot from the
kettles, and set aside to crystallize in queer conical jars
of porous Chinese earthenware, which finally were placed
in rows, to drain away the molasses that trickled into
sundry rude wooden canoes, wherein floated dead flies,
cockroaches, and adventurous mice without number.
This was the first sugar-mill established on the Island
of Hawaii. When we visited the place, next year, the
old bullock-mill had given way to a larger system of
horizontal rollers, connected with a fine overshot wheel
turned by a dashing stream of water diverted from its
original course to the sea, and now compelled for the
first time in its existence to work for a living.
Besides these industrious Orientals, our village was
the abode of a small contingent of Occidentals, who, in
point of morality, did not compare very favorably with
the despised Asiatics. They were for the most part
ancient mariners who in some way had parted company
with the ships that bore them to our shore. One of
them was a dark-skinned fellow from the Iberian peninsula, who was unknown by any other appellation
than that of "John the Portugee."  Always an object
of suspicion, he finally, when the New Bedford whalers
began to gather at our island, threw off all reserve, and
placed over his door a board on which were rudely
painted the suggestive symbols, a bottle and a glass.




72       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
This overt act aroused the guardians of public morality, and after a long struggle the obnoxious sign
was relegated to the interior of its owner's abode;
but the actual bottle and its accompanying glass, I
fear, were irrepressible.
Quite conspicuous in the little gang of beach-combers
was a jovial young Englishman with blue eyes and
chestnut curls, whose battered nose proclaimed him a
hero in many a fistic encounter. He was really a good
sailor, and was stirred with ambition to become the
pilot of the harbor. Unfortunately, when ships came
in sight it was too often the case that poor Christopher
had to lie long under the pump before he could be
made presentable as the Palinurus of our port; so he
gradually sank into oblivion.
Another Englishman also dwelt near us, - one of
the lowest and stupidest of his kind. He lived like
a pig, in a miserable hovel with a slatternly native
woman for a wife; and, professing to have been a
carpenter's mate on the ship from which his residence
had been-accidentally, of course-transferred to
the shore, he occasionally earned a few honest dollars
with the help of sundry borrowed tools that were not
always returned until replevined by the lender. After
such wearisome labor he would remain in the seclusion
of his stye, until all supplies were exhausted, when
with the regularity of the sun he would sally forth and
levy the contribution of a meal whenever he found a
family that could tolerate his demands. While yet a
very small boy, I once fearfully enraged him by calling him a beggar as he sat at our door munching




SOME QUEER SPECIMENS


73


the breakfast which my mother was daily providing
at the expense of her entire stock of patience. He
came no more; but it was merely a shift of the pain,
for he immediately installed himself as a beneficiary of
the Coans. It was a real relief when he went the way
of all the earth.
Far off by himself, alone on the north point near
the entrance of the bay, dwelt a red-faced, gray-haired
Welshman, commonly called "John the Pilot," to
distinguish him from that other John, the Lusitanian
vendor of contraband spirits. On the appearance of
ships heading toward the harbor, the veteran was wont
to sally forth in a canoe, paddled by his half-caste
children and retainers, offering service as a qualified
guide to the port. In after years, when the shipping
became more abundant, and another pilot was seeking
to obtain a share in the emoluments of the business,
the old man purchased a whale-boat, in which, while
his rival was puffing a fragrant Manila cigar, and
basking in the midst of his family at home, he would
lie, far out at sea, waiting for the prey. Great was the
expenditure of profanity over the frequent success of
the nautical manceuvre!
There was also a debauched little fellow, known by
the name of a very aristocratic English family, who
wore a black skull-cap to conceal the disgraceful scars
on his bald head. He claimed to be the possessor of a
medical education, though he never prescribed, unless
for the members of his own congenial set. He affected
literary tastes, and was an avowed admirer of Voltaire
and Thomas Paine; consequently, in the estimation




74       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
of our parents he was scarcely a shade better than the
Evil One himself.
Of contemporaneous American seamen in retirement,
I remember only two or three specimens. They
dwelt apart from the British, —for the animosities of
the War of 18 2 had not yet died out; and when liquor
was scarce, they made some pretence of a decent life,
assuming an aspect of mournful resignation, like decayed gentlemen under the stress of inevitable misfortune. The preponderance of the Anglican party, and
its peculiar degradation, were due to the fact that for
many years Hawaii was a haven of refuge for convicts,
who, from the reservoir in Botany Bay, were continually escaping and filtering through the sands all over
the broad Pacific Ocean.
Such were some of the ornaments of the beach, who
in that remote period, outside of the storekeepers and
the missionary circles, were the sole exemplars of the
white man's glorious civilization. But with the gradual increase of foreign trade, other more respectable
settlers came among us, and were not without influence in favor of righteousness. There was a period,
however, about the time the New Bedford and Nantucket harpooners, fresh from pursuit of the Alaskan
whale, were beginning to winter in the Hawaiian harbors,
when our houses were for several months at the mercy
of a band of desperadoes who deserted their ships,
concealing themselves in the fern-woods until the departure of the fleet. When they then came forth from
their hiding, they were at once captured by the native
police, and in obedience to the law were incontinently




LAX POLICE POWER


75


clapped into jail. But this little ceremony did not
in the least interfere with their pleasures. The jail
was simply a large native house where malefactorswere
invited to reside at the expense of the government
while under sentence of imprisonment. Our jolly
jack-tars accepted the hospitality of the jailor at mealtime, or when it rained; but the balance of their time
was joyously occupied with the society of their
numerous friends whenever and wherever they willed.
They sometimes, as a concession to uncharitable public
opinion, allowed a native policeman to guide them in.
their walks abroad; but if not sufficiently complaisant,
he was soon clubbed into submission. Finally, the
troop,- some thirty-five or forty strong, - became so
audacious as to raise the piratical flag, and, armed with
bludgeons, they marched around the town, roaring
ribald songs and shouting defiance as they went. So
dilatory were the official communications with the capital, that the lapse of three or four months and the opportune arrival of a ship of war were necessary before
our community could be relieved of this incubus
and we could safely resume our exercise abroad.
Besides these enemies of good order, there was
another foe whom our parents dreaded more than all
the rest. Walking with my father one evening, we
saw through the dusky twilight a strange figure drawing near under the protection of a shovel-hat and a
black frock that reached to its feet. Staring blankly
through a pair of spectacles into space, it made the
sign of the cross and uttered a deprecatory ejaculation
as it hurried past. I instinctively shrank behind my




76       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
father, and, anxiously inquiring the significance of an
apparition so uncanny, was informed that it was the
Roman Catholic priest who had recently descended
upon our fold. Ah! I knew what that meant, because as far back as I could remember "Fox's Book
of Martyrs" was one of our chief sources of Sunday
recreation and joy. A few weeks later, Munson and I
discovered a lonely native building, newly erected in
an unfrequented part of the town, and open to the
winds of heaven. A rude cross surmounted the ridgepole, and a few tawdry colored prints looked down
upon a floor of dried grass.  A sort of wooden cupboard standing at the end opposite the door, and a
gourd-shell of holy water fixed oh the door-post,
made up the entire furniture. Informed that this was
the Roman Catholic chapel, we were stricken with
terror, and fled for our lives, lest we too might somehow get burned at the stake like poor John Huss, or
John Rodgers and his wife with her " nine children in
arms with one at the breast," whose martyrdom,
depicted in certain popular volumes, made our tender
flesh creep with horror as we read. I do not know the
name of the priest who ministered to the few waifs and
strays who then formed the shabby island following of
the Holy See, but when, at the age of sixteen or
seventeen years, I made the acquaintance of Father
Charles Pougot, the refined and delicate-looking
Frenchman who cared for the parish of Hilo, I found
him a very saintly seeming personage.  His flock,
however, consisted for the most part of the devotees
of tobacco and other loose livers whom  Mr. Coan




SPIRITUAL FOES


77


would not tolerate within his church on any consideration whatever. No matter how upright and virtuous
their lives, men and women who would not forsake
the pipe were bundled out of the congregation of
true-believers and handed over to the tender mercies of Satan and his host. All such hardened sinners were joyfully welcomed, as brands rescued from
the burning, by the proselyters of the True Church,
so that in a short time the papal emissaries laid claim
to the souls of all who were not actually enrolled on
the books of the American mission.  This was naturally very galling to an imperious spirit like that of the
Protestant pastor, who ruled his numerous people
after the manner of the great bishop that, in all but
the title, he really was, and who could not brook the
presence of a rival near the throne of grace. But this
fact only added to the sympathy with which many of
our foreign visitors regarded the efforts of the inoffensive little clerk who struggled so bravely against such
tremendous odds; and it was annoying enough to see
occasionally in the Honolulu papers a long list of gifts
from Irish and French and Portuguese mariners who
had sought absolution at the hands of Father Charles.
Then Father Coan would thunder from his pulpit
against the "woman in purple and scarlet," sitting
"upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns,... and
upon her forehead a name written Mystery, Babylon the
Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth,"
until the thatch fairly bristled on the roof of our sanctuary. What a comfort it was to us to read, a little




78       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
farther down the page, that a mighty angel came "down
from heaven, having great power; and the earth was
lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with
a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, and
is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of
every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.... And in her was found the blood of
prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain
upon the earth.... And her smoke rose up for ever
and ever,"-just like the smoke of our own volcano,
Kilauea!
So these good men anathematized each other, and
stood asunder as long as they lived. But with their
antagonisms I meddled not; and when I left home for
the last time, the kindly Father gave me a little
French dictionary that still stands. in my library.
Thirty years later, when his eyesight grew dim, I sent
him a mass-book, printed in the largest and clearest
type that could be procured; and he responded with
a cordial letter of thanks, written only a short time
before his death.




CHAPTER VI


Road-making in the Island- Family Equestrianism — Excursions
to the Interior — Visit to the Volcano Kilauea - Wonders of a
Tropical Forest - A Night of Terror - Beside a Lake of Fire
- Descent into the Crater - In the Inferno - Back to Safety
- The Rainbow Falls of Hawaii- Cocoanut Island - Learning to be Amphibious - Dinner by the Sea -An Elevated Play
Ground- Whale-fishers in the Harbor - Remnants of a yanished Industry.
O   N  the completion of the new church, it was evident that it should be made accessible; hence a
considerable interest in the subject of road-making
began to show itself at this time. From the most
distant ages the inhabitants of the island had walked
over the same beaten tracks, which in the course of
the centuries had become actual trenches, just wide
enough for a procession in single file.  If the road
crossed one of the deep gorges through which flowed
the impetuous mountain streams, instead of descending
and ascending by easy gradients, it plunged straight
down on one side and as straight up on the other.
The common people helped themselves over these
difficulties, nimbly clutching at solid tufts of grass and
the elastic branches of the luxuriant shrubbery that
bordered the path; but when a chief made the ascent,
-and he seldom weighed less than three hundred and
fifty or four hundred pounds,-his retainers pushed
79




80    HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


him from behind and from below, and thus was the
elevation of the nobility made easy. No four-footed
animal larger than a pig or a dog could travel in such
ruts; but now, with the growth of modern ideas, it
seemed desirable to lay out new roads through the
town, and to improve the highways into the country
so that the outlying suburbs and rural districts might
profit by the enlargement of spiritual privileges in the
metropolis.
Like every one else, we enjoyed the benefit of this
enlightened public policy. Pack-bullocks, ridden by
ambitious scions of the first families, donkeys, and even
horses, began to appear; and one sunny morning my
father rode up to the door on a fine mule, fully caparisoned with elegant head-gear and an English saddle,
all creaking and new, in use for the first time. The
animal, unlike the majority of its kind, was graceful
as a deer, with a gait that was declared by a visiting
English nobleman to be "as easy as a rocking-chair."
Thus mounted, my father galloped up and down the
road before his admiring family, and then bade me put
my foot on his toe in the stirrup and give him my hand
so that he could swing me up before him and thus take
me for a ride. How I longed to make the trial, and
how I strove to overcome the dread that made me
shake with fear and recoil from the attempt! But it
was of no use; so my younger brother was given the
chance. He did as he was told, and bounded without
difficulty to the pommel of the saddle. After watching for awhile his evident enjoyment, I mustered sufficient courage to be lifted ingloriously to a place on the




VISIT TO KILAUEA


8i


crupper; and thus I took my first excursion on horseback. There was also a companion mule,-a staid
and respectable black, -which had no tricks, and was
invaluable for family use, but cantered with a thumping gait that was almost intolerable. This useful pair
were tethered in the yard, and when the weather was
good they gave the whole family opportunities for
exercise on a wider scale than ever before. Mr. Coan
soon purchased a horse for his wife; but never, until
far advanced in years, would he himself descend to the
weakness of riding abroad. When about nine years
old, Munson and I were fitted out with a pair of
obdurate little burros, and then our caravan only
needed the addition of a camel to complete the procession when the forces of the two households were
united for an expedition through space.
Thus provided with the means.of locomotion, my
father decided to take us and the native pupils in his
school to the volcano, Kilauea, thirty miles distant, at
an elevation of four thousand feet, on the eastern
slope of Mauna Loa. Early one Monday morning
we were all astir, and soon after nine o'clock were
filing out of town by way of the volcano-road. The
schoolboys trooped along at the head of the line, each
one carrying a light bundle of warm clothing, nativecloth wraps for the night, and a few rations of food.
They were followed by a number of professional carriers, powerful men, laden with bedding and provisions
for the family. Then came my mother, borne in a
manele, or Hawaiian palanquin. Behind this vehicle,
thought their burdens were not heavy, walked with




82   HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


leisurely steps our mules and Mrs. Coan's horse. I
rode one of the mules, while Munson and Frederic
travelled on pillions, clinging to my father and to the
groom, who formed the rear-guard of the procession.
David, the youngest, being only two years old, was
left at home in the care of Mrs. Coan.
We soon cleared the outskirts of the village, and
were tramping through the brakes that thinly covered
the rugged field of lava between the shore and the
forest that lay three or four miles southeast from the
bay. This portion of the journey was rather monotonous, though we boys derived no little satisfaction from
crossing the broad fish-ponds at Waiakea, and from
wading the numerous pools of stagnant water left by
the rain in the hollows of the road. Shortly before
noon the path entered the forest -a spur from the
vast belt of woodland that covered the side of the
mountain. The rough way had been smoothed and corduroyed with the trunks of tree-ferns, making an easy
and elastic footing for the mules, so that we rode with
much comfort, enjoying for the first time the sight of
a tropical forest. Owing to the rocky character of the
soil, there was little of that frightful luxuriance which
chokes the jungles of South America and India; nor
any insects, reptiles, or venomous snakes, to be feared.
It was simply a gorgeous growth of evergreen trees and
ferns, shading a mass of verdant shrubbery and trailing
vines which closely bordered the path without overwhelming everything by an oppressive density of foliage.
The trees were either the tall ohia, rich with clustering
crimson flowers, attracting flocks of tiny red and green




A TROPICAL FOREST


83


honey-sucking birds, or they were the wide-branching
koa, rustling their vertically-placed leathery leaf-blades
that cast no shadow at noon. Beside these hoary
trunks were shrubs innumerable,-a continual joy to
the botanical collector, for many of them were peculiar
to the Hawaiian Islands, and unknown elsewhere.
High on the mouldering limbs of the oldest trees
grew the bright-green clustering leaves of the bird'snest fern; and in the little hollows, wherever the
soil was rich and deep, rose the tall stems of huge
tree-ferns, uncurling their manifold, compound, pinnatifid fronds. Many of the loftiest trees were slowly
strangling in the coil of the ie (Freycinetia scandens), a
pandanaceous vine with tufts of spiny leaves and splendid terminal spikes of odoriferous flowers flaming red
and brown among the tree-tops that sheltered the shrillscreaming oo, a blackbird that yielded from under each
wing a single yellow feather, monopolized by royal use
for the fabrication of the priceless feather cloaks in
which the ancient Hawaiian kings arrayed themselves
on ceremonial occasions.
The refreshing coolness of the woodland shade, the
vivid beauty of the colors in which we bathed our
eyes, the strange novelty and wildness of everything,
completely intoxicated me. It was a scene of enchantment which I was sorry to leave, when, about one
o'clock, we emerged from the wood and halted in a
little cocoanut grove, near a small native house
screened from the road by a few jambo-apple trees,
loaded with ripe fruit.  Here the cooks, sent on in
advance, were ready to serve a bountiful dinner; so




84       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
here we feasted and rested for an hour before resuming
the line of march.
All the afternoon we plodded through the sunshine
across a wide prairie that was verdant with tall grass
and the broad-leaved dracena.  The plain sloped
gently upward, so that we were almost imperceptibly
ascending; the forest was on our right, and a line of
low hills-extinct volcanic craters-distant ten or
twelve miles on the horizon at our left. Shortly before sunset we reached a little village in the border of
the wood, where our family was made welcome in the
house of the head-man of the district, while the schoolboys were accommodated in the other houses and in a
large shed, or wigwam built of boughs. The dwelling
in which we were entertained was new and neat; the
floor was spread with fresh grass, and the mats were
delightfully clean. We supped by the light of candlenut torches, my father held evening prayers with his
pupils, and soon after dark every one was abed.
All were awake at dawn of day, and the usual round
of breakfast and prayers was hastily finished, since
the route that day was to be longer and more difficult
than the preceding stage of our journey. The road
was a mere trace over the smooth hard lava that lay
in swelling knolls, as if it were an ocean of billows
that had been instantaneously congealed by frost. The
natives shod themselves with sandals, braided out of
the dried and twisted fibres of the draccena leaf; and
thus protected, they trampled fearlessly upon the
vitreous crystals that strewed the path, while our fourfooted animals picked their way over the slippery




ARRIVAL AT KILAUEA                 85
rocks with the surety and skill for which the mule is
so worthy of praise. The sky was clouded, and the
mountain air was so invigorating that my mother and
the little boys walked long distances over the uneven
roadway, gathering and eating the sweet ohelo-berries
as they went. At noon we dined beside a considerable
pool of clear water, replenished doubtless by the frequent rains, since we could find no trace of a spring or
other source to account for its existence.  Here the
boys were instructed to fill their gourds, for this was the
last place where water would be found in abundance.
We then marched on, over a track that led through
brakes and bushes and among queer-looking trees,
under a sky that lowered and finally poured out a
dense fog upon the earth. Waiting for stragglers, our
progress was necessarily slow; but at last, shortly
before sunset, we entered upon a field of scoria covered
with a scanty growth of wild rough plants and coriaceous shrubs. A low cliff loomed up through the
clouds on our right; the path crossed on a natural
bridge over a tremendous chasm in the earth; the
ground began to decend before us, and then it suddenly disappeared in a gloomy abyss that was filled
with whirling mist and all-pervading vapor; the
guide stopped, and silently pointed with his finger
into this realm of chaos and old night. We had arrived
at Kilauea.
Since nothing could be seen, we immediately turned
our attention to getting quarters for the night. A few
yards back from the brink of the precipice stood a
temporary shelter, built of boughs, surrounding two




86   HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


sides of an oblong space about a hundred feet in
length. This was soon carpeted with green brakes
and fresh mountain grass, upon which were laid saddlecloths and mats, making a comfortable rustic couch.
Several fires were built in front of this shed, and we
proceeded to have supper and prayers, just as we did
the evening before. But there was none of the joyous
gaiety which marked our feelings at that time. All
things combined to inspire us with dread. Old stories
of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and the destruction of great cities, from the days of Herculaneum to
the present time, came to remind us of danger. Finally, my little brother could bear it no longer, and,began to cry with fright, and had to be hushed to
sleep like a baby. Munson rolled himself in a blanket,
and slept the sleep of innocence and fatigue; but I
lay awake, shivering over the possibilities of a disruption of the earth beneath us, and of the engulfment
of our whole company, after the manner in which
Korah and Dathan and Abiram, with their crew, went
down to death in the days of Moses and the Children
of Israel. The prospect of such a cataclysm seemed
more and more probable, and I was heartily wishing
myself out of this inferno, when some one lifted his
head and exclaimed, " There's the fire! " Sure enough,
at a distance of two miles, there it was. The sky had
cleared, and the mists were condensed by the cold
mountain air, so that the heavens were bright with
stars, and in the depths below the awful lake of fire
was distinctly visible. The light did not uniformly
glow upon its entire surface, but seemed to come from




ERUPTION TN THE CRATER OF MAUNA LOA
MAUNA LOA AND THE CRATER OF KILAUEA
FROM PAINTINGS BY MISS C. F. GORDON CUMMN-G
I:: 




I
O~~~~~~~~~~~~
I
0




THE APPROACH TO THE CRATER 87
isolated points with varying intensity and changeable
position. High overhead was a luminous cloud of
vapor, reflecting the light from the pit, rising like
a pillar of fire, that could be seen from our home in
Hilo and from passing ships far out at sea. Arranging my pillow so that I could lie and look into this
mouth of hell, I gazed and gazed till my eyes could
see no more, and I slept a dreamless sleep.
The following morning was sunny and clear, revealing in one view the gulf before us. The crater
was an immense solfatara, nine miles in circumference
and about a thousand feet deep. An enormous promontory, covered with forest trees, jutted out into the
depths on our left; on the opposite side was a plain
of scoria, fissured and seamed with crevices from which
steam issued in clouds that were blown over the border of the cliff into the abyss below. Behind us lay
a mound of steaming earth, shrouded in vapor and
riddled with openings in which an abundant deposit
of sparkling sulphur-crystals glittered yellow in the
sunlight.  Still farther away, beyond the limits of the
crater, was the stupendous dome of Mauna Loa, its
nearer outlines clearly defined in the morning air
above us, but sinking and fading from view in the
distance toward the southern capes of the island. The
keen wind from the snowy peak "bit shrewdly" as
we turned out from our warm beds; it was almost cold
enough to freeze, and the dew-drops were rolling off
the feathery panicles and blades of the mountain
grass like shining jewels that had been forgotten by
the fairies when daylight scared them  away.  The




88    HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


glory of the sun, the brightness of the sky, and the
exhilarating temperature of the air, restored confidence
to us all;$ and we ran without fear to the edge of the
bluff, where we could look down upon the sunken
plain at its foot. In the immediate foreground, the
approach to the crater was formed by a succession of
depressions, each shelf lower than the preceding, so
that it was more like an irregular slope than a perpendicular descent.  Elsewhere, however, the wall fell
sheer in one straight line of eight hundred feet to the
black ledge-projecting base of lava that encircled the
cavity of the pit and represented the remains of its
original floor. This ledge was about a thousand feet
wide, from the outer bank to the inner crag formed by
the abrupt downfall of the central portion of the area
which before that event was the bottom of the entire
crater. The level of this lowest circle was about a
hundred feet below its rim; and so precipitous was the
line of its fracture that in one place only was it possible to descend to the lake of fire.
After a hastily eaten breakfast, the boys filled their
calabashes with pure cold water, condensed by night
upon the shrubs and grass that fringed the steam-holes
near our camp, forming a process of natural distillation upon which we were dependent for all the drinking water that we used. Several pairs of sandals were
given to each one of the natives, and all were provided
with Alpine staffs with which to sound the hollow lava
and to feel the way over dangerous places where the
crust was liable to break and to let one down into
a fiery furnace below. We slowly lowered ourselves




DESCENT INTO THE CRATER


89


over the face of the bluff, carefully placing our feet
upon the rude steps dug out of the crumbling rock,
until we reached the sunken plain that sloped toward
the pit, leading downward to a long inclining ridge of
scoria, on which, trailing our alpenstocks behind us,
and leaning backward so as to throw our weight upon
the hands that grasped them, we ran rapidly down the
final descent that brought us out upon the black
ledge. This broad shelf, which from above had appeared so level and smooth, proved to be exceedingly
rough with broken lava, crossed in every direction
by fissures, of which some were too wide to be
jumped, and some were filled with steam and sulphurous vapor, evidence of fusion near by. Not far
off stood an immense black cone, puffing steam from
its red-hot chimney, like some gigantic locomotive engine getting under way. Leaving the dangerous region,
we tramped over the vitreous lava until we reached
the place of descent into the inner crater. At this
point a halt was called, and my father issued instructions
to  his brigade.  There must be no straggling;
every one must go to the windward of steamholes and sulphur-breathing fimaroles; and thirst
was to be prevented by keeping the mouth closed,
and by drinking infrequently and very little at a
time.
We now began the final stage of the descent. It
was not long-only about a hundred feet; but it
was altogether the most difficult and dangerous portion of the way.  My younger brother rode on the
shoulders of his bearer, and two strong men assisted my




90       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
mother, so that we all safely reached the lowest depth.
Over the recently hardened lava we travelled nearly
half a mile, coming suddenly upon the level margin
of the lake of fire. This was a circular pool, fully a
thousand feet in diameter, surrounded by a wall
of rock, so that as we stood upon the brink the
melted lava was fifteen or twenty feet below us. Its
whole mass was in motion, furiously bubbling and
boiling and dashing up waves of red-hot foam and
spray. Sometimes there would be a partial calm, as
of the sea after a storm; a considerable portion of the
surface would freeze over with smooth hard lava, such
as we had underfoot; but in a few minutes there
would be a violent outbreak, and the broad field
would split open across its whole extent, allowing the
melted rock to rise through the crevices like water
coming up over the ice on a river during a freshet in
the Spring of the year. Huge flat cakes of solid lava
would tilt up on end, slowly turning over, and finally
disappearing in a tremendous whirlpool of fiery surf
thrown up from below. This exhibition was being
continually renewed all over the lake, while we stood
chained to the spot, and lost in admiration of the
awful spectacle, till an unusually vigorous outburst,
surging forth from under the bank, warned us that
we were upon an overhanging table-rock which might
be hurled at any moment into the sea of fire. Quickly
we drew back to what was deemed a safer point of
observation; and there we remained, watching the jets
of molten metal as they flew into the air, chasing one
another like genuine fire-fiends in a wild dance all




IN THE INFERNO


91


over the glowing space, until the heat and the fumes
of burning sulphur became quite intolerable. Thus
warned, we began to retrace our steps over the brittle
lava toward the ascent out of the pit. Having climbed
the black ledge, we sat down upon the rocks and
refreshed ourselves with copious draughts from the
flask-shaped calabashes in which the supply of water
was carried. Then we addressed ourselves to the final
scramble out of hell, —a long and laborious ascent.
Successfully reaching the top without fall or accident
of any kind, as evening approached we.gathered round
the camp-fire with the appetites of tigers, and dined
off a turkey, which, wrapped in the fragrant leaves of
the dracena, had steamed all day in the earth near a
large fumarole in the sulphur-bank behind our shelter.
With hunger for a sauce, it seemed the tenderest and
juiciest and sweetest meat we ever ate; and no weary
mortals ever slept longer or more soundly than we,
that glorious night. Before morning, the lake boiled
over, sending out a river of fire along the path which
we had travelled through the pit of the crater. By
similar eruptions during the next thirty years, the
whole gulf was filled above the level of the black
ledge, and an enormous cone, hundreds of feet in
height, was raised over the place where a sea of fire
once rolled its burning waves.
During the next ten years, I visited Kilauea as
many as a dozen times. While noting the fact that
the outlines of the vast crater remained without
change, it was interesting to remark the continual
modification of the position, size, and elevation of the




92


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


central lake of fire. With my mother and younger
brothers, I once spent a night of terror in the " volcano
house," a comfortable native building that succeeded
our camp as a place of entertainment for travellers.
About nine o'clock in the evening, the volcano, usually
remarkable for its silence, began to roar like a thousand
steamboats letting off steam, and these dreadful blasts
were repeated every few minutes through the night.
Travel in the dark among the steam-cracks was too
dangerous to be thought of; so we'could do nothing
but lie still and await whatever catastrophe might be
imminent. Sleep under such conditions was impossible; and as soon as it was daylight we saddled our
mules and fled in the direction of home. On another
occasion, visiting the place with friends, the full moon
at night illuminated the sky with a light so brilliant
that we descended into the crater and passed an hour
beside the fiery lake. What we then saw differed from
my first view only in the greater apparent brightness
of the glow as compared with its lesser intensity by
daylight.
The success of our expedition to the volcano encouraged my father to organize various minor excursions to different points of interest in the vicinity. In
this way, when the uncommonly showery weather for
which Hilo is famed would permit, many joyous Saturday afternoons were filled with pleasure and profit
for all of us. At a distance of a mile and a half from
our house there was a beautiful fall of water in the
river Wailuku, a mountain torrent that flowed in the
seam formed by the infolding of the lava from Mauna




RIVERS OF MOITEN ROCK IN KILAUEA
FROM PAINTINGS BY MISS C. F. GORDON CUMMING
"*'fc  111 1'  l X  1E 111
I | ffi —




I




CASCADE OF THE RAINBOW                93
Loa where it touched the base of Mauna Kea. As
there was no road to the spot, we found, soon after
leaving the cultivated school-land, that it would be
necessary to break a path through the jungle of bushes
that covered the country. So the schoolboys were
ordered to advance in column, pushing aside and breaking down the tall ferns and shrubs that opposed our
progress; and thus we finally reached the brink of
a ravine out of which the roar of the waterfall and
a thin cloud of white spray were ascending. The view
was screened by the extraordinary luxuriance of the
vegetation that buried everything; so that, not daring
to venture out upon the precipitous verge where alone
the fall could be seen, my first impressions were rather
disappointing. After recovering our breath, we pushed
along down-stream till we came to a place where a
descent of natural steps led over the brow of the bluff
into a canon which may once have been the bed of
the river, but was now filled with candle-nut trees,
huge ferns, and climbing vines. Growing in the shade
of the high rocks, and continually watered with drifting mist from the cataract, the foliage was dense and
verdant beyond description. Through this barrier,
dark and damp and fragrant with wild-ginger and the
blossoms of flowering iponaea, we slowly worked our
way behind the native boys, who were pressing on,
eager for a bath in the stream below the fall, until
suddenly the thicket came to an end, and we found
ourselves on a rough platform of basaltic columns,
right in front of one of the most beautiful objects in
nature-the Cascade of the Rainbow.




94       HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
We were standing on a rocky shelf, about twenty
feet above the water; and over the opposite cliff, just a
hundred feet down into a broad pool that lay in a circular hollow, evidently the ancient crater of a long extinct volcano, the river poured its unbroken volume.
Behind the fall the entrance of a gloomy cavern formed
a lofty arch, spanning the chasm, yet receding so that
the entire body of water descended through the shining
air in a beautifully symmetrical mass of rainbow-tinted
foam. From the margin of the crest of the encircling
wall, the perpendicular face of the river-bank was covered with delicate ferns and creepers, swinging and
waving in the breeze, and giving life and animation to
a scene that was now supremely vivified by the troop
of naked native boys who were plunging and diving
in every direction through the perfectly transparent
water.  Some of them climbed the slippery rocks
where they could slide down again; some leaped from
the ledge where we stood, shooting far out beneath
the slippery surface till we could see their heels gleaming green as they turned and came up, gliding feet
foremost through the depths. Some, more adventurous, breasted the waves that surged out from the foot
of the fall; and one or two were successful in swimming into the cave, rivalling the exploit of a former
queen of Hawaii, who was said to have once performed
that feat; but no one attempted the twenty-fathom
leap from the top of the crag,-the crowning achievement of Keoui Ii, the favorite of old Kamehameha.
Many a time afterwards we visited the beautiful
cascade. A passable track was beaten through the




COCOANUT ISLAND


95


brush, and the place became widely known as one of
the most attractive resorts in Hilo. Naval officers,
world-rovers, and visiting strangers of every degree,
were duly guided to the spot; and there was no one
who failed to admire. A supper on the basaltic rocks,
or a picnic under the candle-nut trees in the glen below the fall, formed one of the principal recreations of
our little world.
Another charming resort was Cocoanut Island, a
mound of black lava, only a few acres in extent, lying
at the tip of the long point that forms the east side of
the harbor. Viewed from land or from sea, the tiny
islet was made conspicuous by a grove of lofty cocoanut trees that covered nearly the whole of its surface.
The irregular coast-line was indented with little inlets
and miniature bays with beaches of white sand, forming delightful basins for every variety of bathing.
There were shallows in which the youngest toddler
could splash without fear; high rocks from which
strong swimmers could plunge right out into deep
water; and funnel-shaped crevices through which the
incoming billows flew up and fell back in splendid
showers.  At low-water mark, the solid lava was
fringed with seaweeds, washing in and out of sheltered
coves where limpets and periwinkles encrusted the
stones and bright polypes unfolded their petal-like
rays; while on the sand we often found delicate seamosses and shells from the submerged reefs where
flourished the branching corals which our amphibious
natives delighted in bringing to the surface. Then
there were spotted cowries and spiral volutes, black




96


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


star-fishes, live crabs, skeletons of sea-horses, sea-eggs,
sea-urchins, sea-fans, and queer-looking sea things
without number, so that a day on the island overflowed
with novel experience and exciting discovery. How
joyfully we burrowed in the clean white sand, sitting
intrepid like king Canute of old, awaiting the onset of
the rising tide! Who can describe the joy with which
we tested the salt sea waves as they tumbled us over
in the surf! In that buoyant water we learned to
swim, to paddle, and to row, till we were as safe
therein as on dry land. Sea and sky were alike of
that balmy temperature in which was neither heat nor
cold,- only a uniform golden mean that rendered the
simplest existence a dream of continual pleasure.
After a long frolic on the shore, when the mid-day
sun declined toward the cloud-capped peaks of Mauna
Kea, our mother would call us back to clothing and
civilization, summoning us to the shade of the tall
palms where there was cool cocoanut milk to drink,
and where fresh fish, tied up in bundles of ki-leaves,
were roasting on the fire, and a carpet of green fronds
strewed over the earth received the gourd-shell dishes
and the strange delicacies of a Hawaiian dinner by the
sea. We were never ready to start for home; and at
night, when the sunburned little backs, duly oiled,
had ceased to smart, our dreams were only of the day
when we might return to Mokuola, the enchanting
Cocoanut Island.
Less than half a mile in the rear of our house stood
an extinct volcanic cone, deeply hollowed out in its
centre,-the nearest one of three similar hillocks that




A PLAYGROUND NEAR HOME                  97
rose behind each other along an ancient fissure of
eruption. The rim of the old crater was about four
hundred feet above the level of the sea,-quite the
highest ground within many miles. During the lapse
of ages, the stony surface had mouldered into a fertile
soil, yielding a perennial crop of grass that induced
Mr. Goodrich to carry a trench around the base of
the hill, enclosing it as a pasture for the two or three
lonely cows that' yielded the scanty and uncertain supply of milk furnished to the mission families. After
several years of natural multiplication, the difficulty of
keeping the herd within its enclosure led to the removal of the cattle to wider fields of usefulness, leaving us a playground on which to expend our energy.
From the hilltop the eye could reach at least thirty
miles in every direction, including the ocean outside
of the harbor, the whole coast from the northern entrance of the bay to the eastern cape of the island, the
vast wilderness of forest, and the central mountains of
the interior. Moderate though it was, the elevation
perceptibly cooled the air, rendering it more exhilarating than upon the beach, so that my mother began
to prefer a holiday on the hill to an excursion along
the-shore or a trip to Cocoanut Island. We boys
were nothing loath, for the prospect was always pleasing, and we soon became skilled in a new mode of
amusement,- sliding down the grassy slope on flat
wooden sleds that ran over the smooth turf, just as in
northern climes a toboggan-sledge slips over the snow.
On this eminence, in the year 845, my father erected
a small thatched house, at an expense of six dollars,




98


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


for protection against the sudden showers that were so
frequent; and under its shelter we passed many happy
hours, reading, studying a little, striving occasionally,
under the guidance of Mrs. Andrews, to sketch the
beautiful landscape, and sliding down-hill as often as
possible.
One pleasant Autumn day, while thus enjoying ourselves, a sail appeared on the eastern horizon; then
another, and another, and still another, till not less
than fifteen ships were visible,-all steering for the
harbor. It was the most remarkable nautical display
that we had ever seen; all Hilo was aroused to watch
the white-winged procession following the pilot to the
anchorage, forming the vanguard of the New Bedford
whaling-fleet, coming southward from the Alaskan
waters in which it had passed the Summer. Disappointed by failure to obtain the provisions and the
license which they desired, the majority of these visitors soon sailed away to the Leeward Islands; but from
that day till the ruin of the whale-fishery by the discovery of oil under the hills of Pennsylvania, there
was not wanting a contingent of captains who preferred
the tranquillity of Hilo to the more questionable
allurements of other seaport towns.




CHAPTER VII. Strange Craft in our Harbor- Arrival of a U. S. Frigate -
Social Visits - On Board a Forty-four-gun Man-of-war - The
Smell of Powder - Distinguished Strangers in Port - The King
of the Islands and his Court - Primitive Medical Practice -
The Tragedy of Death -Progress in Studies - Beginning
English Literature - Reading under Diffculties.
XW    HILE the days were thus slipping quietly away
in our secluded nook, stirring events disturbed
the atmosphere of the external world; yet only their
belated reverberations arrested our childish attention.
One day in 1843, the lofty spars and well-squared
sails of a stately ship became visible in the offing.
Beyond doubt it was a man-of-war, but of what sort?
Was it one of those French corvettes whose pertinacious advocacy of free-trade in brandy and Popish
missionaries had so profoundly agitated the royal court
at Honolulu?  Or,-more likely thought, —was it an
English bulldog, one of the pack that was rending the
sovereignty of the islands, and snatching them from
the hand of their king, Kamehameha the Third? The
wind was light, and the afternoon was far advanced
before our anxieties were relieved by the sight of an
American flag at the mast-head of the slowly approaching stranger. As the sea-breeze fell, the huge
ship swung round the point of the coral reef and
dropped anchor within the harbor. Then, while the
99




100


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


yards simultaneously descended upon the caps of their
masts, the rigging swarmed with blue-jackets, and in a
trice every sail was furled out of sight. Never before
had so large a vessel been seen in our waters. Two
tiers of port-holes, a band of white paint encircling the
hull, and the Union Jack at the fore, proclaimed her
a forty-four-gun frigate, flying the broad pennant of a
commodore. With the going down of the sun, a cannon saluted the descent of the flag; and for the first
time in my life I heard the stirring notes of a full brass
band, pouring forth a flood of martial music that
awakened melodious echoes around the spellbound
bay.
At ten o'clock the next morning, a large boat, with
the Stars and Stripes gaily floating in the air astern,
pushed off from the frigate, and was rapidly rowed to
the beach in front of the mission-houses. Out of this
barge came an old gentleman in full naval uniform,
followed by a number of officers dressed in white
trousers and blue coats all glorious with gilt buttons
and shining epaulets, and well girded with swords at
their sides. It was Commodore Catesby ap Catesby R.
Jones, Commander-in-chief of the Pacific Squadron of
the United States Navy, sailing in the frigate United
States,-a ship of great renown in the War of 1812
with England.
This brilliant company advanced leisurely up the
road to Mr. Coan's residence, where they were most
cordially welcomed. Presently they again appeared,
this time on the road to our house. The flowergarden was in full bloom, and we children were arrayed




SOCIAL VISITS


I01I


in our newest clothes. The naval gentlemen made
themselves exceedingly agreeable. After inspecting
the schoolhouse, and listening to a bit of vocal music
from the pupils, the visitors returned to their ship,
having arranged to send their boats for the mission
families so that they might see the frigate and return
the Commodore's call.
On the following afternoon, accordingly, we gathered at Mr. Coan's house. Munson and I were radiant with joyful anticipation, and the delay seemed
long before the arrival of a handsome young officer,
his cap and jacket a glitter of gold, who escorted us
down to his boat, which was clinging to the rocky
landing at the mouth of the river Wailuku. With
some difficulty the ladies were handed into the restless
craft; the crew held their oars upright till the little
midshipman cried "Let fall," when they began to pull
vigorously through the waves that were lazily breaking
on the bar. We soon rounded the stern of the frigate; the men tossed in their oars; the bowman stood
up with his hook, and drew the boat to the foot of the
stairs that ascended the side. A tall gentleman in
epaulets, who stood on the landing-stage, swung us up
out of the boat and helped our mothers to climb the
steps. On either side of the gangway, upon the
muzzle of the nearest gun, stood a barefooted young
"powder-monkey," dressed in white; the sentinel presented arms; the Commodore and his suite, in full
uniform, received us as we stepped on deck. Never
before had we beheld such a magnificent parade. I
was entranced by the wonderful spectacle of the long




I02


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


rows of cannon grinning through the open port-holes
on the spacious deck, under the tall spars that towered
above our heads and seemed to pierce the sky, as we
looked aloft from the protecting rail where the white
hammocks of the seamen were bleaching in the warm
sunshine.
The officers took us all over the vessel, exhibiting
the big guns, heaps of cannon balls, muskets, swords,
boarding pikes, and all the paraphernalia of war that
filled this floating arsenal. The ship was a late survival of the celebrated group that were such famous
sea-fighters during the early years of the nineteenth
century; but she was now getting old-fashioned and
out of date. The space between her decks was
scarcely over six feet, so that her captain, a gigantic
mariner named Armstrong, was compelled to stoop as
he walked the main-deck; and he gave us ocular demonstration of the fact that only under a skylight or a
deadlight was it possible for him to stand erect, - a
disproportion which, he laughingly assured us little
boys, was due to being of Kentucky stock, half man,
half horse, and half alligator.
When the inspection of the ship was finished, the
Commodore regaled us with light refreshments in his
cabin, while the band discoursed sweet music on the
spar-deck till the boats were called and we returned to
the shore as we came. So great was the enthusiasm
excited by the band, that Mr. Coan opened his big
church, and the Commodore came on shore with his
musicians and treated the assembled population to the
first concert ever given by a complete orchestra in




VISITING FLAGSHIPS


I03


Hawaii. Then, in the early morning, when the landbreeze blew, the noble frigate spread her sails and
squared away for Honolulu, where her commander
was under orders from the President of the United
States to give the Hawaiian king encouragement and
counsel in his difficulties with Great Britain,-difficulties which, fortunately, were for the most part already
amicably adjusted by the English Admiral Thomas,
before the arrival of the American representative.
This visit was the beginning of considerable naval
display in our usually tranquil harbor. A few weeks
later we enjoyed a call from Commodore Kearney, in
his flagship the Constellation, a stout little frigate
dating back to the early days of the American navy.
Commodore Kearney was on his way home from Chinese waters, and merely looked in to see how we
tolerated British aggression. He was an elderly gentleman, confined to his chair by an attack of gout; but he
invited us all on board the ship, and treated us with
much consideration. Finding my father interested
in scientific subjects, he sent him a large bundle of
books, among which were parts of the "Bridgewater
Treatises"- Buckland's Geology, Sir Charles Bell on
the Hand, etc. Munson and I spent many a rainy
afternoon over these learned tomes, which no doubt
exercised a potent influence upon our mental growth.
In the early Spring of the next year (I844), Admiral Thomas, still engaged with political affairs at the
capital, sent his flagship, the frigate Dublin, to lie
for several weeks at Hilo. We saw nothing of the
officers, who seemed disinclined to associate with




104


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


Americans; but there was an old quartermaster, a very
religious man, who occasionally spent a day with my
parents. He gave me an interesting relic, a copper
finger-ring, such as sailors wear, made out of a nail from
the hull of the Royal George, a famous old line-ofbattle ship that, in the last century, while lying at anchor in one of the English naval harbors, sank with
hundreds of men and women on board. In order to
stop a leak, they had careened the ship; but leaning
over too far, the water rushed in through her open
port-holes, and down she went to the bottom of the
sea before any one could escape on deck.
One day, while engaged upon our morning lessons,
we were startled by the report of a heavy cannon, soon
followed by a whole salvo of marine artillery. The
crew of the Dublin were shooting at a target,-an
empty cask placed on the outer reef. A tremendous
cloud of smoke concealed the ship; but beyond the
anchorage was a beautiful display created by the tall
columns of spray that leaped into the air as the cannon balls, flying wide of the mark, skipped on the
water. This was before the days of rifled cannon, and
a position in front of a gun was scarcely more dangerous than one behind it.  A good deal of powder was
thus burned, to the immense gratification of Munson
and myself, who looked on and listened to the roar of
the cannon, all the while trying to fancy ourselves with
Collingwood and Nelson at Trafalgar and the battle
of the Nile. We became so curious regarding explosive compounds, that Mrs. Coan procured from Mr.
P. a small quantity of rifle-powder, which she exhibited




EARLY EXPERIMENTS


105


to us at school. After we had sufficiently admired
the little black grains, she placed the charge in an iron
pot over the kitchen fire. Munson intrenched himself behind the door, where he could peep through
the crack, while I stood entirely outside. Presently
there was a flash and a puff of smoke, but no loud report; for which omission we took our teacher to task,
compelling her to explain why we were not treated to
an ear-splitting concussion like that produced by the
guns of the Dublin.
Our games thenceforth took on a new complexion.
We busied ourselves about the building of earth forts,
the construction of clay cannon, and the creation of
mud soldiers without number. We rigged little ships
after the model of the man-of-war, and we made blowguns, like pea-shooters, out of hollow bamboo stalks,
using the spherical seeds of the Indian-shot (Canna
indica) for ammunition. A few years later, under the
instruction of the versatile Dr. Andrews, we learned
how to make real powder, and did actually produce
an ungranulated explosive very like what is employed
in the manufacture of Chinese fire-crackers.
In the month of September, I844, the Dublin
was followed by the Carysport, commanded by Lord
George Paulet, the redoubtable captain who harried
King Kamehameha and took away his crown before
the arrival of Admiral Thomas. He was a pleasantlooking young man, with a fresh complexion, blue
eyes, and short chestnut hair curling all over his head;
very affable withal, calling upon the missionaries just
like an American officer, and fairly compelling my




io6


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


mother to lend him her favorite mule for a ride to the
volcano. When he sailed, the poor creature came
home with a lame foot, a sore back, and a Spanish
doubloon in a neat little note filled with eulogy as a
plaster for the wound; supremely provoking my father,
who turned over the gold-piece to the treasurer of the
American Missionary Board.
The English officers at this date must have been
under orders to treat the Hawaiian missionaries with
special civility; for in the month of June, I845, we
were cordially greeted by the commander of Her Britannic Majesty's brig Talbot, Sir Thomas Thompson, Bart., a short, stout, red-faced, good-humored
Briton, with closely clipped side-whiskers, and a few
wisps of iron-gray hair judiciously brushed upward in
search of the sagittal line on the crown of his shining
pate. This gentleman was a very entertaining companion, and with his officers called frequently upon
the American families. My mother, one evening, invited the whole party to a genuine New England
supper; the jovial baronet, at her right hand, ate with
a magnificent appetite, perspiring at every pore as he
swallowed cup after cup of hot tea, and lauded the
bread and butter to the skies. Those were days of
uncommon interest in the cause of total abstinence
from alcoholic beverages; and before the evening was
over, Sir Thomas began rallying my mother about
her cold-water notions. She gave him as good as he
sent, and there was a battle-royal of repartee and fun,
till the valiant captain, bubbling and chuckling all
over, took snuff, and gleefully promised to join the




AMERICAN MEN-OF-WAR


107


first temperance society that would allow him a glass
of port wine after each meal.
The youthful surgeon of the brig, Dr. Scott, was a
typical example of the well-bred and attractive young
Englishman. The Talbot was an old-fashioned craft,
of a pattern now.utterly obsolete, but of high repute
in the days when such pugnacious little bulldogs were
accustomed, in the smoke of naval battle, to sail in
under the bow or the stern of a towering three-decker,
where with their short carronades they worked terrible
execution upon the water-line of the enemy's hull.
The genial Doctor showed us his quarters, including
the sick-bay and the cock-pit, where he was expected
to officiate in time of battle; and entertained us with
several stray numbers of "Punch," a comic weekly
periodical then only recently launched.  After a jolly
good dinner, he carried us home in a trim little cutter,
which, to my delight and to the amusement of the
jack-tars who pulled at the oars, he permitted me to
steer for a considerable part of the way to the shore.
The conflict between the United States and Mexico,
subsequent to the year 1844, brought to our island a
number of American men-of-war. In August, I845,
we saw Commander Montgomery, in the sloop Portsmouth; also Commodore Sloat, fresh from the coast
of California, with the sixty-gun frigate Savannah,
a ship of newer pattern and larger build than the antiquated United States.  The old Commodore was
a very unpretending and sociable gentleman, who
bewailed the impending ruin of the navy by the " newfangled tea-kettles," as he called them, that were




Io8


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


coming into use as motors on ships of war. Notwithstanding these gloomy vaticinations, he often enjoyed
substantial present comfort on our veranda, consuming
the delicious pineapples that just then were ripe in the
garden. He was much interested in the native school,
and took all the boys aboard his ship, where they
were ranged on the poop-deck and sang hymns and
choruses for his special delectation. Noting the avidity with which they fell upon the sailors' hard-tack,
he sent them a number of sacks filled with broken
biscuits,-the sweepings of the bread-bin, he called
them,-and this very acceptable gift afforded many a
toothsome luncheon for the young people. He also
had the ship's tailor fit me out with a much-needed
little suit of blue-jacket and trousers, and a midshipman's cap that showed a gilt navy button above each
ear. This improvement seemed to give him considerable satisfaction; and he presented the new garments
to my mother with many apologies for the tarnished
appearance of his own attire, protesting vehemently
that when ordered to the command of the Pacific
Squadron he never dreamed of the possibility of needing a new uniform, but now he wanted one every day
of his life.
The splendor of gold-lace and bullion epaulets was
not wholly monopolized by these foreign visitors.
Soon after the restoration of the islands by the British
government, the rehabilitated sovereign made a royal
progress throughout his ancestral dominions. It was
some time in the year I844 that the court reached
Hilo. Every day there was a public reception, to




A ROYAL AUDIENCE


og9


which the native people flocked from every part of
the country, and my father took us all to the royal
house. On one side of a wide hall the king stood,
with his chiefs in a line on either hand. They were
all uncommonly tall and corpulent men, wearing with
great dignity their rich uniforms, resplendent with
'jewels and gold embroidery, after the fashion of European emperors and Napoleonic marshals. Entering
the hall at one end, we bowed profoundly to His
Majesty, who returned the salutation with a smile and
a kindly nod as we passed out through the opposite
door. The natives who followed us appeared utterly
overwhelmed by "the divinity that doth hedge a king,"
for they grovelled in the dust, and some of the people
actually crept on all-fours in the presence of the monarch. In ancient times, when regal authority equalled
that of the gods, common people were made to lie
on the ground whenever the ruler came forth; and
the freedom that grew out of Christianity had not
yet delivered them from the awe with which they
approached their sovereign lord.
Very little of our time, however, was occupied with
these birds of bright plumage; and when they came it
was not always with light hearts that they were received.
On one occasion, in the year 1844, my mother was
seriously ill, with no physician but her inexperienced
husband. He was anxiously conning the well-worn
pages of Eberle's "Practice of Medicine," and with
many misgivings was laboriously striving to carry
out the directions of the book, when an American
man-of-war sailed into the harbor. Her commander




IIO


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


immediately sent his two surgeons to attend the case;
and I well remember the contrast between the splendor of their uniforms and the severe simplicity of
the sick-room.  The doctors pronounced it an attack
of pleurisy, and soon relieved their patient, freeing my
father from a load of care that was well nigh insupportable. On another day, in the course of conversation at our house, a Nantucket sea-captain remarked
that he wished there was a doctor in the place, for one
of his crew was very ill and they could do nothing to
help him. The sympathies of my parents were at
once aroused; my father boarded the whaler, and
brought the sick man ashore on a litter. Such a
wretched victim of disease I had never seen. The
poor creature was in the last stage of pulmonary consumption; his clothes, unchanged since he became incapable of leaving his bunk, were actually rotting on
his emaciated limbs, and the cadavoric stench from his
neglected person was utterly intolerable. Nothing
daunted, my father and mother with their own hands
cleansed the miserable sufferer, dressed him in clean
garments, and laid him on a comfortable bed in an
upper room  overlooking the garden with its green
trees and bright blossoms. Day and night they
nursed the dying man, never leaving him alone. From
the first moment, I was stricken with terror at the
sight of those wasted features, on which the ghastly
pallor of the skin was heightened by the contrast with
the raven locks that fell over a'forehead where the
damps of death were already gathering; and when, on
the third morning, they told me that, with a whisper




INTRODUCTION TO LATIN


I I I


of gratitude on his lips, he had ceased to breathe, I
could not muster courage sufficient to enter the room
where the body lay.
The dead man's shipmates bore his coffin from the
house, and I went with my father to the grave, but
dared not look in; and I wondered how the people
could have the heart to crowd so near the brink.
Death! O Death! What was this awful shade that
for the first time thus darkened our little home? It
was long before the gloom dispersed.
These childlike griefs were not permitted to interfere with my studies.  Besides acquiring proficience
in all the ordinary subjects of an English commonschool course, I learned with my mother the rudiments of the Linnaean system of botany; and together
we performed a number of the simpler experiments
described in Mrs. Marcet's "Conversations on Chemistry." The geography of the heavens was no more
difficult than that of the earth; and my progress up
the hill of science was quite self-satisfying, till one day
in my ninth year Munson startled me with the information that he was studying Latin. I felt slightly
piqued by this discovery that my junior had stolen a
march on me, and I made haste to lay the matter before the authorities at home. My father looked grave,
and decided that it was indeed time for me to begin
the dead languages; so a venerable copy of Adams's
Latin Grammar, printed at-Edinburgh in the year
800, was resurrected from its sepulchre, and put to
such vigorous use that I was soon familiar with Penna,
penne, penne,e pennam; hic, hec, hoc; amo, amas, amat.




1 12


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


These earlier exercises were interesting and amusing,
but oh, the weariness of flesh and heart and soul that
overcame me when we reached the irregular verbs and
the rules of syntax! However, I was compelled to
plod along, enlivened occasionally by a cuff on the
ear when memory was particularly treacherous, till
finally the reading-lessons from AEsop's Fables and
other easy-going Roman authors were quite enjoyable.
With English literature I also began to make acquaintance. My mother was fond of hearing me read
aloud from Milton's "Paradise Lost," and she tried to
interest me in Pollok's "Course of Time"; but the
infinite gloom of that sombre epic was simply intolerable. There was a large volume of "Selections from
the British Poets" that gave me much delight; and on
Sunday there was liberty to roam with Bunyan's pilgrims on the road to the Celestial City. Times without number that enchanting story was read, till I knew
it all by heart, and felt as familiar with the Wicket
Gate, the Hill Difficulty, the Palace Beautiful, the
Valley of the Shadow of Death, the Castle of Giant
Despair, and the Golden City beyond the Dark River,
as with the beach in front of my father's house.
When about five years old I came upon a book entitled "The Narrative of Sir Edward Seaward," a romance by Miss Jane Porter, describing the adventures
of a young Englishman who with his wife was cast
away upon a little island in the Caribbean Sea, where
they, the sole survivors of the gale, unloaded the
wreck, and made for themselves a lovely home, etc.
This volume, just published when my mother




FORBIDDEN DELIGHTS


I "3


embarked at New Bedford, was presented to her by
some one who deemed it appropriate reading for the
long voyage in distant seas; but inasmuch as it was a
fictitious story, it was placed upon the list of proscribed
works, and its introductory pages were obliterated by
pasting them over with pictures for the edification of
my infant brothers. Having learned to read, I became interested in the pages that were yet legible, and
was making some progress when the book suddenly
disappeared. My regret was not in the least diminished by the assurance that such reading was not profitable for small boys; and great was my joy, some few
years later, on finding the long-lost volume while
wickedly foraging one day upon the top shelf of a
lofty cupboard. I hastily descended with my prize,
and was deep in its fascinating pages when my mother
unexpectedly entered the room. Under a pillow went
the book, and I strove to look innocently unconcerned, but in vain. I was compelled to confess and
to surrender.  Some time after this, however, my
mother relented, and we boys were permitted to finish
the simple tale. When ten or eleven years old, we
discovered in Father Coan's garret an outcast copy of
"The Talisman," which we read with perfect rapture; and not long after, a visiting traveller left us two
volumes of Washington Irving's works, containing
the "Tales of a Traveller," "Bracebridge Hall," "Tales
of the Alhambra," and "The Conquest of Granada,"all of which, in the famished condition of our youthful minds, were as cold water to a dying pilgrim on
the sands of Arabia.




CHAPTER VIII


More Visitors at Hilo -  The Native Nobility of the Islands -
Advent of an Important Personage-Father Dole and his Punahou School-Another Voyage to Honolulu-Scenes and Incidents
at Sea-Honolulu in i846-An Uninviting City-Old Scenes
Revisited.
T   HE year 1 846 proved to be one of the most eventful in my life. Looking out upon the ocean
one sunny morning in early Spring, I saw, through
the tall bread-fruit trees that partially obstructed our
view of the bay, the white sails of a large clipper-built
schooner, gliding toward the harbor under every stitch
of canvas that her tapering spars could spread.  As
she came to anchor, though the American colors flew
at her masthead, we were perplexed by the sight of
six brass cannon peering through the port-holes in
the white streak that encircled her black hull; for there
was no such war-ship on the list of the Pacific Naval
Squadron. The water-line was marked by a narrow
stripe of gilding; the cut-water and figure-head on the
prow were equally radiant; everything indicated an
opulent outfit hitherto quite unusual in Hawaiian
waters.  With an excellent ship's telescope, recently
presented by a friendly sea-captain, I ascertained the
absence of naval uniforms among the officers and crew;
and the boat-load of people who soon landed were
evidently plain folks like ourselves.  They came
114




MORE VISITORS AT HILO


1I5


straight to our door, and made themselves known as a
mission family from the Island of Oahu,-the Reverend Peter Gulick and his three eldest sons —Oramel, a
young man of sixteen; John, fourteen years of age;
and Charles, a boy about two years older than myself.
They were enjoying a holiday excursion from Honolulu on the yacht Kamehameha III., newly arrived
from Boston, whence she came around Cape Horn
with the hope of finding a purchaser at the royal
court of Hawaii. Though considerably my seniors,
the young men were not too far above me; and I
enjoyed a delightfully novel experience in making
acquaintance with these singularly intelligent and
well-trained youths, so different from the wild cabinboys and untamed powder-monkeys who occasionally
found their way to my playground.
From these interesting visitors I learned many new
things, and my imagination was fired by their description of a school which they attended at Punahou, in
the suburbs of Honolulu. When they sailed again
on the homeward voyage, Hilo seemed less attractive
than before. But in a few weeks our solitude was enlivened by the return of the Kamehameha,-this
time the royal yacht indeed, with the ensign of Hawaii proudly waving from her flagstaff above the crown
that replaced the American escutcheon.  With my
spy-glass I could see that the quarter-deck was
crowded with well-dressed women and personages in
uniform. The whole party, consisting of sixteen or
eighteen children of the high chiefs, members of the
royal school, soon disembarked under the direction of




nI6


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


their tutor, aided by the court physician, an Englishman, whose wife, a native princess, filled the office of
chaperon.
Ttie arrival of this distinguished company caused
much excitement among our people.   The young
nobles with their numerous attendants formed a brilliant cavalcade, glbrious with gilt buttons, blue broadcloth, and bright ribbons, as they rode away on
horseback next morning to visit the volcano. Only
their teacher and the doctor appeared in sombre black,
soberly jogging along at the rear of a troop led by the
new commander of the royal yacht, the Hawaiian
Lord High Admiral John Hall, in full panoply of
war, with the longest sword and the biggest epaulets
that could be found in Hawaii. Alas, "' How are the
mighty fallen!"  Poor Captain Hall ran the yacht
ashore, and was ignominiously dismissed from the service because of incorrigible fondness for the "strongwater" of the foreign seamen. Of that vivacious
group, four grew up to succeed one another as kings
of Hawaii, and two became queens; but all too soon
they finished their meteoric flight, and are "gone
down to the pit with their weapons of war, and they
have laid their swords under their heads."
A few weeks after the passage of this aristocratic
swarm, there came to our house a middle-aged gentleman, tall and slender, with a dark complexion setting
off his grave but kindly features. This was the Reverend Daniel Dole, principal of the school recently
established at Punahou for the education of the
mission children, —the school which the young




0
MISSION SEMINARY AT LAHAINALUNA
FROM AN OLD WOODCUT




I 
a
I
I~~~~~~~~~~~~~




FATHER DOLE AND HIS SCHOOL I17
Gulicks had described. As it was vacation-time in all
the schools, my father persuaded Mr. Dole to remain
with us a few weeks. A good classical scholar, fond
of books and agreeable in conversation, he soon convinced my parents that it was time to send me to his
school. I did not fully realize the probable consequences of this decision; but the thought of rejoining
my young friends, the Gulicks, and of finding other
similar companions, quite reconciled me to the idea of
leaving home. So one chilly evening in July, I846,
as the sun went down, my mother kissed me good-bye,
and my father took me in a canoe to a little brigantine
of forty tons, the Clarion, that lay at anchor, crowded
with native passengers, waiting for the night-wind
to set sail for Honolulu. Safely placed on deck, my
father commended me to the guardianship of the captain, and returned to the shore as the brief twilight
faded into tropical night. The natives swarmed all
over the deck, talking, laughing, eating, spreading
their mats, and preparing to spend the night in the
open air, for the space under the deck would have been
intolerable if shared with such a crowd. Being the
only white person on board, the cabin with its pair of
narrow berths was all my own, and, despite the heat
and the vermin and the dreadful smell of bilge-water,
I slept till late in the morning.
When I went on deck we were gliding along the
north-east coast of Hawaii. Under cover of night we
had passed one by one the forty-nine cascades of Hilo,
where the torrents that furrow the flank of Mauna
Kea leap over the rock-built coast wall into the sea.




118     HAWAIIAN      YESTERDAYS
Soon the land-breeze fell calm, leaving us to roll and
toss upon the huge billows, with a rattle and clatter of
rigging whipping the canvas. Presently, however, the
sea-breeze began to ruffle the water on the horizon,
raising a ripple that advanced over the waves, sending
out little cat's-paws as it approached, and finally filling our sails.  Blown before the wind across the
deck, the boom of the mainsail got adrift, swinging far
out till it brought up against the shrouds. As it
crossed the quarter-deck, two sailors seized the spar and
strove to hold it; but it was too much for their
strength, and they were dragged out over the water,
hanging for a moment with slippery hands, which soon
gave way, leaving them to fall among the tumbling
waves. A tremendous shout went up from the multitude on deck, and there was immense confusion among
the crew, until the vessel hove to and ceased to move.
The men overboard struck out fearlessly, swimming
like fish, and soon climbed joyously over the low railing of the schooner, amid roars of laughter from their
amphibious countrymen, to whom the adventure
seemed anything rather than a dangerous accident.
The strong trade-wind hurried us past the precipitous shore of Hamakua, and by noon we could see
the vast canons of Waipio and Waimanu, where the
waterfalls, descending in streams of mist like bridal
veils from the brow of the cliff, plunged straight down
two thousand feet into the abyss below. And now
the mountains of Hawaii began to fade in the distance,
as the enormous volcanic dome of Maui loomed
among the clouds before us. We were in the stormy




INCIDENTS AT SEA


I19


channel between the two islands, where the rolling
waves are never still. Our deck was inundated with
flying spray, and the native passengers shielded themselves as best they could behind their mats.  I sat
under the lee of the weather quarter-rail, on a wooden
bucket turned upside down,-the only available seat;
and the whole magnificent scene lay open before me.
The wind blew fair and strong, and the ocean was
alive with white-caps as the billows foamed and roared
around and under and ahead of our little craft, shouldering each other and rushing headlong in their furious
procession until it seemed as if old Neptune and all
the sea-gods from the realm of Varuna, with their attendant mermaids and tritons, had really come back to
earth again. At the helm was a jovial young roisterer
named Napoleona,- one of the heroes of the involuntary morning bath, a prime favorite among the native
belles on deck. There was perfect freedom of conversation with "the man at the wheel"; they made him
the butt of continual chaff, which he glibly returned
amid peals of laughter all around. Then, watching
his opportunity, he would deftly shift the rudder so as
to throw up a flood of foam that poured over the bows
and drenched his gentle friends all over the deck,
glorifying everything with rainbow-tinted showers
irradiated by the splendid sunshine that filled the
luminous day.
As evening approached, we passed the promontory
of Hana; but with nightfall the wind and the sea went
down, leaving us almost becalmed under the eastern
slope of Haleakala. Presently the land-breeze came




120


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


down from the peak, wafting us gently on our course.
There was no moon, but the stars gave a light so brilliant that the outlines of the land were clearly discernible. Watching the undulation of the water, my
attention was arrested by an appearance as of sparks
flashing faintly beneath the surface. At first I deemed
it merely a reflection of the stars; but after repeated
observation of the same appearance in the eddies
formed by the movements of the rudder where reflection could not occur, and especially in the wake of
large fish as they passed, I concluded that it must be
an exhibition of marine phosphorescence, which,
though often read of, I had never seen before.
We reached Lahaina shortly after breakfast the next
day. The Clarion was to lie overnight in that
port; so the Captain took me ashore and directed me to
the mission-houses, where I was welcomed by Mr. and
Mrs. Forbes, former fellow-voyagers with my parents from New Bedford. Their eldest son was two
years my senior; but he cheerfully devoted himself to
my entertainment, proposing a walk up the hill to the
home of the family of Mr. Alexander, another offshoot
of the Averick band who now presided over the native
college at Lahainaluna, where the Clarks were living
at the time of my visit in 1840, before their removal
to a station on the other side of the island. Mr. Alexander was a Kentuckian, tall and thin like Abraham
Lincoln, with a merry twinkle in the eye; a fine
scholar withal, and an excellent guide for the young
collegians under his care. His two oldest sons were
already at Punahou, consequently I was left to the




LAHAINALUNA COLLEGE


121


hospitality of the third son, a cheerful bullet-headed
little chap, with the mirthful blue eyes of his father,
and an abundant crop of flaxen hair curling in ringlets
all over his head.  This vivacious youth, after a brief
acquaintance, gaily proposed that we should butt our
heads together, to find out which was the harder; an
offer that was declined with considerable alarm.  He
then took me to the college laboratory, where I saw
many curious things, and was treated to a moderate
shock from a galvanic pile, which was afterwards
intensified by the paternal hand for my companion's
benefit, until his wrists were convulsed and he shouted
with pain.
The college was situated upon a bleak hillside, several hundred feet above the level of the sea, and the
view was magnificent. Below us was the anchorage
and the vine-covered village of Lahaina; before us, the
ocean extended illimitably beyond the horizon; to the
right were the lofty hills of Lanai and Molokai, bordering the channel through which boisterous winds
blew foam from the surf all the way towards Honolulu; on our left, the deep bay of Maalea washed the
southern shore of Haleakala, and opened out upon the
distant sea, where, in fair weather, the mountains of
Hawaii sometimes could be seen far away beyond the
low-lying islet of Kahoolaue. After a dinner, served
with Attic salt, and seasoned by our host with spicy
wit, I returned for the night to the Forbes home.
The roof of their house was completely covered by a
grape-vine, which also shaded a broad trellis, creating
a delightful arbor in the place of a veranda. The




122


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


delicious grapes were ripening, and their purple clusters,
hanging from the trellis-work, filled the air with fragrance; no vintage of Eschol or Andalusia could have
been finer. Shading the front yard was an immense
kou tree with orange-colored blossoms and large heartshaped leaves that gave forth a pleasant sound as they
rustled in the soft sea-breeze.
Toward evening the next day, the oldest son of my
host, deciding to rejoin his schoolmates at Punahou,
accompanied me to the Clarion. With leisurely stroke
of oar, our little boat moved easily through the rippling water, past the side of a trim-looking schooner
with raking masts and clipper-built hull, the former
royal yacht, and under the bow of a saucy brigantine
that once in six months served as the regular means
of communication between our islands and the coast
where Acapulco and Mazatlan and Monterey were
slumbering in the sunshine of Mexico and California.
Soon after our arrival, the anchor was raised, and
through the night we were driven rapidly before the
north-east trade-wind. As the sun rose next morning,
we rounded Diamond Head, an extinct volcanic cone
that juts out five or six miles east of Honolulu, and
soon were threading the narrow channel through the
coral reef into the harbor. The Clarion went straight
to the wharf, and we stepped ashore as the halfwakened people were opening their doors, July 25,
I846.
The landing-place at Honolulu presented no attraction for passengers from the sea; a slaughter-house
and meat-market projected over the muddy water of
the harbor, while on the opposite side of the way a




HONOLULU IN 1846


I23


long row of filthy shanties defiled the air with odors
of decaying vegetables and dead fish. No one yet
dreamed of the fine stone buildings that were to rise
around the port; the majority of the dwellings were
grass huts reared by the aborigines, or structures of
adobe, -put up by natives and foreigners who brought
their model from the Mexican coast.  The narrow
crooked streets were deep with dust, and few trees but
the scrubby hibiscus and an occasional algaroba could
maintain life in that thirsty soil, where all the water
was pumped by hand or by windmill from shallow
wells sunk in the coral rock. Here and there, belonging to the "quality," was a wooden house of two
stories, surmounted by an odd-looking platform, a
"lookout," copied from the perch of some retired seacaptain in Nantucket, where one must betake himself
to the housetop in order to get sight of the sea and
the ships laden with oil, coming on "camels" over the
bar in the palmy days of whale-fishery. A large part
of the sea-front was obstructed by the fort, a square
enclosure surrounded by high walls of coral rock on
which were mounted a number of wheezy old cannon,
some of them ancient brass-pieces bearing inscriptions
in strange tongues, sold to the savages years ago for
ten times their weight in sandal-wood. The only
place where prosperity seemed to abide was a stone
building, a little apart from the street, approached
through an arched gateway over which glittered a
crown like that over the stern of the royal yacht.
This was the new Post-office, Custom-house, Treasury, and Government offices, all in one. Farther
east, toward the mission premises, was the Palace, a




124


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


large stone mansion -shaded with wide verandas, and
surrounded by an enclosure filled with trees, above
which floated the gorgeous royal banner of Hawaii.
But the unlighted streets of the city were destitute of
pavement and sidewalks; the shops were low, dark,
and repulsive. An attractive retail store, a hotel, or
any place of refreshment better than a grog-shop for
drunken sailors, did not exist.
Such was Honolulu in' the year 1846; one of the
least inviting spots on the face of the earth.
With young A. for my guide, I reached the home of
our friends, the Chamberlains, where a number of
changes were apparent.  The "depository," removed
from their upper rooms, was now installed in a
queerly shaped edifice near the schoolhouse, so that
the family enjoyed more ample accommodation than
formerly; and —luxury hitherto unknown within
missionary circles- in the little parlor a Chickering
piano yielded harmonious music that was wholly
novel to my delighted ear. The great stone church
also was completed, but everything else remained as
in the year 1840.
During the afternoon we crossed the open plain to
our destination, where I was kindly received by Mr.
Dole and his new wife, married since visiting Hilo. I
was turned over to Alvah C., a youth of sixteen,
whose roommate I was to be.   He good-naturedly
helped me with my little trunk, and showed me how
to arrange my scanty possessions.
The school building consisted of a low whitewashed
adobe structure, thatched with grass, encompassing
two adjacent courts and forming a ground-plan that




W
KAWATAHAO CH4URCH
z, PUNAHOU SCHOOL
3. HILO BOARDING-SCHOOL
FROM CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHS




a




PUNAHOU SCHOOL.


125


resembled the outline of a capital letter E. A veranda, floored with square brick tiles, provided a sort
of arcade around the inhabited sides of the courtyards,
which were bordered with flowers and sodded with
Bermuda grass. The schoolroom and the refectory
were placed in the middle wing. The east and west
wings contained eight rooms, to each one of which
two boys were assigned, numbering sixteen in all.
Besides these boarding-scholars, there came from the
mission families in Honolulu a number of day scholars, who energetically walked across the plain every
morning before nine o'clock, going home again between four and five in the afternoon. These Honolulu children, as we called them, did not share our
meals, and we saw them only in the schoolrooms or on
the playground at recess.
Punahou derived its name- New Spring -from a
copious fountain of clear water gushing from under
the rocks at the foot of a craggy hill that half closed
the entrance to a deep valley called Manoa. Behind
the school premises were the mountains of Oahu,
while before us the broad plain of Waikiki extended
to the beach. This valuable property was the gift of
an autocratic queen, who, at an early day, in token of
her good will, gave it to the Reverend Hiram Bingham,
a leader among the pioneer missionaries. Recognizing the value of this donation, Mr. Bingham enclosed
a large tract of land around the spring, and dedicated
it to the establishment of a school for the children of
the missionaries among the Hawaiians, an institution
that has since grown into a full-fledged collegeOahu College.




I26


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


Owing to the difficulties attendant upon inter-island
communication, the arrival of pupils from distant stations was often delayed till after the beginning of the
school year. It was now nearly three weeks since the
commencement of the term, and I was consequently
three weeks behindhand with my lessons. Mr. Dole
chose to consider me farther advanced with my studies
than the other children of my age; and not finding
it convenient to start a special course for my benefit,
he crowded me ahead among boys and girls who were
several years older than mnyself. When, on the first
day, at the recitation in natural philosophy, I was
called up from my little desk and made to stand between the two tallest young people in the school, an
audible titter travelled round the room, bringing hot
blood to my cheek. However, I was fond of such
studies, and found no difficulty with the resolution of
forces, or with angles of incidence and reflexion; I
could hold my own in grammar and history, and in
spelling and arithmetic,-in all the subjects, in fact,
that did not require from the student any very close
application. But, thrust into a class of big boys who
were reading Caesar, and were already for three weeks
at close quarters with Helvetii and other Celts or
Teutons, I tasted the concentrated gall of bitterness
in the endeavor to comprehend that "all Gaul is divided into three parts."  Salt tears of mortification
sterilized my blushes during those early recitations;
but one of my schoolmates, who was remarkable as a
linguist, and subsequently was salutatorian at Yale,
cheered me on, and lent a helping hand till I "got the
hang" of the lessons, and there was no more trouble.




CHAPTER IX


School-days at Punahou -An Old-fashioned Scholar and Teacher
-The Schoolroom and the Farm-Daily Routine of Work
and Play -By the Evening Lamp-Holiday ExcursionsMountain-climbing -Sights and Incidents in HonoluluSunday Experiences- Services at Bethel Chapel-Notables
among the Congregation - The Welcome School-vacation —
Yoyage Back to Hilo - Some Diffcult Navigation - Becalmed
at Sea-A Tempestuous Night - Home Again.
FATHER DOLE was an excellent scholar of the
good old-fashioned type,-fond of books, and
reclusive in his tastes. A vein of shyness in his nature kept him in the background among men, but to
his friends he revealed a fund of quiet humor, enjoying
with them a hearty laugh as much as any one. For
willing students he was an excellent teacher, especially
gifted in pointing out the literary beauties of the different authors- Latin, Greek, French, German, and
English-that were under consideration. During the
course of my preparation for college we read together
the whole of Virgil, and it was a pleasure to note the
enjoyment that he derived from this literary exercise.
In the same way he took us through the course in
Olmstead's "Natural Philosophy," illustrating the
lessons with a quantity of apparatus newly received
from Boston for our enlightenment. But when compelled to deal with listless and backward scholars, he
never appeared to advantage,-perhaps through want
127




I28


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


of experience, for the children from the missionary
families were generally so quick-witted that they seldom
gave their teachers any trouble.
Father Rice was an active, energetic business man,
who presided over the farm and the out-door life of
the institution. Brusque and stirring, he made every
one move; yet there was about him so much goodnature and hearty sympathy with boy life that we all
liked him in spite of the strictness of his rule. Under
his direction, we rose at daybreak, and were marshalled
into the corn-field, each one armed with a hoe to be
used for the extermination of the weeds and Bermuda
grass that were such pests in our plantation. At seven
o'clock the bell recalled us to our rooms, where we
changed our clothes and made preparation for breakfast. At the conclusion of this meal we assembled in
the prayer-room for morning prayers, after which ceremony we tidied our rooms, and made ready for the
opening of school at nine o'clock. With the end of
the first hour we were allowed a " short recess " of ten
minutes, —a joyous interval that was occupied with
games of ball and foot-races on the playground in
front of the schoolhouse.  Released from toil by the
coming of noon, we hastened to the bathing-pond, an
artificial pool filled with living water from the spring.
Here we enjoyed fifteen or twenty minutes of delight,
splashing, swimming, and diving like porpoises, while
our guardian teacher stood on the top of the adobe
wall that screened us from public view, beaming with
satisfaction, and enjoying the fun as much as the
bathers themselves.




ROUTINE OF WORK AND PLAY I29
Dinner was always served at half-past twelve; consequently, no unnecessary time could be wasted in
making one's toilet. Sometimes an unfortunate youth,
belated by too much enthusiasm for the bath, would
endeavor to rescue a reputation for punctuality by
rushing to the table with uncombed locks streaming,
Medusa-like, around his face. Long hair being then
in fashion, such apparitions were rather startling, but
were seldom repeated, for Miss S., who presided in
the dining-room, never failed to remand such unkempt
urchins to the solitude of their rooms. After dinner
there was a period of play-time until half-past one,
when the bell again called us together for an afternoon
session that lasted till half-past four. The Honolulu
children then trudged homeward across the arid plain,
while the rest of us devoured a hasty supper, and were
hurried into the corn-field, where we practised the use
of hoe and spade till it was dark enough to see two
stars. This was the signal for knocking off workthanks to the brevity of the tropical twilight - soon
after six o'clock. -It was then necessary to visit the
spring, pail in hand, to procure the daily supply of
water for our rooms; after which we resumed our
"good clothes," and gathered round the long diningtable, with our books, for an hour of evening study.
From this drudgery, however, the older boys were
excused, and were allowed to pass the evening in Miss
S.'s sitting-room, an apartment that was brilliantly
illuminated by a wonderful Argand burner'with a
bronzed tin shade,-a luminary that far outshone the
little whale-oil lamps which twinkled in the darkness




130


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


everywhere else. Our energetic housekeeper busily
plied her needle while exercising us in turn at reading
aloud from Prescott's fascinating histories. Wrestling
thus with old Aztec names, Quetzalcoatl, Ilxklilxochitl, Popocatepetl, and Huitzilopotchli, we enjoyed
many a profitable hour, learning the art of intelligent
speech, and acquiring a love of books that never could
be taken from us. At half-past eight the bell announced the close of study hours, and by nine o'clock
we were all in bed.
Saturday was a holiday,-that is, there were no
school sessions. During the forenoon hours we weeded
and watered the little garden strip that bordered
the verandas in the quadrangular courts. This task
completed, we were allowed to pass the rest of the
day with our young friends in Honolulu, or in
rambling among the hills behind the schoolhouse.
Many an excursion was thus performed, when the
weather was dry and the sky was clear of clouds.
Sometimes we struck out boldly over the smooth
grassy slope of Round Top, slowly climbing the steep
ascent in the blazing sunshine, until, drenched with
perspiration, we reached the cool shade of the forest
that clothed the sides of Mt. Tantalus, as we called
the loftiest of the accessible summits. From this
peak, which, however, was not the highest point of
the range, one could overlook the whole southern
slope of the island and a vast expanse of ocean rising
like a wall of blue to meet the azure dome of the sky
above. Sometimes the more adventurous of us
pushed through the wilderness of upland trees and




HOLIDAY     EXCURSIONS            I31
shrubs, in the endeavor to reach the distant peak of
Konahuanui, the terminal point of the mountain; but
the way was too long and difficult to be overcome in
the space of a single afternoon, so we were fain to
gratify ourselves by clambering over the precipitous
sides of the vast amphitheatral valley of Manoa, or
along the easier ascents of Makiki and Pauoa.
One afternoon, thus descending from Tantalus, we
came unexpectedly upon a lonely garden between the
hills, in which were grape-vines, olive trees, oranges,
mangoes, and guavas, galore. Hungry for the fruit,
that in those days was such a rarity on the Islands,
we plucked and ate a number of guavas, and two
half-ripe oranges were made to exhibit the imprint of
juvenile teeth. A few days later we learned that a
complaint was lodged against us by the descendants
of one Don Francisco de Paula Marin, an ancient
mariner of Spanish extraction, ennobled, no doubt, by
long residence near the royal court in Honolulu,
whose zeal for the introduction of fruits from his
native land had created the little Eden into which we
so diabolically intruded. Our teachers appeared to
sympathize with our sacred hunger, for their chiding
was very gentle, and Miss S. explained that according
to the law of Moses, as set down in Holy Writ, it was
right to eat fruit while passing through an orchard,
though none might be carried lawfully away by the
visitor.
Having taken our fill of mountaineering, we generally wandered away in search of acquaintances among
the mission families in Honolulu. That dry and dusty




132


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


city in those days contained little of interest beyond
a very limited number of houses. An old-fashioned
quadrangular fort occupied the east front of the harbor,
where a number of rusty cannon were mounted upon a
shaky wall that surrounded the Governor's house and
the jail. Near the outer gate of this stronghold, across
the street, stood a low building of adobe, wide and deep,
with but scanty provision of windows for illumination.
In this structure were piled boxes and barrels and
bales of goods for trade with the Indians along the
northwest coast of America; it was the warehouse of
the Hudson Bay Company. A little farther up-town
was a large two-story building of rough-hewn stone,
upon which appeared the sign of " C. Brewer and Co.,"
Boston ship-chandlers, who dealt with such whalers as
chanced to float that way. Not far off, in a grove of
algaroba trees, out of sight of the grog-shops on the
main street, was a pleasant mansion, the home of Dr.
Wood, the American consular surgeon, where, entering uninvited one quiet afternoon, I saw the Doctor
slice open the hand of a sailor and draw forth a needle
that had burrowed in his flesh for many weeks while
at sea. Around the corner, in a lovely shaded garden,
was the cottage of the genial Seamen's Chaplain, where
we boys were always welcome among the books and
tracts in all the languages of seafaring Europe that
were piled upon the floor of the reception-room. Beyond this cheerful "snug harbor" was the house of the
French Consul, a building upon which we looked with
fear and trembling, for in those days the minions of
France were the principal disturbers of the peaceful




SIGHTS IN     HONOLULU             133
relations of our island kingdom. The Royal Palace
stood in vast seclusion in the eastern quarter of the
town, and near it were the residences of sundry chieftains, survivors of the ancient regime, together with
the houses occupied by the Royal School under the
direction of Mr. and Mrs. Cooke. Then came the
buildings of the American mission, the depository, the
printing-house, and the book-bindery, forming a nucleus around which stood the homes of Mr. Dimond
the binder, Mr. Rogers the printer, Mr. Castle, Mr.
Chamberlain, and Mr. Hall, the secular agents of the
mission, and Mr. Armstrong, the indefatigable pastor
of the huge stone church across the street. Beyond
these edifices lay a waste of ruinous adobe walls and
straw huts, with here and there the more civilized
homes of a few foreign residents encamped upon this
distant shore. Overlooking the whole settlement rose
the steep sides of Punchbowl Hill, crowned with a
flagstaff and a diadem of rusty old cannon used for
saluting the men-of-war that occasionally entered the
port.
Dust, heat, and squalor made the Honolulu of that
day one of the most uninviting spots that I have ever
seen. During the shipping season, it is true, the harbor overflowed with boisterous life. The New Bedford whalers made it their winter station for refreshment
between their annual voyages among the ice-floes of
the Arctic Ocean, and their crews formed a numerous,
though not wholly desirable, addition to the native
community. But when Summer lured forth the sailor
in search of whales, the town was dull enough. Once




134


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


or twice a year we saw the blood-red flag of England
displayed from the mast-head of the barque Cowlitz,
as she voyaged to and from the factories of the Hudson Bay Fur Company on the shores of Vancouver's
Island. Almost as infrequently, also, came wandering
ships on the way from Boston to the coast of California, dropping fragments of cargo for the benefit of the
few traders upon our islands; and occasionally the
whole population was aroused by the advent of some
huge ship of war, carrying the flag of America or England or France. Brigs and corvettes could enter the
little haven, but frigates and line-of-battle ships were
compelled to roll at anchor far out on the open sea
toward Waikiki. Great was our delight when one day
an American naval officer found his way to the school
at Punahou, and invited us all on board his ship,
where we took in our fill of wonder at the overpowering display of the enginery of war.
Sunday was for us a day of perspiration and piety.
At ten o'clock, arrayed in go-to-meeting clothes, we
were despatched on foot, a distance of two miles and a
half across the plain, to the Bethel Chapel in Honolulu. Our teachers, and such of their children as could
be depended on for quiet during the hours of service,
rode in state upon a pair of queer two-seated carts, of
which the like are seldom visible beyond the limits of
Cape Cod.   In this fashion we advanced upon the
sanctuary. Long and dusty though the walk might
be, it was not without its compensations, for that day
Honolulu was adorned with the colors of the rainbow.
Above the palace waved the gorgeous royal banner of




SERVICES AT      BETHEL CHAPEL         135
Hawaii, while the flagstaffs of the numerous foreign
consulates and the masts of the ships in the harbor
were decorated with the ensigns of their respective
nations. In those days everybody went to church,
and the King's Chapel at Kawaiahao was crowded with
exalted personages in military uniform and common
people in gaily colored attire, while at the other end of
the town an immense thatched roof sheltered a throng
of natives under the ministration of the Rev. Lowell
Smith.   For the Roman Catholic population there
was a cathedral edifice of stone, at which we boys
looked askance with holy horror as we hurried past, for
it was currently reported that beneath the high altar
were certain gloomy vaults that only awaited the establishment of French ascendency to be fully equipped
and put to use after the manner of the terrible Spanish Inquisition.
Nearer the water's edge, in the lower part of the
town, was the Seamen's Bethel,-a two-story building,
of which the upper portion, reached by an outside
stairway, was occupied as a chapel. Arrived here,
after much perspiration, we boys were ranged in two
pews on the north side of the single aisle. Taught to
be always punctual, we were usually the first occupants
of the church, and it was for us a delectable spectacle
that was furnished by the incoming congregation. The
assembly, especially in summer-time when the seamen
were absent, was not large, but it was select. There
was the local representative of "C. Brewer and Co.,"
in all his immaculate commercial dignity. Dr. and
Mrs. Wood invariably appeared just in the nick of




I36


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


time to avoid being late. Mrs. J., wife of the alwaysabsent editor of a forlorn little weekly newspaper called
"The Polynesian," and Mrs. H., a stalwart personage from Cape Cod or thereabouts, who feared
neither God nor clergyman when the propriety of
dancing was called in question, were pictorially delightful in their airy costumes, with bewitching bonnets of
such scandalously diminutive proportions that the tips
of their pretty noses and chins were actually visible on
a side-view as they passed the seats of the elders in
the congregation. Then there was a devoutly mysterious couple who were always present,-Mistress
Hannah J., said to be the relict of a former American
consul, and her luxuriantly beautiful half-white daughter. The.official representative of the United States
of America occasionally made his appearance, modestly
arrayed in a blue dress-coat with brass buttons and
white duck trousers; but he was quite thrown in the
shade by Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General
and Minister Plenipotentiary, a testy old gentleman
who was credited with great renown as a general
in numerous long-forgotten South American wars.
We, irreverent boys, derived much amusement from
the air of intrepidity with which this masterful Briton
charged up the aisle, whispering into the crown of his
hat as he settled down upon the cushion in his pew,
and pulled out a voluminous bandanna handkerchief
with which to drive away the exasperating flies. When,
at precisely eleven o'clock, Mr. and Mrs. John Ladd,
rotund and joyous, walked arm in arm to their chairs
behind the little seraphine-the only instrument of




FATHER DAMON
'THE SEAMENS CHAPLAIN
BETHEL CHAPEL
FROM PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN I 
OF1.,AE,




I




NOTABLES PRESENT


I37


the kind upon the islands,- we composed ourselves
with a hush of expectancy, for we knew that they
would be followed at once by Father and Mrs. Damon,
promenading the aisle in the full glory of youthful
vigor and beauty, as Mr. Ladd evoked from his musicbox the harmonious notes that announced the beginning of divine service.
Never shall I forget the rapture with which, one
day, we watched the holy man's ascent of the pulpit
stairs, bearing a crown of glory in the form of a neatly
folded handkerchief that remained upon his head as he
removed his hat at the chapel door. Father Dole, who
was fond of a laugh, bit his lip and became suddenly
lost in contemplation of numerous fissures in the
plaster that adorned the ceiling; but Miss S. was equal
to the occasion. Resolutely glaring, and waving her
fan in a terribly suggestive manner, she repressed an
imminent outbreak of impiety; but it was difficult that
day to remember the sermon. It must be confessed
that as a general rule our enjoyment of preaching was
not very intense; but we felt it was the right thing, and
that our prospect of heavenly bliss must be assuredly
enhanced by the discomfort of another hot and tedious
walk across the plain,- a monotonous exercise varied
only by the occasional incident of a storm during the
months when the dust of summer was transformed
into the mud of winter, and the mountain valleys were
filled with driving clouds and hissing showers of rain.
On such days, in harmony with the universal gloom,
we pulled off our shoes,-stockings we never wore,and strode manfully over the carpet of tender grass




I38


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


that sprang out of the mire, reaching home in a state
of more or less complete saturation, but with excellent
appetites for the frugal luncheon with which we always
solemnized the day.
The afternoon hours were devoted to sleep, to reading, or to writing letters for the dear ones at home;
the only requirements were perfect quiet and seclusion
in our rooms.  After supper, the usual evening hour
of study was occupied by Miss S., who ranged us
round the dining-table and made us recite the catechism and repeat all we could remember of the sermon
which we were supposed to have heard at the Bethel
Chapel. This dreary performance was the most dreadful experience of the entire week.  With astonishing
patience, the good lady strove to refresh our memories,
and to evolve something out of nothing, while we
fought the mosquitoes and watched the slow-paced
movement of the hands upon the dial of the clock,
or gave way to violent fits of extemporized coughing,
that drove us into the open air of the quadrangles,anything, in short, to kill time and keep one awake
until the welcome termination of the hour that dismissed us for the night.
Such was the weekly routine of our life; but occasionally its monotony was interrupted by some trivial
incident that loomed large among our juvenile ideas.
Every afternoon, about five o'clock, two notable
horsemen, mounted on a pair of milk-white steeds,
might be seen, amicably jogging side by side across
the plain. They were John Ricord, the Attorney
General, a tall, good-looking Yankee lawyer, and




WELCOME SCHOOL-VACATION I39
Robert Crichton Wylie, formerly a thriving surgeon
in the land beyond the Tweed, but now Minister of
Foreign Affairs, and proprietor of the most truculent
pair of whiskers and mustachios in the Hawaiian
kingdom. Sometimes these gentlemen left the beaten
track, and invaded our solitude, where they discussed
with Father Dole the merits of the "Encyclopadia
Britannica" and the superior quality of Scottish morals,
while some favored pupil guarded the flower-beds
against the teeth of the magnificently caparisoned
horses. Sometimes we were gratified by a livelier incursion in the form of a cavalcade from the Royal
School, under the safe-conduct of their faithful preceptor. The vivacious young chieftains, resplendent in
blue broadcloth and gilt buttons, always made a profound impression on our barefooted squad; but it was
a considerable consolation to find that we could easily
hold our own in the wrestling matches and running
races that were soon organized on every such occasion.
Thus trained into habits of orderly life we passed
the days and weeks until the month of May brought
round the long vacation and scattered us to our homes
all over the Islands. Fortunately for me, Captain
Hoyer, the newly appointed Hilo pilot, was in
Honolulu, and, having hired a little schooner to carry
him, was quite willing to take me as a passenger. The
captain laughed at the methods of the native skippers,
who hugged the shore and strove with the trade-wind
in the narrow channels between the islands; so he
started out from Honolulu on a long stretch to the
north, quite out of sight of land, with the intention


)




140


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


of getting so far to windward that when he should
tack the schooner he could steer southeast, straight
into the bay of Hilo, where he promised to arrive
in three days, instead of the ten days or fortnight
usually required for the voyage. The east wind blew
strong, and wafted us under full sail till we reached
the turning-point, a hundred miles north of Molokai;
then we tacked ship and sailed southeast, sighting the
bald headlands of the islands, as we passed.  But on
the morning of the third day, instead of carrying us into
port, the trade-wind, which in that latitude rarely fails
to blow, utterly died away, and left us becalmed in full
view of the northeastern slopes of Haleakala. There
we lay during the whole of four days, tossed up and
down and rolled hither and thither by the oily waves
that shimmered in the burning sunshine under a cloudless sky. Occasionally a lonely shark looked up at us
as he rubbed his nose against our planks, leaving
us only when the captain launched after, him an old
harpoon that fell short of the mark.  One day two
brightly-colored dolphins made a similar visit, briefly
enlivening our dejected spirits; but for the greater
part of the time we seemed utterly deserted, even by
the sea-gulls. We had neither books nor papers to
read; there was nothing to do but to gaze at the
distant columns of smoke that lazily ascended into
the air from numerous clearings on the mountain-side,
hoping to discover by their deflection the approach
of a breeze. The sailors whistled until their cheeks
seemed ready to burst; but nothing availed, and we
had to accept the inevitable. At night we slept on




VOYAGE BACK TO HILO


I41


the bare planks of the deck,-for the heat of the
cabin was insupportable, - and there was comfort in
the cool night-air, lying flat on one's back and
watching the zig-zag course of the tapering top-mast
as it swung to and fro among the glittering stars.
Thus enjoying the moonlight, I was once rudely interrupted by an old salt who covered my face with
a blanket, insisting upon the danger of facial palsy
incurred by all who lay uncovered in the rays of the
moon, and quoting for my admonition the experience
of a hideous old sea-dog, well-known on the islands,
whose mouth was said to have been drawn round under his ear by reason of a nap in the light of a full
moon.
But all things must change; so on the evening of
the fourth day of calm, with a rush and a roar of
foaming billows, the wind suddenly came down upon
us out of a cloudless sky. For a few minutes the
shouts of the sailors vied with the blasts of the gale,
as they braced the yards and reefed the mainsail; but
soon everything was made fast, and heeling over, with
the lee-rail flat upon the water, we stormed along all
night in a smother of foam. When I came on deck
in the morning, we were near the cliffs of Kohala, with
the mission-houses in full view.  Our captain sent a
boat ashore for provisions, while we hovered in the
offing till about noon, when the adventurers returned
with a load of deliciously fragrant grass, newly mown
for our live-stock.  With considerable difficulty, the
boat and its cargo were hauled on board, and we began
the tedious task of beating against the wind along the




142


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


eastern shore of Hawaii. Our schooner could fly like
a bird before the gale, but against a head-wind her
progress was very slow; and we lost three whole days
in covering the seventy miles between Kohala Point
and Hilo Bay.
Far more agreeable was a homeward voyage over
the same course, a few years later, sailing in the beautiful Kaluna, a clipper-built fore-and-after, once a
New York pilot-boat from the ship-yard of the celebrated George Steers, builder of the famous yacht
America. She was altogether the fleetest and most
manageable craft that ever sailed among the islands,
responsive to the slightest motion of the helm, bending her course hither and thither as easily as a canoe
on a fish-pond. The voyage of which I speak was a
steady beat to windward, a distance of two hundred
miles from Honolulu to Hilo; but it was finished in
three days, instead of the week or more required by
the ordinary packets. Well do I remember that glorious Sunday when we tacked along the northeast coast
of Hawaii, making seaward legs of five or six miles,
and then standing in as near to the land as possible in
order to get the help of a favoring current that swept
the outer margin of the reef. From the little rustic
churches that dotted the grassy slope of the island
came forth swarms of gaily dressed natives, brilliant as
butterflies in their brightly colored scarfs and shawls,
clustering on the brink of the precipitous coast, high
above our masts, where they could witness our fairydance upon the water.  Flying under full sail, and
rushing straight after the wild waves that dashed up




HOME AGAIN


I43


and fell back in torrents of spray along the craggy
shore, it was like running into certain death; yet, on
we went. No one moved, no one spoke; not a sound
could be heard above the whistle of the wind and the
roar of the sea. The captain, a quiet native sailor
whose voice was seldom heard, crouched in a blanket
upder the weather rail, where, between the main
shrouds, he could look out over the rocks and the
waves. One more heave of the billows would have
thrown us into the surf, had he not silently raised his
hand, when down went the helm, instantly whirling
the obedient craft round on her heel, and away we flew
over the opposite tack, far out to sea.
But this time no such glorious yachting was possible. Though our galliot wrestled laboriously with
every opposing wave, and buried herself in foam, a
long tack into the offing and back again often carried
us no farther than the headland from which we started.
Ten days wore away at sea, before we could round the
north point of the bay and glide into the tranquil
waters of our desired haven.  At last the anchor
dropped in sight of the parental nest, and I was ashore,
almost running up the road to the house. The quiet
village seemed asleep in the morning sunshine; no one
was to be seen till the garden gate was reached, when
forth to meet me among the flowers came father,
mother, and a troop of little ones, laughing and shouting their welcome home. My joy was too great for
anything but tears; I could only clasp my mother's
neck, and weep like an infant in her arms.




CHAPTER X


Arrival of Notable Visitors to the Islands - A Berserk ExplorerA Distinguished Naval Officer- On Board a U. S. Sloop-ofwar - Voyage back to Honolulu - A Glorious Spectacle - The
Summit of Mauna Kea from the Sea - School-days Again - A
Vacation-trip among the Islands-An Experience with SharksA Whaleboat Excursion -A Stormy Passage- Making the
Shelter of a Coral Reef- A Canoe Voyage - New Arrivals
from  Boston —Close of School-A Lovely ApparitionGeneral Meeting at Honolulu - News from the Outer World.
D   URING the month of July in that year, Hilo
received a number of notable visitors.    The
Attorney-General, Mr. John Ricord, one of the two
horsemen whom we used to see on the plain near
Punahou, now making a tour of inspection among the
lower courts of the Islands, arrived at my father's
house on his way back to Honolulu. Hotels and
other appliances of civilization being unknown, such
occasional travellers as were above the social level of a
beach-comber sought shelter in the mission-houses,
where they were gladly entertained for the sake of the
pleasure afforded by conversation with persons of education and refinement superior to that of our ordinary
environment. In this way our parents formed the
acquaintance of several gifted men and women, with
whom a life-long friendship was thus established.
Such were Douglas the botanist, Professors J. D.
I44




A BERSERK EXPLORER


145


Dana and Chester S. Lyman of Yale College, Richard
H. Dana, Jr., Henry T. Cheever, Miss Isabella Bird,
Miss Gordon Cumming, Lady Franklin, Mrs. Brassey,
and others.
One day a magnificent giant, with a chestnut-brown
beard that reached to his waist, came stalking out of
the forest into Mr. Coan's little sitting-room, where
he introduced himself as Major Low, of the British
army in India, on leave of absence, engaged in circumnavigating the globe for his own amusement, and now
on his way back to Calcutta, at which place he proposed to arrive after journeying in disguise across the
empire of China, then closed to outside barbarians.
The Major was a most imperious and domineering
person, utterly indefatigable in his questions and in
his power of locomotion. Before many hours were
passed, he had pumped Mr. Coan dry, visited everything of interest,-taking my father's school and the
big church as merely trivial items during a morning
walk to the Rainbow Falls,- and was off to the volcano. Striding over the lava at a pace that outstripped
all his pack-men, he examined the crater, and was
ready for another island before we could fairly awake
to the measure of such Berserk energy. Two or three
years later, Mr. Coan received from him a letter
announcing his safe arrival in Calcutta, after a most
difficult and hazardous journey through. the heart of
the Chinese empire.
In the latter part of July, our harbor was visited
by the U. S. sloop-of-war Cyane, under the command of Captain Dupont, subsequently hero of the




146


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


bombardment of Beaufort, S. C. The Cyane had been
captured from the British by the famous frigate Constitution during the War of 1812, and was consequently,
to us boys, a very interesting specimen of naval architecture. Captain Dupont was a distinguished officer,
descended from an old French family long renowned
in the annals of Delaware, tall in figure and dignified
in bearing, with a character in every respect so far
above the ordinary level that his life on shipboard was
necessarily lonely and reclusive. He soon made his
way to the mission-houses, where he was quite captivated by Mr. Coan's enthusiastic nature; and before his
departure the two gentlemen had cemented a friendship that was sustained by correspondence through the
remainder of their lives. Desiring to visit the volcano, the Captain made up a party that included two
or three vivacious young lieutenants and past midshipmen, with Mr. Coan for guide and companion; while
Munson and myself, mounted on our obdurate little
burros, acted the part of supernumerary outriders. At
the volcano, a comfortable native house now replaced
the rustic shed under which we boys had experienced
such imperfect shelter three or four years before; and
every one so heartily enjoyed the excursion that our
distinguished commander, who had previously made
great profession of dyspepsia, returned to his ship full
of confidence in his ability to digest anything and everything that the steward might see fit to place before
him.
Learning that my vacation was drawing to its close,
and that there was no assured means of voyaging to




A U. S. SLOOP-OF-WAR


I47


Honolulu, Captain Dupont invited Mr. Ricord and
myself to take passage with him. We gladly accepted this invitation; and again, in the dusk of evening,
I bade the household good-bye, and was sent aboard
ship in the double canoe that belonged to the station.
During the night the Cyane weighed anchor, but so
light and baffling was the wind that we made very little
progress. All day long, and through the next night,
we floated round the entrance of the harbor, trimming
the sails this way and that, to catch the ineffectual
zephyrs which blew from land or sea. I was miserably
seasick, and homesick enough to die. During the
afternoon of the second day, the big canoe paddled out
from shore, bringing me a note from home, and a
basket of fruit with a bottle of milk for the Captain.
Passionately fond of these delicacies, he sat down by
the cabin table with Mr. Ricord, and, aided by the
stewaid, began to prepare a plateful of guavas, to be
eaten with sugar and cream. Languidly reclining
upon a huge Chinese bamboo chair, I soon perceived
that the unsophisticated trio were ignorant of the
method by which to obtain the full flavor of such
fruit, and I finally asked permission to prepare it for
them according to my mother's receipt. This offer
was gladly accepted; and having furnished each of my
seniors with a delicious dish, I ventured upon one
for myself, and was thus fully cured of sea-sickness.
After this, I visited my friends in the ward-room,
where the surgeon, Dr.Wm. Maxwell Wood, presented
me with a brilliantly colored picture of Vesuvius in
eruption, which he had picked up in Naples when




148


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


sailing with the Mediterranean Squadron. The purser,
Mr. Price, was in high glee over his success at dominoes, having by superior skill and good luck transferred
to himself the right and title to every pineapple in the
ward-room.
Several days were thus consumed, as we slowly
crawled away from the land. At last, one evening as
the sun went down, the clouds dissolved, and far away
to the southwest, covering a space of ninety miles along
the horizon, towering fourteen thousand feet into the
upper air, the magnificent dome of Hawaii was revealed in the brilliant twilight. The world affords few
such glorious visions, for many of the loftiest mountains of the earth are dwarfed in the eyes of the spectator by the fact that their full altitude from coast-line
to terminal point is seldom visible, and the majority
of them stand in clustering groups where each peak in
some measure detracts from the splendor of its fellows.
But, viewed as we saw it, the summit of Mauna Kea
stands without a rival, the monarch of the Pacific.
This sublime spectacle was followed by the return
of fine weather, and all the next day we careened
before a favorable breeze that bore us rapidly to the
harbor of Honolulu. There Mr. Ricord and I bade
farewell to our munificent host, and went our several
ways, - Captain Dupont to become a famous admiral
in the Civil War; Mr. Ricord, after a brief additional
tenure of office, to wander among the gold mines of
California; and I to plod the dreary plain between
Honolulu and my school at Punahou.
Once more within the enclosure of the school




AN EXPERIENCE WITH SHARKS I49
grounds, I was consoled by finding all my old companions, and several new boys besides. Mr. Rice's
corner of the west quadrangle had been pulled down,
and was now replaced by a large two-story structure of
stone. The rooms on the first floor were occupied by
his growing family, and the upper story was left open
for a school-room which gave us far better accommodation than the old quarters between the two courts.
The weeks passed quickly away; and when the winter
vacation of a fortnight came round, I was invited to
spend it with the Hitchcocks, at their home on the
island of Molokai. With a number of other boys, we
took passage on the royal yacht, which now made regular weekly trips between Honolulu and Lahaina, carrying passengers and freight like a common plebeian
packet. Leaving port in the late afternoon, the next
morning found us becalmed near the western point of
Molokai.  The sea was a mirror, and through the
transparent water the white sandy bottom was plainly
visible. A school of fish, that appeared no larger than
mullet, was moving leisurely through the depths; but
as we drifted across their field they rose toward the
surface, and our vessel was presently surrounded by a
host of full-grown sharks, eight or ten feet long. The
cook baited a large hook with several pounds of salt
pork, which hardly touched the water before it was
seized by one of the greedy monsters. It required the
united strength of the whole crew, with help from several of the passengers, to haul the struggling giant on
board. He leaped and splashed and tore at the hook
in a perfect fury of despair, till, drawn out of the




15o


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


water within reach from the deck, he was speedily
killed.
Having thus gratified the vindictive spite with which
sailors always regard a shark, we began to whistle for
a breeze. Toward evening it came in puffs from the
east, that blew stronger till we were tacking against
half a gale of wind at the entrance of Lahaina Channel.
The night was clear, the moon was full, and the sea
was white with foam. Back and forth we zigzagged,
between the islands of Molokai and Lanai; but our
progress was slow. The yacht, despite her beauty and
speed, had one fatal defect,-she was liable to miss
stays when tacking in a strong wind.  Our captain
did his best, and some of his passengers helped with
excellent advice, but in vain; at the critical moment,
instead of coming round on the other tack, the
beautiful creature would stand for a minute shivering
and bowing to the waves, then would falter and fall off,
rendering it necessary to wear ship, a manoeuvre that
always sacrifices a portion of what has been gained
on the previous run. All this, however, only added to
the excitement of the voyage; and the glorious night
was far spent before we could consent to lie down and
sleep in the cabin below. Awaking in the morning,
Lahaina was in sight, and our clipper was waiting in a
calm for the sea-breeze to waft us to the anchorage.
During the afternoon, the Hitchcock boys found a
native boatman who agreed to carry our party across the
channel between Maui and Molokai. He instructed
us to meet him at the landing immediately after breakfast the next morning. Rallied at the trysting-place,




A WHALEBOAT EXCURSION


1SI


we found the old man, with four stalwart sons, launching a whaleboat in which they were accustomed to
voyage between the islands. The little craft was rigged
with two masts and a jib-boom, and carried three sails,
like a regular fore-and-after. There were four of us
white passengers, besides the five men of the crew; so
that the boat was filled when all were embarked. Being under the lee of the lofty island, the air was calm;
but the native seamen put out their oars, and rowed
leisurely in the hot sunshine toward the Black Rock,
a bold promontory at the end of the beach, five miles
west of Lahaina. As we approached this landmark,
the channel opened out to view, nine miles wide
between the islands. From the way the white-caps
covered the sea, it was evident that we should have no
lack of wind after passing the rock. The pilot ordered
his sons to reef the sails, which were flapping idly in
the breathless air; but they only made fun of their
parent, declaring that they had perspired for an hour,
and a full breeze would be the most grateful thing in
the world. "Very well," replied the old man, "you
shall have all you wish, and we will see what we shall
see.
A few minutes later, as we glided out of quiet water
into the boisterous channel, a gale from the north
struck us full abeam. The boys unshipped their oars,
and roared at the old man to take in sail. " Too iate,"
was the only reply that the grim patriarch would vouchsafe, as he swept the white-caps with his mighty steering oar, and headed out into the open sea. We were
instantly wet to the bone, as we huddled together in




152


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


the bottom of the boat, where two of the, men bailed
with all their might, while the others watched the straining sails and kept a lookout ahead.  The breakers
dashed all over us, and nearly filled the boat; yet on
we flew. Fear was impossible in such a turmoil of excitement,-one could only laugh with the wind, and
dance with the waves that leaped upon us; but soon
the sun disappeared in a bank of storm-clouds, and the
land was obscured from view by a pall of driving spray,
as the raging billows grew larger and longer in their
sweep. Our course was at right angles with the wind,
placing us continually in the trough of the sea,-the
most uncomfortable and dangerous situation that could
be conceived. After a time, we caught a glimpse of
the cloud-capped hills of Molokai, and could make
out the line of tremendous surf that was breaking
upon the reef along the entire length of the coast. We
fortunately were a little to windward of the inlet through
which alone it was possible to enter the lagoon within
the coral wall. Our pilot scanned the waves with
eager eye. Was it here? Was it there? I could see nothing save a wild tumult of flying foam; but with quick
decision he slacked the sheets and headed off the boat
before the wind. We were now upon the backs of the
waves, rushing headlong before the furious gale, like
an arrow let loose from the bowstring. On our left
was the roaring ocean, to the right the leaping surf
thundered our requiem; all eyes were fixed upon a
narrow strip of comparatively smooth water between
two walls of foam. The old man, with vigorous
strokes of his oar, wheeled the boat again into the




A CANOE VOYAGE


153


trough of the sea; for a minute, as we shot across the
reef, we knew not whether we were in the boat or out
of it; but we kept afloat, and in another minute were
safely gliding through the sheltered lagoon, beaching
our craft on the sand right in front of the mission station. For three days longer the tempest raved, cutting
off all passage between the different islands; and then
during the rest of vacation-time fair weather prevailed.
Having climbed the hills from which we could look
down into what afterward became that horrible inferno, the Hawaiian leper prison; having bathed in the
transparent waters of the lagoon till we were tired, and
having eaten all the ripe grapes in the little vineyard,
it was decided that our return to school must be protected from the dangers by sea which had attended our
coming; so a commodious old-fashioned double-canoe
was made ready, with an outfit sufficient for a voyage
to Tahiti. We boys squatted among blankets and
cushions high on the broad platform between the
two canoes, while a company of veterans from Father
Hitchcock's church wielded the paddles, and two
full-fledged deacons steered. There was very little wind
abroad that day; not a white-cap was visible, and our
progress depended wholly upon muscular power.
With steady stroke, our experienced crew kept perfect
time, ever and anon clapping their paddles in unison
against the ribs of the canoes as they changed hands
from side to side in obedience to a signal from the
steersmen. Thus propelled, we reached Lahaina in
great comfort, and there found the royal yacht ready
to carry us joyously back to school.




I 54


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


The ensuing winter months slipped away without
notable incident; but in the early Spring a little barque
entered the deserted harbor. It proved to be one of
our occasional visitors from Boston, this time bringing
a number of passengers, besides a cargo of lumber and
general merchandise. Among these voyagers were the
Rev. Mr. Atkinson and his wife, destined to a station
among the Indians of Oregon; and the Rev. Mr.
Kinney, who with his wife was to join the Hawaiian
mission. At the Bethel Chapel, next Sunday morning, we saw these new arrivals, and studied them with
childish curiosity as they quietly sat through the service and sermon. Mr. Atkinson was a fine manly
young fellow, just out of the seminary, an excellent
singer, whose acquaintance as our music-teacher at
Punahou we made during the time of waiting for the
slow-moving barque that annually voyaged between
Honolulu and the Columbia River. But Mrs. Kinney,
tastefully dressed in a gown of changeable silk, the
like of which we had never seen before, and radiant
with youthful loveliness, captured the hearts of all the
boys; and we worshipped her afar off, as a veritable
goddess descended from heaven to illumine the earth
with beauty.
The close of our year was marked by a public exhibition of the school in the large upper room of Mr.
Rice's new house. The day was beautifully bright
and cool, and the mission families, assembling from all
over the Islands, were gathered in full force to hear us
read and sing, and show off our learning in Latin,
Greek, and mathematics. One schooner-load arrived




A LOVELY APPARITION


I55


during the performances, so that all day long the excitement of witnessing the entrance of old friends and
the introduction of new faces was continued. Everything went off in good style; our teachers received the
commendations that on such occasions are usually
bestowed, and we passed the hours in a state of
delightful effervescence. It was near the middle of the
forenoon, when a little ten-year-old girl, in a lownecked white frock, quietly entered the schoolroom
and took a seat in the audience. I found myself
suddenly sitting up very straight, and eagerly whispering among my companions the inquiry who might be
this maiden fair.  I learned that she was a sister of my
room-mate; but when school was dismissed, she disappeared in the throng, and I saw her no more that day.
The General Meeting of the mission began in Honolulu next day, and my father took me to occupy with
him an upper room in the house of our friends, the
Chamberlains. The meeting continued for about four
weeks; but although there were plenty of children
with whom to frolic, the period was not one of unalloyed pleasure. I was not fond of listening to the
ponderous debates in the General Meeting house,
preferring a game of hide-and-seek among the boxes
and barrels in the storehouse to any fine-spun theory
about original sin as a factor in Hawaiian morals. I
consequently felt no little astonishment when one day
my father announced that I should enter a class which
Mr. Coan was training among my schoolmates for admission to the church. The idea of being good enough
for such promotion was novel to me; but, obedient




HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


to the parental will, I could only comply with its expression. Every morning we passed an hour with our
fervent instructor, who never appeared so completely
in his element as when talking to children about Jesus
and the Heavenly Land. We became as wax in the
flame, and at the end of a fortnight he reported our
fitness for union with that mysterious association, the
Church of God, in which our parents were such illustrious officials. It was the last Sunday afternoon of
the General Meeting, when, reverently gathered in the
old schoolhouse where their daily sessions were held,
the missionary assembly overflowed with solemn joy,
as Mr. Coan, with words of genuine emotion, led us
into the presence of our white-haired patriarch, the
venerable Asa Thurston, who, lifting up his hands and
raising toward Heaven his streaming eyes, offered us
in prayer before the Lord. Never, after that aweinspiring ceremony, did the world seem again what it
had before; and though the ardor of enthusiasm
soon wore away, something inscrutable, intangible,
indefinable, indelible, yet remained.
Early one morning, shortly after this solemn celebration, a voice below our window cried the news
that during the night some sort of brig or brigantine
had brought from the Spanish Main intelligence of
the dethronement of Louis Philippe in Paris, and of
the discovery of gold near San Francisco in California.
We knew it not then; but this was in fact the proclamation of an epoch in the history of the world, - the
end of the old regime, the beginning of a new era, the
dawn of another day upon the shores of Hawaii.




CHAPTER XI


Visitations to Outlying Villages-In Volcano-land —At Home
with the Natives- Their Happiness and ContentmentMissionary Work among Them-Religious Rites and Ceremonies - The Pastor and his Flock - Tobogganning on Grassy
Slopes - The Goddess of the Volcano - A Pestilence-bringing
Ship - Ravages of the Disease - School-life Suspended —
Another Excursion to the Interior-A  Tropical StormBridging a Torrent with a Rope - A Glorious Memory.
ONCE       more at home, Father Coan began one of
his regular quarterly visitations to the outlying
villages of his parish along the eastern coast of the
island. We three older boys of the two mission
families accompanied him, manfully trudging on foot
behind our indefatigable leader, whose tall Alpine staff
served in place of a genuine bishop's crook. At noon
of the second day, we turned out of the volcano-road
about six miles east of the crater, and made our way
among the bushes over a narrow trail that led to the
shore at the farthest limit of the diocese. The sky
was overcast, and heavy clouds brushed the tree-tops
as they bent before the wind from the sea. Several
times the path skirted a sunken crater, invisible in the
jungle until we were actually upon its verge. In one
of these hollows we could see at a vast depth the floor
of the pit covered with recently cooled lava,-a reminder of a tremendous eruption in the year 1840,
I57




HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


when a river of fire flowed underground from Kilauea,
emerging at intervals in a line of extinct pit-craters
between the mountain and the shore, bursting out at
last upon the surface of the earth, and rushing headlong down a steep place into the sea, twenty-five miles
or more from its fountain-head in the great volcano.
But we could not delay, for our guide was fearful
lest the coming of night should find us far from
shelter upon the uninhabited uplands of the island.
The pathway followed a continual though gradual
descent, so that we made rapid progress among
the giant ferns and ohia trees that shaded our track.
The clouds seemed to rise as we hurried down-hill,
and finally a burst of sunshine illumined the sky and
lighted up the landscape in every direction. We had
come suddenly out of the forest, and, standing upon
the edge of a precipice nearly a thousand feet high,
were overlooking the lowlands along the shore. Evidently this beetling cliff was the ancient coast of the
island; but successive flows of lava had filled the ocean
for a mile or more beyond the original line, forming a
level plain of inky blackness, upon which we looked
from the crest of the bluff. The ocean, flecked with
foam by a gale from the east, rose before us till it met
the distant horizon; the grassy slopes of Mauna Loa
filled the background and dominated the coast-line as
far as eye could reach toward the southwest, but the'
northward outlook was obstructed by projecting headlands that buttressed the immense promontory upon
which we stood. We might have gazed for hours
without wearying of the magnificent sight; but the




AT HOME WITH THE NATIVES I59
sea-winds sang shrill among the coriaceous leaves of
the forest, and the setting sun warned us against delay.
Scrambling over precipitous ledges, we reached the
black lava as the twilight faded. Our guide bade us
follow close, but though we hurried as fast as possible,
it was pitch dark before we reached the little native
village on the shore. Our carriers woke the echoes
with their piercing calls, and presently a company of
dusky Hawaiians came forth with joyous welcome,
lighting the way with candle-nut torches, and escorting
us to the house selected for our reception. This was
the largest dwelling in the village, though it measured
only sixteen by twenty feet. It was merely a thatched
hut, set on the bare lava by the seashore, without
furniture of any kind save a few mats laid over the
gravel floor. One corner was partitioned with curtains of native cloth, enclosing a space that was raised
about six inches above the general level and covered
with clean mats of a finer quality than the rest. This
was our sleeping apartment, where we spread our
blankets, and where, after a hearty supper, and prayers by Mr. Coan with his disciples, all illuminated by
the light of a candle-nut torch, we boys tumbled into
bed, thoroughly tired out, and ready for a long night
of sleep, no matter how primitive the couch.
Next morning we were awakened by the brilliant
sunshine streaming in upon us. Coming forth from
our curtained recess, we found Father Coan sitting on
the floor in the midst of the people, who thronged the
hut and with eager eyes filled every doorway and
window through which might be obtained a view of




i6o


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


the white-faced strangers.  Our morning meal, of
bread and butter with cold meat brought from home,
was soon despatched; and then, while the devoted pastor busied himself with his flock, we strolled among the
huts, and visited the shore, a low-lying ledge of black
lava, just raised above the level of the waves that
burst in glittering spray against the rock-bound coast.
The inhabitants of this desolate region were chiefly
fishermen and gatherers of salt, which they obtained
by evaporation from shallow pools into which seawater was allowed to enter.  The drinking-water was
brackish to the last degree; and our only resource was
a calabash filled with drippings from the roof of a cavern in the bluff that rose behind the village. This
delicious draught was always provided for the missionary visitor, but for themselves the natives cared not
to undertake so laborious a task. Not a leaf of vegetation was visible near the houses, except a brightflowering portulacca, and an occasional capparis with
pea-green leaves and a large white blossom of great
beauty. Wherever the lava could be pounded into
scoria, a plantation of sweet-potatoes was laboriously
formed by digging among the stones and filling the
holes with dried grass brought from the mountain-side.
Placed in these nests, the tuberous buds were covered
with gravel, and there they grew with astonishing
luxuriance, yielding the largest and finest potatoes on
the island.
The inhabitants of this most remote corner were
but half-clothed, sun-burned, swarthy, and uncivilized,-exhibiting almost unchanged the traits of the




HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT I6I


aboriginal savage; yet they were contented with their
lot, and did not appear to be unhappy. So long as fish
were abundant, and there was plenty of salt, why should
they exchange their excellent potatoes for the soggy
taro roots of a rainy country! Here was neither
mud nor dust, nor anything to interfere with cleanliness in or about the houses, —nothing but clean dry
rock everywhere. "Why, then, should we remove to
a land where the feet grow soft in the mire, and where
your clothes and your mats will not keep dry and
sweet?"  Despite such primitive tastes, these people
were not utterly degraded. Religion had taken possession of their lives; they were provided with Bibles
and hymn-books, and in the little public schoolhouse
their children were taught to read and write and cipher.
It was interesting to see what store they set by the
fragments into which the majority of their slates were
reduced; and the skill with which they used the
chalky spines of the sea-urchin in place of pencils was
quite remarkable.. The periodical visits of the missionary were the great events of their life, and the day
of his coming was marked with a white stone in their
calendar. He knew them all by name; he examined
the progress of the children in their lessons at school;
he prescribed medicine for the sick, even going so far
as to enter the realm of minor surgery with his jackknife. He visited the widows and orphans, counselling them with regard to their welfare in this life as
well as the next; he was interested in the output of
the salt-pools, and bestowed words of commendation
upon the last new canoe or the latest fish-net. With the




i62


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


elders of the local church, he reviewed the roll of the
congregation, marked off the names of the deceased,
counted the number of births, ascertained the present
abode and occupation of every member of the flock;
so far as possible, he made it a point to see and
exchange a few cheerful words with every one in the
throng. Then, discipline must be maintained; and
there was a row of penitent sinners to be investigated
by an ecclesiastical tribunal,-hardened old fumers of
the herb nicotiana; battered relics of heathenism, befuddled with fermented potatoes or other equally
primitive intoxicants; gay young bucks, unrighteously
proficient in the aleatory art; simpering giglets, lavish
of their charms, but sitting now with heads bent low,
demurely veiled beneath their garland-scented shawls,
-all these offenders must be questioned and heard
in their own defense. But repentance was easy, and
the judges were lenient,-for who among them was
without sin, that he should cast the first stone?  So,
after a solemn admonition from the pastor, there was a
show of hands all round, and the dear brethren and
sisters were usually restored to the. fold.  Poor little
children!-their Heavenly Father could not have
been more lovingly merciful.
The periodical review being thus complete, the faithful were called together by the sound of a conch-shell
trumpet, for the crowning mystery of the day,- the
celebration of the Holy Communion.   The believers sat in rows upon the'matted floor, reverently bowing their heads in prayer, as the rites of baptism and
of admission to the church were performed. Then




RITES AND CEREMONIES


i63


the dusky deacons carried round to each one a morsel
of wheaten bread,-emblem truly sacred, for never
elsewhere did they taste such provision,-and a cup
that contained molasses and water, representing the
wine of the Holy Feast.    The good pastor was
utterly void of superstition, and these were symbols for
him as significant as unleavened wafer or purest juice
of Palestinian grape could be.  For the child-like
converts, it was a day of joy; for now their sins were
washed away, and the light of heaven was round
about them,-a little while at least. This religion of
love, with its simple ceremonial, was a thing so far
above anything known in the cruel days of blood and
slaughter, infanticide, robbery, and brutality unspeakable, that the poor people enthusiastically followed
their spiritual guides, and flocked into the church with
one accord.
Having thus assailed this parish, Father Coan took
up his staff, and we travelled over the black lava toward
the next station, a distance of eight or nine miles
along the seacoast. As we progressed eastward, the
towering bluffs on our left gradually sank into a gentle slope; the inland forest approached the shore; and
the rocky plain became overlaid with vegetable mould
that deepened as we advanced, till the whole country
was thickly covered with rough grass and coarse
shrubs. After a time we could see a grove of cocoanut trees in the distance before us; then a large village
of grass houses appeared in their shade; and finally a
long procession of well-clad men, women, and children, with banners and flags of strange device, came




164


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


to welcome their teacher.  It was a Sunday-school
celebration that embraced the entire population of the
district.
The apostolic visitor knew them all, and greeted
them most affectionately; it was a real family reunion.
For some time we halted outside the village, until all
had shaken hands and cordially saluted the pastor;
then the procession was formed again, and we marched
gaily through the town to a large native house, built
on a wide platform of rounded bowlders from the
beach. Here we were cordially received by the local
dignitaries, and were informed that this was our home
so long as we chose to stay. We boys pulled off our
shoes, to rest our weary feet; but the indefatigable
pastor, cheerful and radiant as the sunshine, stood without, and reviewed the schools as they marched along.
Then came a host of people bringing gifts,- chickens, turkeys, eggs, fish, sweet-potatoes, taro, bananas,
breadfruit, hative cloth, whatever their industry could
produce.  These articles were carefully noted and
ticketed for early despatch to the market at Hilo,
while the local church was credited with the amount as
its contribution to the benevolent work of the diocese.
In this way the afternoon was drawn to its close.
But not even the darkness of night could extinguish
enthusiasm.  Huge candle-nut torches were lighted,
and the house filled up with eager guests sitting all
over its floor. We sat on the bed-place and ate our
frugal supper, while our visitors, some of them, attacked the edibles previously devoted to the Lord.
But the universal joy was too pervasive to allow fault



A MISSIONARY ADDRESSING THE NATIVES
A MISSIONARY PAYING PAROCHIAL VISITS
FROLD WOODCUTS
Xr             Or 5 s~rwo Xrw A fS~4rt i tt~el




/I




THE PASTOR AND HIS FLOCK I65
finding, and there seemed to be a veritable communion
of the saints. Having appeased our physical hunger,
a vernacular Bible and hymn-book were placed on a
mat in the centre of the crowd, and Father Coan proceeded to read a chapter for evening prayers. How
these simple people hung upon his lips, listening with
eyes aflame and faces all aglow! It was not a mere
prelection, but a volume of exposition, commentary,
explanation, and application, that was drawn out by the
questions fast falling from that audience. The teacher
never wearied nor flagged, but overflowed like a fountain of beneficence till the evening was far spent and
our eyes would remain open no longer. Then came the
hymn,-a rude though heartfelt attempt at melody,and finally a prayer by the senior deacon. He, a
cheery, vigorous old gentleman, had scarcely opened
his mouth when another equally stalwart Christian uplifted his voice to the throne of grace from a remote
corner of the house. Then a third and a fourth petitioner joined in, until at least half-a-dozen were praying aloud at once. The missionary let them go on
till the storm blew itself out, when one by one, with a
hearty shake of the hand, the worshippers bade us
good-night and filed away in the darkness to their
homes among the cocoanut trees.
The following day was devoted by our leader to the
routine work of his apostolic office, while we improved
the time by exploring the beach and the adjacent
country. The soil, though scanty, was exceedingly
fertile, and the groves of cocoanut and breadfruit
trees were delightfully alluring.  There was a large




I66


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


fish-pond well stocked with toothsome mullet for the
nobility; and in this we paddled and swam to our
hearts' content. The country was full of people, and
their children followed us in crowds until called into the
Sunday-school exhibition at the church, where everything finally culminated, as at the preceding station,
in the celebration of the Holy Communion.
In this way, forming a sort of triumphal procession,
we moved from station to station. Everywhere was
the same cheery welcome, the same abandonment of
worldly occupations, the same fervid interest in things
spiritual and eternal. For these simple islanders, religion opened their only avenue to literature, poetry,
art, morality, and the higher life, —their all in all.
The missionary moved among them as the messenger
of God, and his remarkable personality rendered
his influence irresistible. From dawn of day till
late at night, the people thronged around him; and
as we walked from station to station, they swarmed
out from their little homes along the path, to exchange
greetings with the beloved pastor, so that our progress
was necessarily very slow. But we found time to visit
several interesting places in the district. One day we
all went by the light of candle-nut torches to bathe in
an underground cavern that contained an Avernian
pool of deliciously clear warm water, filtered through
the rocks and heated by subterranean fires of volcanic
origin. On another occasion we climbed an extinct
volcanic cone, grass-covered and shaded with groves of
trees, in whose crater slept a little lake of transparent
green water. Not far off, another truncated cone,




THE GODDESS OF KILAUEA                167
without any central crater, bore upon its level top a
paradise of cocoanut trees that overshadowed the
broad flagstones and basaltic altars of a deserted
heathen temple. One night, after a refreshing bath in a
pond of transparent depth, fed by warm springs that
welled up among the lava rocks, we encamped in a
large new house, fragrant with the odor of freshly
plaited thatch, at the foot of a hill once famous as a
sliding-place where the ancient Hawaiians on their
toboggan sleds coasted over the grassy slopes. There,
upon the crest of the slide, it is recorded that the terrible goddess of the volcano once showed herself in
the guise of a human maiden, soliciting the favor of a
ride from a youthful chief who was just launching his
sled on the track. Lightly spurning her proposals,
he threw himself upon the course, and shot forth like
an arrow on his downward flight; but, presently overtaken by a roar as of many thunders, looking backward he beheld a torrent of molten lava, and upon the
crest of its foremost wave sat the maiden scorned, now
revealed as the awful goddess of Kilauea. Then began
a race for life; down hillside and across plain flew the
enchanted sledge, while ever onward rushed the river
of fire, filling valleys, levelling high places, and scorching the earth with the breath of a wrathful divinity.
Only when old ocean was reached, and the hero
launched forth on the deep, was he saved from the
anger of the gods.
Home again, the twelfth of August, 1848, ushered
in a season of worldly excitement, for on that day
arrived the American frigate Independence, bearing




i68


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


Commodore Shubrick, commander of the Pacific
Squadron. The splendid ship was one of the largest
in the navy, and her officers formed a brilliant staff
for the genial old commodore. The usual round of
visits followed between ship and shore; the natives
thronged aboard, and the crew were allowed their
liberty among the people. Well do I remember the
admiration with which I viewed the enormous hull, as
we rowed alongside one bright day, and ascended the
gangway stairs, to pay our respects to the commanderin-chief. The fleet surgeon and the ship's surgeon,
with his assistant surgeon, took us through the sickbay,- an airy space in the bow, separated by a canvas screen from the gun-deck, where through the open
ports a cool sea-breeze blew softly, and lovely glimpses
of earth and sea and sky met the wandering eye. So
fresh and sweet and clean was everything, that to
swing in a hammock under the care of such brilliantly
uniformed attendants seemed almost a luxury to be
desired.
But a few days later, when the gallant ship had
spread its sails and gone its way across the deep, we
began to hear of a strange disease among our people.
It was the measles,-hitherto unknown in Hawaii; a
malady that, we afterward learned, had affected several
of the crew during their voyage from the coast of California. Regarding it as an insignificant disorder, the
medical officers of the frigate did not think of mentioning the incident till after its epidemic prevalence at
the Islands. Like fire in dry grass, the pestilence
spread throughout the population until every one had




RAVAGES OF THE DISEASE


i69


experience of its direful effects. I remember one day
walking with my mother through the deserted streets
of the town; not a person was in sight, but from every
house could be heard the sound of coughing and the
moaning of children in distress. Next day my brothers and I were also stricken down, and were all put
together in the same wide bed. For one day we
thought this glorious fun; but the second night found
us too miserable to discover any pleasure in the situation. The fifty boarding-school boys were all prostrated at the same time, with the exception of one only,
who, though covered with the eruption, declared that
he did not feel ill, and insisted upon helping to care for
his companions. With no other assistance, because
none could be obtained, my father medicated and
fed the whole troop, while my mother took similar
care of her family, without a single fatal result in
either group. But among the natives outside, the
disease raged all over the Islands, and destroyed a
tenth of the population. The eruptive period was not
marked by unusual severity, but the ignorant sufferers
rushed into the water to cool their fever, and fell victims to pneumonia and dysentery, thus superinduced.
As a consequence of this epidemic, I did not return
to school the following year, but recited my lessons at
home; and a royal time I had, picnicking with my
playmates on the beach, and swimming or canoeing
in the waters of the bay and its tributaries. During
the early Summer of I849, Mr. Coan took us with
him on one of his missionary tours through the district of Hilo. So far as concerned his episcopal work,          5


r




170


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


this was conducted precisely as in the tour through
Puna; but the territorial conditions were entirely different. Instead of arid plains of naked rock, spread
out by recent volcanic action, the country was a verdant lawn, gently sloping toward the ocean from the
inland forest that covered the flank of Mauna Kea.
Watered by frequent showers, and irrigated by numerous mountain streams, the fertile soil yielded abundantly, covering the earth with verdure and tropical
luxuriance. The watercourses,-narrow gorges filled
with foam and deeply furrowed through the solid rock
that lay beneath the turf,- discharged their torrents
over the wall of the precipitous coast, forming a continuous succession of beautiful cascades from one end of
the district to the other. Occasionally one of these
canons would open outward into a lovely vale, inhabited by the aboriginal people, who built their houses and
tilled their little gardens beside the smoothly flowing
current that crossed the level floor of the glen. There
were no bridges, nor any roads but the primitive trails
that led straight up and down the steep banks; sometimes it was possible to cross the streamlets by leaping
from rock to rock amid the foam, but the water was
often so deep and broad that it could be forded only
by wading or swimming.
One morning, after a rainy night, as we sat on the
border of a little brook waiting for our guardian, who
was delayed by a throng of people, we were startled
by a distant roar that seemed to sweep the side of the
mountain, where dark clouds, loaded with vapor from
the ocean, were careening among the hills and settling




BRIDGING A TORRENT


17I


upon the tree-tops in the forest. Before we could
collect our wits, or divine the cause of this everincreasing sound, a column of water, thick with mud
and bristling with broken boughs, came out of the
woods, rushing furiously down the channel toward us.
The narrow stream was instantly transformed into a
torrent, across which we saw no way to pass; but when
Father Coan arrived, accompanied by a host of disciples flocking from every direction to the scene of
action, he at once gare orders to stretch a long rope
from bank to bank, - a feat which, after several failures,
was successfully accomplished. He then instructed us
to wade into the water, pulling ourselves hand-overhand along the rope, while a stalwart native advanced
on either side, ready to catch us if we should slip from
our grasp of the cable. In this way, with our feet
sometimes placed on solid rock, but more frequently
floating in the foam, we ferried ourselves to the opposite shore. Then the good father, thoroughly accustomed to such adventures, plunged in boldly with his
long staff; and though the waters did not exactly rise
up on either side of him, in a twinkling he was with
us on the farther bank. Our calabashes of clothing
and provisions were brought over upon the heads of
the carriers, and we blithely started for a walk through
the mire to the next station, reaching it in a tremendous shower of rain that continued without intermission for three days. Familiar as we were from infancy
with such storms, it caused us very little inconvenience,
and the apostolic work went on without hindrance;
yet we could not but rejoice when, on the last day of




172      HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
our pilgrimage, as we drew near home, the sun came
forth in all its glory, shining through a sky so translucent that the planet Venus was visible before us at
noontime. On that day, the giant mountains threw
off their fleecy robes, and stood in the silent air unveiled, forming a spectacle of such grandeur that, as
we moved our eyes in fruitless efforts at choice between
the cloudless blue of the dome above and the splendor
of the waveless ocean below, the memory of sunlit
Puna, with its clean, dry roads and rustling cocoanut
groves, caused us no feeling of regret.




CHAPTER XII
A Newcomer to Honolulu-The U. S. Line-of-battle Ship
Ohio-Experiences on Board-Trying to Get Under
Way- The Routine of Sailor-life on a Man-of-war-fWork,
Ceremony, and Grog-Music and Prayers- Unlucky Deserters-A Flogging on Deck-Preparing the Ship for ActionAn Impressive Spectacle-Man Overboard and Rescue.
O great was the disorganization of society during
the prevalence of the measles, that very little was
accomplished at Punahou that year, I849.  To make
up in part for this loss of time, it was decided to open
the school earlier than usual; and we were summoned
to be present by the first of July. I was no longer to
go alone, but was to be accompanied by Munson and
my brother Fred, who were both eager for initiation
into the untried joys of life away from home.  While
casting around for means of transportation to Honolulu, about the middle of June, we were all enlivened
by the arrival of the U. S. line-of-battle ship Ohio.
She was the flagship of the squadron; but the commodore, an enthusiastic politician, was too actively
occupied in California to think of dalliance in the sunshine of a tropical island, so the commander, Captain
Stribling, had the splendid three-decker all to himself.
The Ohio was one of the largest ships in the service; she was the latest and most perfect specimen of
naval architecture that the old wooden flotilla had
I73




174


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


exhibited, dwarfing all her predecessors in our port,
and surpassing them in the number of guns and solidity
of structure. The weather during the whole time of
her stay was delightful, and we were kept on the alert,
watching the movements of the crew, as, every morning at eight o'clock, they shook out the sails to dry
after the heavy dews of night, furling them again in
the sunshine at noon.  The harbor was alive with
traffic canoes, swarming round the huge three-decker
like sharks assailing the carcass of a dead cetacean;
while cutters and barges from the man-of-war, gaily
adorned with awnings and bunting, were continually
crossing the bay for the convenience of officers and
men who desired to visit the shore,-unrolling before
us a nautical panorama that fascinated our unsophisticated vision with its ceaseless variety and excitement.
Learning our desire to reach Honolulu, the captain
invited us to sail with him to that port; so one day in
the latter part of June we three boys were installed in
the spacious state-room of the commander's private
secretary, opening into the captain's cabin on the
main-deck. The commodore's unoccupied cabin, on
the spar-deck, was made over to Mr. and Mrs. P.
who were also fellow-voyagers. These apartments,
owing to the size of the ship, were roomy and well
lighted, opening out upon a gallery that crossed the
whole width of the stern. Under this lofty promenade was lashed a large canoe, sixty feet in length, the
property of some royal personage who desired its safe
conveyance to Honolulu; yet of such insignificant
size was it in comparison with the huge bulk of the




EXPERIENCES ON BOARD


I75


ship, that only when attention was specially directed
that way was its presence noticeable.
About four o'clock in the morning after embarkation, the anchor was weighed, and the Ohio began
to move out of the bay.  The night was clear, and
the land-breeze, upon which the pilot relied, blew
cheerfully from the sides of Mauna Kea; but it was
insufficient to carry us clear of the reef, and before
breakfast-time we again lay snugly at anchor in the
middle of the channel. When, toward noon, the seabreeze set in, we made another trial. All hands
swarmed on deck in response to the shrill scream
of the boatswain's whistle; the capstan bars were
quickly manned, and to the sound of drum    and
fife the men went merrily round, heaving in the great
chain-cable, black and dripping with salt water.
When the lieutenant on the forecastle reported the
anchor atrip, the commanding officer roared through
his silver trumpet an order that was taken up and repeated by the whistles of the boatswain and his mates.
Instantly the men left the bars and flew up the
shrouds, crowding into the tops and lying out on the
yards, till every part of the rigging was filled with
white duck uniforms. Then, at a signal from the
officer on deck, the sails were all dropped at once,
and the heavy yards were hoisted to the tops of
the masts by numerous hands below, while the crew
aloft slid down the back-stays, clearing out of the
top-hamper in less time than is needed to relate their
action. The anchor was then quickly raised to the
bow, and, paying off before the breeze, as the head




176


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


sails filled, the enormous hull began to move slowly
through the water. But it was of no use; the light and
baffling wind soon became decidedly unfavorable, and
we again cast anchor opposite the bluffs north of the
Wailuku River.  It was provoking enough, soon after
everything was made fast, to see the royal yacht leave
the anchorage under easy sail, gliding so near our
weather broadside that one could almost jump from
our perch on the poop into her topmast crosstree.
The wind was sufficient for her, and in less than two
hours she was out of sight on the way to Honolulu,
making the voyage thither and back again before the
ponderous Ohio could escape from the harbor.
We boys lost nothing by this delay. At least twice
every twenty-four hours, the anchor was heaved up
out of the sand, and we had all the fun of watching
the task of getting a large ship-of-war under way. We
spent the greater part of the time on the poop, chatting with such officers as were off duty; peeping
through the spy-glasses of the quartermasters, who
paced the deck on the lookout for everything that
could move on earth and sea or in the sky; and enjoying
every moment of the time. We got up at four o'clock
in the morning to see the barefooted seamen wash the
decks with clear salt-water, rubbing and polishing the
planks with holy-stones and prayer-books, as they
called the stones of various size with which they made
everything clean and bright. Then there were awnings to be spread, hammocks to be stowed, sails to be
dried, and rigging to be tightened,-a thousand and
one things to be set right for the day; so that the




ROUTINE     OF SAILOR-LIFE          I77
dog-watches from four till eight were filled with work.
At eight o'clock we breakfasted with the captain in the
great cabin; after that meal resuming our promenade
on the poop, where the officer of the deck had his
station, whence everything fore and aft was visible.
Eagerly we observed the weather vanes,-feathery
streamers fastened to the mizzen rigging,-hoping
for indications of a favoring breeze; but when that
hope was suppressed for the day, we fell back upon
the interesting panorama of the spar-deck before us.
Constant noiseless movement seemed to be'the rule.
Every one had his place, and appeared to be occupied;
yet only when getting the ship under way or at the
change of the watch, was there any considerable commotion.
At eight o'clock in the morning, the flags were
hoisted, the marine guards were mounted, and then
followed a quiet forenoon. Every half-hour, a large
brass bell on the forecastle was struck; and when noon
arrived, the officer of the deck announced to his captain that it was "eight bells."  "Make it eight bells,"
would be the invariable reply, and instantly eight
strokes were tolled on the forecastle, the guards were
changed, the dinner-flag was displayed at the mizzenmast head, and the boatswain with his mates, standing
in a row, shrilled out from their silver whistles the orders for a change of watches, for dinner, and for the
daily grog-ration. Then followed a scene of the liveliest animation, —the new guards relieving the old, the
men who had been on deck since eight o'clock hurrying below, the men of the afternoon watch coming up




178


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


as slowly as their fear of discipline would permit, and
amidships a long line of hardened drunkards filing
up to the grog-tub that stood near the mainmast,
under the watchful eyes of a quartermaster, a lieutenant, and the marine guard. Each man, as he came
forward, received his measure of liquor, which he
gulped at a single draught, and then rolled off, wiping
his lips with the back of his hand as he disappeared
down the hatchway to rejoin his messmates squatting
in groups at dinner on the main-deck. Last of all, we
descended to the cabin, standing behind our chairs at
the table while the captain briefly said grace, and followed it with a bumper of black porter,-probably to
get the taste out of his mouth. Then came dinner, a
stately feast, and most luxurious in comparison with
the light and hasty repasts to which we were accustomed at home and at school.
The afternoon slipped away like the forenoon, till
the change of watches came at four o'clock. The band
then came forth from its seclusion, and made sweet
music on the quarter-deck till it was time for supper.
After the sailors had finished their evening meal,
they were turned up on the spar-deck for a breath
of fresh air, while the cooks tidied everything below.
As sunset approached, a quartermaster overhauled the
flag halliards, the guard looked to the priming of his
musket, and at a signal from the officer in command,
down came the flag, bang went the gun, and a burst
of patriotic music set the air a-quivering. The boatswain then piped all hands to prayers, and instantly
the upper-deck was cleared.  Following the captain




MUSIC AND PRAYERS


179


down the companion-way, we found the entire crew
drawn up in long lines that extended the whole length
of the gun-deck, with the officers filling the after-part
of the ship. The captain took his place at their front,
near the venerable chaplain who stood behind a pile
of drums used in place of a reading-desk. Pleyel's
Hymn was beautifully rendered by the band, while
the latest stragglers quietly hurried to their posts, and
then was uttered a short prayer for safety during the
approaching night. I could see the drummer-boy
stealthily picking up his drum and fingering the sticks
as this petition reached its conclusion, so that the final
"Amen" was lost in a frightful clatter, as if a whole
drum-corps had broken loose.  Instantly every one
was in motion, and the boatswains' whistles resounded
throughout the ship. The hammock nettings were
soon cast loose, and every man received the roll that
contained his swinging bed, which he immediately suspended from the hooks under the beams on the main
and lower decks.
The second dog-watch, from six till eight o'clock
in the evening, was devoted to quiet recreation.
The sailors gathered between the guns, and listened
gleefully to wild yarns spun by old salts out of the
memories of their adventures by land or by sea. Occasionally a pair of youngsters would dance a jig upon
the forecastle deck. Some mended their clothes while
daylight lasted, and many went to sleep. But at eight
o'clock eight bells sounded and all skylarking ceased.
The watches were set; the roll was called in each division; the inspecting officers went round with their




i80


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


lanterns; and every man had to be in his appointed
place. Even the wide tops, at the mast-heads, were
occupied by vigilant guards, each under the command
of a midshipman who was compelled to clamber aloft
like any common sailor. At the expiration of every
half-hour, when the bell announced the time, the officer
in command hailed each detachment all over the ship,
and woe to the man who was asleep or failed to respond
when he was called. All lights, excepting a few privileged luminaries, were extinguished, and we were early
in bed,-unless, as happened nearly every night, all
hands were called to make sail and try to get out of
the bay. Useless effort! The land-breeze blew fresh
and sweet, stealing down the slope of the mountains
under a cloudless sky that blazed with tropical stars;
the royal yacht and other little vessels came and went;
yet for more than a week we tried in vain to escape
from the port. All hands grew weary of the oftrepeated tasks of getting under way and coming to
anchor without result. Sometimes the band was ordered on deck to enliven the men as they strained their
muscles at the capstan-bars; there was one particular
musical number of such unearthly sweetness that, no
matter how laborious the work might be, it always
put new life into the sailors and made them run round
with redoubled vigor. Strange to say, no one knew
the name of, this inspiring melody; so, not having
courage sufficient to ask the brigand-looking bandmaster, and never hearing it since, I have remained in
perfect ignorance regarding its authorship and title.
One morning at breakfast it was whispered that




A FLOGGING ON DECK


I 8 I


during the previous night an attempt at desertion had
occurred among the crew. Three active young fellows,
lured by a bevy of sirens on the bluff above the
ship, had started to swim ashore; but finding the distance too great for their strength, they roared lustily
for help, and were ignominiously picked up by a boat
that was sent to the rescue. They were now lodged
in irons, and were said to be under sentence of flogging. Next morning, having as usual failed to clear
the harbor, the captain declared that he should remain
at anchor all day, and that he would set us, his passengers, on shore till sundown. So after breakfast we
were rowed to the beach, and passed a joyous day at
home, returning to the ship at nightfall. As our
double-canoe approached the lofty hull, not a sound
was audible, not a soul save the marine guard and the
quartermaster was visible, until a sailor looked out of
an open port on the lower gun-deck and made signs
for us to keep off and to be quiet, because the crew
were at evening prayers. Presently, however, the
rattle of drums was heard, and men appeared at every
porthole. We climbed in through one of the lower
deck ports, before it was closed for the night, and at
once resumed our perch among the officers on the
poop, where we learned that during our absence the
deserters were brought on deck and were publicly
flogged in the presence of the whole ship's company,
which then went piously to prayers. We felt thankful
enough to the considerate captain for our holiday on
shore.
After a week of this exciting life, the long looked-for




182


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


change of wind took place. As the sea-breeze died
away at sunset, the clouds rolled from the slopes of
Mauna Loa, and a fresh land-wind sprang up from
the southwest. Immediately all hands were piped on
deck and the laborious task of getting under way was
renewed, this time with complete success. As the ship
swung round on her course, and the bubbles began to
boil under the bow and break in her wake, the stern
visage of the commander relaxed into a smile, and he
ordered the setting of every studding-sail that could
be made to draw.
When we ascended the deck on the following
morning, the trade-wind was flinging white-caps across
our track, and the land was far off on the leeward
horizon. The day was glorious, and the crew were
busily engaged in preparing the ship for exhibition at
Lahaina and Honolulu, where a royal visit was
expected from the King of the Islands. The evening parade was unusually elaborate,-a display in harmony with the magnificent environment. As the sun
approached the waves, the drum beat to quarters;
instantly the ship was like an ant-hill disturbed by
invasion.  There was a hurry and scurry of feet, as
the sailors scrambled up from below and rushed to
their appointed places beside the open-mouthed cannon that grinned through the long rows of portholes
on either side. The gunners marshalled their men,
prepared with ramrods and sponges and handspikes,
to load and aim and fire at the word of command.
Behind the batteries stood the officers in full uniform,
flanked by a row of barefooted powder-monkeys




AN   IMPRESSIVE SPECTACLE            I83
waiting for the signal to bring ammunition from the
magazine in the lowest hold. In a very few minutes
chaos was reduced to perfect order, every man was at his
post, and the ship was ready for action. The division
officers saluted the officers of the different decks, who
in turn ascended to the quarter-deck, saluting the first
lieutenant, and announcing the readiness of their several commands. Advancing, sword in hand, to the
edge of the poop-deck, the executive officer then
saluted the captain in token of readiness for battle.
The commander drew his sword from its gilded
sheath, and, returning the salute of his subordinate,
began to pace the deck and scan the horizon, while
every one stood motionless and silent.  Not-a sound
could be heard, save the wind that hummed in the
sails and the water that lapped along the hull, as,
sweeping on the wings of imagination, we entered
historic scenes of naval combat, bearing down upon
hostile lines of battle, intently listening and waiting
for the shot that should open the fight. But our gallant chief evidently saw nothing on earth nor in the
heavens above to disturb his soul; for after a few turns
upon the lofty deck, with a gesture of command he
sheathed his sword. Immediately a rattle and clatter
of drums proclaimed the release of the spellbound
crew; their weapons of war were speedily returned' to
the racks and lockers in which they were kept; then,
while the band breathed forth the sweetly solemn
notes of the evening hymn that called us to prayers,
the seamen tumbled down the ladders that led below,
as rapidly as a few minutes before they had mounted




I84


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


upward. When we reached the main-deck, there they
stood in rows,-five hundred strong, —filling the
length and breadth of the ship with their motionless
forms till the chaplain's "Amen" restored them to life
once more.
Next day we anchored in the roadstead at Lahaina,
and saluted the fort with twenty-one guns. This was
our first experience of cannon-fire at such close quarters, and we found nothing agreeable in the stunning
explosions, or in the stifling cloud of smoke that
enveloped the ship.  But on shore we received a
cordial welcome from a number of our schoolfellows,
while the captain and his officers paid their respects to
the king and his court who were enjoying a vacation
away from the capital.  On the following afternoon,
the Ohio again weighed anchor, and, wafted by gentle sea-breezes, floated majestically out of the quiet
roadstead into the boisterous inter-island channel.
There we found the wind so strong that orders were
given to furl the upper sails and reef the topsails, in
order to avoid running past Honolulu in the night.
As the men sprang into the rigging, dressed in holiday
suits of white duck with straw hats to match, away
went their hats flying like sea-gulls before the blast;
and with them went one of the sailors, under whose
foot a treacherous ratlin gave way in the scramble up
the shrouds.  Fortunately, he struck the water without harm; and very soon the old quartermaster, who
followed every movement with his spy-glass, announced
him safely sitting on the float of a life-buoy that was
immediately launched overboard after him. The ship




ARRIVAL AT HONOLULU


i85


was hove to, and a barge hurried to the rescue, bringing the young fellow aboard, apparently none the
worse for his involuntary bath. The boat was then
hoisted to its place, and with easy sail aloft we quietly
jogged along till daylight overtook us in a calm near
Cocoa Head. At breakfast time, however, the tradewind began again to blow, and we rounded Diamond
Head under full sail,-a moving tower of snow-white
canvas. It was the Fourth of July; so after casting
anchor in the roads outside of Honolulu harbor, the
sails were furled, and the ship was dressed from
spanker-gaff to main-truck and flying jib-boom with
the gaily colored ensigns of all nations, displayed in
honor of the day. Captain Stribling good-humoredly
bade his passengers farewell, and set us all on land
before the hour of noon, when the yards were manned,
and the great guns saluted the flags, thus ending in the
roar of cannon our experience of life on a man-of-war.




CHAPTER XIII


Changes in Honolulu- The California Gold-fever- Trouble between Hawaii and France.-Arrival of French War-vessels
- Alarm in the Islands - A Bloodless Victory - Some Strange
Phenomena- Days of Darkness - Two More Years of School
- Studying the Flora of the Islands — Wrecked on a Coral
Reef- Fire on Shipboard- A Choleric British GeneralAn Astonishing Reception to Distinguished Guests - Social
Life in Honolulu - Mysteries of the Dance.
ARRIVED        at Punahou, we found considerable
change in the membership of the school.   All
the older pupils were leaving, in preparation for removal to America; and we, -the original "small
boys,"-were now the seniors.     In Honolulu also
there were numerous migrations.  The entire floating
population of beach-combers, and many substantial
citizens besides, had gone to the newly discovered
gold-mines in California; and a brisk trade in provisions, carried by a fleet of clipper-built schooners, was
growing up between Honolulu and San Francisco.
The Rev. Dr. Armstrong had resigned the pastorate
of the great missionary church, and was established in
a new home as Minister of Public Instruction in the
royal cabinet, leaving his former place to the Rev.
E. W. Clark.     My quondam     fellow-voyager, the
Hon. John Ricord, having resigned his official position,
was seeking a fortune among the gold-miners, while
i86




NEWCOMERS TO HONOLULU


187


his duties were assumed by other functionaries in the
reorganized government.  Prominent among these
newcomers were two young men, cousins, who, voyaging in search of health, had decided to cast in their
lot with the Hawaiians. One of them, Charles R.
Bishop, was now the collector of customs at the port
of Honolulu,-a sober, discreet young gentleman,
who, subsequently marrying a beautiful native princess, became very wealthy, and in his later years
devoted large sums of money to the promotion of
education and civilization among the islanders.  The
other cousin was William L. Lee, a talented lawyer,
who had left his home in the valley of the Mohawk,
hoping to find in a voyage round Cape Horn consolation for a grievous disappointment in love. Arrived
in Honolulu, these young men were soon invited to
enter the government service, one as collector of
the port, the other as chief justice of the supreme
court.  It transpired, however, that the adorable
charmer did not remain permanently obdurate; but,
considering the error of her way and its sorrowful
consequences, had finally acquiesced in the transmission of hopeful messages to the despairing wanderer,
inspiring him with courage to renew his suit. Successful this time, it was arranged the lady should take
ship with a missionary party that was coming round
Cape Horn, joining her lover in Honolulu, where
their marriage could be solemnized.  One bright
morning, therefore, when the Boston packet was signalled in the offing, our new chief justice boarded
ship with the pilot, was welcomed on deck by his




I88


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


beloved, and without delay was married under the flag
as they sailed into the harbor.
Mr. Lee was a remarkably gifted man, and he soon
became the most influential person in the government.  To his guiding skill was largely due the
successful settlement of the difficulties long existing
between France and Hawaii, and now threatening to
culminate in a state of war, with seizure of the Islands.
It was not long after our return to school that a large
French frigate, La Poursuivante, entered the harbor,
followed a few days later by a marine monster,
the first of its kind that ever appeared in Hawaiian
waters,-moving without sails, breathing forth a long
train of smoke, and beating the waves with a pair of
enormous wheels that projected from its sides. This
was a French steam-corvette, bearing the name of Gassendi, a distinguished astronomer of whom we boys
knew something through our school-books. With
this little fleet came an admiral of the navy, charged
with an ultimatum from the Parisian government
regarding matters long in dispute between it and the
island king. All manner of disquieting rumors were
current; at one time it was reported that Honolulu
would be subjected to bombardment, and that American missionaries with their families were specially designated for slaughter by fire and sword. We were,
of course, terribly alarmed, and planned a flight with
all our young schoolmates into the mountains, where
we hoped to sustain life on such wild fruit as might
grow in the forest. But, fortunately, when the dread
day arrived without any concession on the part of the




A BLOODLESS VICTORY


I89


helpless king, the admiral contented himself with
marching his men. into the fort, where he found only
a sturdy old native chief, the commander of the post.
A doughty warrior in ancient heathen days, the grayhaired veteran received the Gallic invaders, sitting
scornfully alone in his arm-chair at the door of the
garrison house, while they hauled down the Hawaiian
flag and spiked the cannon on the wall. After wrecking the battery, breaking up all the muskets, and
emptying the powder-magazine over the wall into the
water, the gallant Frenchmen retired to their ships
and set sail for Tahiti and the American coast, carrying
with them as a prize of war the royal yacht in which
we took such pride. This was the only really serious
loss, for everything else could be easily spared.
From this date onward, fortunately, the relations of
the French with Hawaii have continued without
notable disturbance, the Empire and the Republic
being apparently satisfied with their colonies among
the southern islands of the Pacific.
A few months after this warlike demonstration, a
strange event in the natural world caused us several
days of apprehension. Without any apparent reason,
the wonderfully translucent atmosphere seemed gradually condensed into a yellow haze that darkened the
sky and shut out: the light, rendering it for a time
impossible to see beyond a few rods in any direction.
It was like a pall of smoke or fog settling down
upon the earth; but there was absolutely no odor of
any foreign substance in the air, nor was any dampness perceptible. For two days the darkness slowly




190


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


increased, and then as gradually disappeared. As
usual in times of trouble, one of our lugubrious friends
took occasion to ride out from the city, for conference
with our preceptor, suggesting that possibly this might
be the twilight of the gods, —the beginning of the day
of judgment:
"Dies irae, dies illa,
Teste David cum sybilla,
Solvit saeclum in favilla."
For a day or two it certainly seemed as if Byron's
Dream of Darkness were to be realized; but with the
return of sunlight our spirits rose, and the world went
on as before, never revealing the secret of the strange
adumbration through which we had passed. It was at
first attributed to a volcanic outbreak on Hawaii; but
this hypothesis was soon overthrown by the receipt of
intelligence to the effect that the volcano was perfectly
quiescent. Then we guessed it might be the consequence of forest-fires in Oregon.  This, however,
seemed improbable, in view of the fact that such fires
were of annual occurrence, yet never before capable of
staining our skies under any condition whatever.  So
we were compelled to remain in a state of permanent
ignorance, though it still seems most likely that the
haze was of submarine origin, caused by volcanic
emission of dust and steam somewhere in the ocean
between the Islands and the coast of America.
The two following years at school passed rapidly,
without notable event. The number of pupils was
gradually increased by the growth of children in
Honolulu, who were able to enter upon a course of




THE    FLORA    OF THE     ISLANDS      19I
education by walking twice each day across the open
plain between the city and the schoolhouse. The completion of the dwellings for our teachers,- substantial
two-story stone buildings in each quadrangle,-gave
room for an increased number of boarding-scholars
from the mission families on the outlying islands; and
one or two young girls made their appearance alongside of their brothers in our ranks. The grown-up
boys and girls were all gone,-gathered in and shipped
away to America; but their places were soon filled by
a still larger class of very interesting young people.
The literary side of our education was increasingly
favored by continual additions to the library of the
school, and by particular attention on the part of our
teachers to the training of their pupils in rhetoric and
the art of composition.  Once a week the boys were
exercised in declamation, and all were expected to
contribute something to the Punahou Gazette,-a collection of written papers that was published at stated
periods, by editorial reading before the whole school.
We enjoyed these exercises, and Mr. Dole was at his
best in such instruction.
Besides the regular lessons required by the curriculum, I was greatly interested in the study of botany,
and spent many hours collecting plants, especially
such as belonged to the indigenous flora of the Islands.
I experienced no little difficulty in the scientific classification of these treasures, for the native Hawaiian
plants are largely restricted to that group of islands,
and were then scarcely known to any one but the few
European botanists who had voyaged with English




192


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


and French explorers in the early part of the century.
One day Mr. Dole sent me with a note of introduction to Dr. Rooke, an English physician long resident
in Honolulu, and connected by marriage with the
royal family. Timidly I entered the spacious enclosure
where stood the Doctor's house embowered in blissful
shade among the trees that filled the yard, and was
ushered into an inviting apartment, cooled by gentle
breezes from Nuuanu valley, and adorned with pictures
and books and beautiful trifles such as I had never
seen before. Here I was requested to wait for the
coming of the Doctor; and presently he appeared,
elegantly dressed, rubicund, affable, and redolent of
delicious odors that I afterwards learned to recognize as
indicative of acquaintance with the choicest brands of
rare old wine.  The cordiality of his manners placed
me at ease, and I was soon introduced to certain costly
volumes that enriched the shelves of the library. Dr.
Rooke was quite familiar with botany, and seemed
pleased to impart information regarding the island
vegetation. Among other books was a volume by
Lindley, setting forth the new order of classification
that was supplanting the older system of Linnmeus;
and the kindly Doctor made me carry it home, where
I studied its pages with untiring devotion, finding
numerous allusions to tropical trees that served to
whet my appetite for additional information.  The
text-books of Wood and Gray were helpful in the
investigation of exotic plants from  America, but
were of little value in the study of our native flowers
and the Asiatic growths that were finding their way




AN ATTACK OF FEVER


193


to Hawaiian plantations.  Only when too late, just
before leaving the Islands, did I succeed in procuring a
copy of Don's " Gardener's Lexicon," in which were
described the collections obtained by explorers who
visited the Pacific before the year 1840.
Early in my fifteenth year, I was stricken down,
while at school, with a continued fever that confined
me to my bed for nearly a month. In accordance
with ancient tradition, I was allowed no food and but
little water for the space of eleven days. It was with
real anxiety that I counted the lengthening tale of
days, and wondered how long it would be possible
thus to support life. Miss S., the indefatigable housekeeper, directed my treatment, and Mr. Rice administered a little medicine; but on the whole, nature was
allowed to have its own way. Much encouragement
I derived from Father Alexander, who visited me
about the ninth day of my illness, assuring me that
there was no danger of death from starvation, and that
shaving of the head would be unnecessary.  After
the eleventh day, a little corn-meal gruel was added
to the tamarind-water upon which I had hitherto subsisted; and at last it was decided that convalescence
was so far advanced that I might safely sit in a big
arm-chair and have for dinner a potato roasted in the
embers of a wood-fire. Ah, how delicious that meal!
No potato since then has ever tasted so good as the
tender, mealy, well-salted tuber that was brought fresh
and smoking to the little table spread for me in a
corner of Mr. Dole's sitting-room.  As soon as I
could be trusted on horseback, I was sent to spend a




194


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


few days with the mission families at Waialua, on the
other side of the island, where for a week my weight
increased at the rate of a pound each day. On my
return, I was well, though for several months there
was less than the original stock of vigor, and the days
often seemed too long.
Other members of the school passed through a
similar experience in the course of that year; among
them was Dwight Baldwin, our senior scholar, who
was so prostrated by the fever that it seemed necessary
to call in the newly arrived physician, Dr. Lathrop,
then the only active practitioner of medicine in Honolulu.  A short, stout, kindly tempered little man,
ambling about on his white cob, he made himself very
acceptable to the foreign community, and after a few
years returned to America with a handsome fortune.
His son George, a lively little fellow, grew up to
marry a daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne, but did
not follow in the professional footsteps of his genial
father who was now summoned to the bedside of our
schoolmate. After a careful examination, it was decided to bleed the patient.  Standing at his elbow, I
watched every movement with eager interest. The
sick boy was placed upright in a rocking-chair, with
his arm bared to the shoulder; but while the Doctor
was preparing his lancet, the patient fainted away, so
the operation was postponed to an indefinite future, and
the fever vanished without further medical interference.
The discovery of gold in California, and the opening of a commercial route across the Isthmus of Panama, were events that profoundly affected every one




CALIFORNIA COMMUNICATION 195
in Hawaii. In place of a single lonely brigantine
drifting to and from the "Coast" once every year, or
six months at the shortest, there were numerous
sailing-vessels of every description plying between
Honolulu and San Francisco.  Our youthful eyes
were frequently delighted with visions of splendid
clipper ships, gliding swiftly past the isle, or tarrying
perchance for an hour while the captain dropped a
mail-bag, and picked up a letter for the Guano Rocks
or a package for some one far away on the shores
of India or Cathay. Sometimes one of these champions of the ocean, some Star of the West or
Sovereign of the Sea, in search of freight for Atlantic ports, would enter the harbor and fill up its hold
with a cargo of oil slowly accumulated in Alaskan
waters by the hardy whalemen from New Bedford.
Those were the halcyon days of nautical art, when
the fame of the American mercantile fleet touched
high-water mark, -a point never more within reach
while coal and iron defile the earth.
Other craft there were that sought our shores. One
gloomy Winter afternoon, I was reading Virgil to
Father Dole in his study, while a strong wind from
the south howled without. It was presently evident
that my teacher was more interested in something
outside than in the woes of Dido and the perfidy of
IEneas. Finally he threw down his book and fairly
ran out on the veranda in front of the house, where
there was an extensive view of the whole southern
coast of the island. A large English brig, on her way
with sixty passengers from Sydney to San Francisco,




I96


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


had been anchored all day in the roads; but, alarmed
by the increasing severity of the gale, her captain
slipped his cable and hoisted sail. Unable to make
headway toward the open ocean, he steered for the
passage leading through the coral reef into the sheltered harbor; but, failing to discern aright his course
through the smother of foam that broke across the
bar, his ship fell into the breakers, and was hurled
with tremendous violence upon a point of rocks at the
entrance of the channel.  Immediately one of the
masts went by the board, then the other, and the hull
almost disappeared in a torrent of spray. Fortunately,
the waves lifted the ship higher and farther upon the
reef, so that before dark she was resting in comparative safety. No boat could live in the surf, but a fleet
of native canoes hovered within the line of shelter,
ready to give such aid as might be possible; and the
next day the gale subsided sufficiently to allow the
rescue of passengers and crew, without loss of a single
life, though several were severely injured in the wreck
when the masts went overboard. For a long time the
stranded hull remained, a most conspicuous object on
the reef; but finally it was sold for a song, and was
broken up into firewood.
On another occasion, we were surprised, one fine
morning, by the unexpected return of an American
packet which had sailed for San Francisco a couple of
weeks before, carrying a number of our friends among
her passengers.  Half-way to California, it was discovered that the ship was afire. Failing to extinguish
the conflagration, all hands were ordered on deck, the




FIRE ON SHIPBOARD


197


hatches were battened down in hopes of smothering the fire, and the ship was headed for Honolulu, the port most nearly accessible.  When she
entered the harbor, pitch was oozing from the seams
in the heated deck, and everything appeared ready to
burst into flame. One of the passengers in this illfated barque,-Nathaniel B. by name,-was gifted with
more than ordinary musical ability.  An admirable
singer, he passed much of his time in teaching us to
sing and delighting us with the melody of his voice.
Several years afterwards, during my junior. year at college, while prowling round New York, I found him
soberly married and settled in a comfortable business
not far from Wall Street.  His occupations seemed
to be less musical, but more lucrative, than when he
warbled among the hills near Punahou.
This continual coming and going of visitors from
California enlivened Honolulu after a wonderful fashion.  New buildings rose along the streets, and an
empty dwelling was unknown. The majority of these
newcomers were mere birds of passage; but many of
them remained permanently resident in the growing
city. Father Damon found it desirable to enlarge his
Bethel Chapel by the addition of a gallery, where on
Sundays we saw numerous church-going Californians,
some "bearded like the pard," others with long hair,
and fantastic mustachios, but all arrayed in Panama
hats, with fine linen, and brilliant sashes of Chinese
silk that excited our envious desires. Mr. John Ladd
and his seraphine had disappeared long before in the
rush of events; and our early acquaintance, Asa




I98


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


Thurston,-himself now a mustachioed Californian,played divinely upon a new melodeon, and ruled despotically over a chorus of handsome girls and bashful young gentlemen.  It soon became necessary to
colonize from the ancient hive; and a second foreign
church was organized among the American inhabitants, holding services in the spacious hall of the recently completed court-house, where on week-days
Judge Lee and his associates dispensed even-handed
justice to the sinners who there abounded. At first,
Father Dole wished us to remain steadfast with our
early pastor, the genial seamen's chaplain; but the
attractions of the Fort Street Congregation were irresistible, and after a mild rebellion we carried the day
and were permitted to join the radiant throng at the
court-house. Sometimes, at evening, instead of reciting the catechism at home, we strode over the plain,
and intoxicated ourselves with the lights, the music,
and the sweet faces in the choir. Ah, what glorious
nights were those when the full moon looked down
from Rocky Hill and shed its silvery sheen over land
and sea, illuminating the vast plain and filling the
valleys with a flood of glory! Sometimes, in Winter,
borne on the wings of the easterly wind, showers of
rain would cross our path, leaving clear sky in their
wake; and then the moon would paint the retreating
clouds with lunar rainbows, almost rivalling the splendor of the colors revealed by daylight. In that perfectly transparent atmosphere, where clouds and blue
sky followed one another in ceaseless procession,
there was unlimited variety and beauty without end.




AN   ASTONISHING      RECEPTION. 199
It was about this time that Her Britannic Majesty's
Consul General and Minister Plenipotentiary, whom I
have already mentioned, came to grief in a way that
should be commemorated as a warning to future generations.  Church colonization being in order, the
good man said to himself, "Go to, why should not I
have a church of my own, like these other sinners?"
So, having completed a new hospital in a pleasant
valley behind the town, where unfortunate British
seamen might take refuge under the protection of the
English flag, he set up an altar on a broad veranda
overlooking the sea, and proceeded with great state to
read prayers with his collection of battered sea-dogs
every Sunday morning at precisely eleven o'clock.
One bright day, while thus employed, as he uttered
the petition, "Have mercy on us, miserable sinners!"
his eye fell upon a group of strange men, opening the
gate of the sacred enclosure, and leisurely advancing
toward the hospital door. Dropping his prayer-book,
the veteran indignantly hailed the intruders, and
ordered them off the premises; but, paying no attention to his objurgations, they steadily continued their
approach.  This was too much; and the General left
his pulpit, descending the steps, and hurrying into the
front yard, where he took his stand upon the lawn,
shaking his fists, shouting, and calling upon the
Almighty to visit with hell-fire all such irreverent
trespassers upon the paths of righteousness and peace.
No sign of divine retribution appearing in heaven or
on the earth, the strangers drew nearer, and finally
handed to the irate old man, now speechless with rage,




200


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


a large envelope bearing the well-known seal of the
British Foreign Office. It was a letter from one of
the most exalted personages in the government, introducing a party of noblemen of exalted rank. These
distinguished visitors were especially commended
to the polite attention of Her Majesty's representatives all over the world; and at Honolulu in
particular, the Consul General was urged to give
them every possible assistance toward the agreeable
prosecution of their voyage.
Divine service remained incontinently adjourned for
the rest of that unlucky day.
Church-going, however, was not the only amusement cultivated in Honolulu. Whenever an English
man-of-war cast anchor in the harbor there were
games of cricket, along with racing in sacks, climbing
of greased poles, and what not, out on the plain.
After a time there grew up near the palace a theatre,
or "Jack-house," as it was called by the natives, where
in the shipping season wandering barnstormers and
circumnavigating clowns performed their antics, to the
intense delight of sympathetic beach-combers and
their aboriginal friends.
The day of the Chinese New Year was always celebrated by our Asiatic residents with an immense
amount of noise and smoke. From morning till night
there was a continual din of fire-crackers, like that of
an American Fourth of July. Once a year, also, in
honor of the departed dead, the Chinamen visited the
tombs of their countrymen. In the pasture, east of
our schoolhouse, two of these ancient structures were




CHINESE CEREMONIES


201


standing, white and conspicuously visible for a long
distance at sea. There the almond-eyed children of
the East gathered at mid-day, festooning the graves
with tufts of paper shavings, and spreading on the
ground before each sepulchre a feast of good things
for the delectation of the unseen spirits.  Then,
laughing and chatting cheerfully all the while, they
advanced in turn, bowing low, and knocking their
foreheads against the earth-three times, and no
more. Only two or three elderly men seemed to feel
any special solemnity or grief in connection with these
rites; the' others were as joyous and jovial as if at
a wedding-feast. All having paid their respects to the
dead, and having applied a fresh coat of whitewash to
the graves, they mounted their horses and galloped
merrily away, leaving the lighted joss-sticks, the fluttering pennons of paper, and the remains of the banquet, to the evil spirits who, embodied in our own
selves, were hovering about the scene.
His Majesty the King never forgot his duties as
the leader of society in Honolulu, and on certain
festal occasions he opened his palace to the public.
Once, almost the entire foreign population was invited
to an evening reception.  Punahou was out in full
force. The building was crowded; and among the
trees in the dimly lighted garden stood a throng of
native spectators, commenting upon the queer ways
of the foreigners,- thinking, no doubt, how much
better their fathers managed such celebrations in the
good old days of gentle savagery, when king and
queen did not wait for clothes, but came dripping




202


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


from the surf to receive their guests. But the importation of a particularly venomous species of mosquito
in the water-casks of an American whaler had done
much toward suppression of the nudities, and we could
only admire the elegant court costumes worn by the
royal family, or represented by the life-sized portraits
of sundry European sovereigns hanging on the walls.
After a time, the king and his companions withdrew to
their private apartments, and the band struck up a
lively air. With considerable difficulty, an oval space
was cleared in the throne-room, and for the first time
we beheld the sacred mystery of the dance, about
which so many conflicting assertions were rife. Apparently the number of devotees was not large, and
the performance did not seem to be wildly exciting.
For some time the venerable Minister of Foreign Relations skipped around the circle with a little schoolgirl of half his height for a companion. Then a
ponderous couple slowly ambled into the ring, inspiring us all with fear for the security of the floor.
Several dapper young clerks found partners in the
crowd, so that finally the solemnity was considerably
enlivened; but our teachers soon gathered us under
their wings, and had us at home in bed in good season.
Opinions differed; and I found myself somewhat
inclined to agree with the Chinese philosopher who
declared the "foreign devils" to be without dignity,
"because they exhibited their women in public, dragging
them half-naked around the room to the accompaniment of most hellish music." At any rate, I did not
then feel any regret for my ignorance of the saltatory art.




CHAPTER XIV


Political Reorganization in Hawaii- Changes in Land-tenure
-Surveying the Island- Carrying a Surveyor's ChainField-work and its Compensations — The Ascent of Mauna
Kea - Night in a Mountain Cave - The World in a Fog
-Upon the Snowy Summit - A Path over Glacier IceNearly z4,ooo Feet above the Sea-Magnificence of the View
- The Hawaiian Yosemite - Over Half a Mile of Waterfall- The Natives in Their Mountain Wilds.
AMONG other changes effected in Hawaii by the
reorganization of the government was the abolition of the old system of land-tenure. Formerly, the
king, an absolute despot, owned all the land, and
granted to such of his followers as pleased him a life
interest in certain estates.  In this way a powerful
aristocracy had grown up; but their property was still
dependent upon the caprice of the sovereign, and the
common people were mere landless serfs. Now, however, having decided to accept a more civilized system,
the king gave to his chiefs one-third of the land, and
to the newly created government another third, keeping the remainder for himself. The Minister of the
Interior was also authorized to bestow upon the
common people full possession of their homesteads,
and to dispose of the government lands among settlers
who desired to own their holdings in fee simple. A
commission was created to carry these decisions into
203




204


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


effect, and a number of agents and surveyors were
appointed.
In the year I85o, our schoolmate, Curtis L., oldest
son of the missionary at Waimea on Hawaii, received
one of these appointments, and left school to take the
position of government surveyor in the northern
district of the island. During the summer vacation
of I85i, he invited my friend Munson and myself to
spend a month with him in the field, as chain-men in
his gang. Already familiar with trigonometry and the
principlestof surveying, we joyfully accepted this invitation, starting immediately for Waimea, where we
expected to join the expedition.
The journey consumed two days, and on reaching
Mr. L.'s house we were disappointed by finding that
Curtis was already in the midst of his work on the
northeastern coast of the island. It was Saturday
night, so we gladly accepted the hospitality of the
kind-hearted family who, at an elevation of twenty-five
hundred feet above sea-level, dwelt in a quaint little
mission-house on the breezy plain between Mauna
Kea and the mountains of Kohala. We spent the
greater part of Sunday in bed, conning the pages of
many a volume from a collection of books that nearly
filled the house and which were the companions and
comforters of our friends in their almost monastic
seclusion. Early Monday morning we resumed our
journey, reaching by noon the surveyor's station, where
we received a cordial welcome, and immediately fell into
the work as laborers in the field, carrying the chain
with which the land was measured. The whole party




COMPENSATIONS OF FIELD-WORK 205
was quartered in a large native house, where we lived
very much after the manner of missionary itinerants
engaged in periodical visitation of their converts; only
our discourse with the people was not so much concerning treasure in heaven as of land and worldly
property to be laid up where moths might devour and
where thieves could break through and steal.
At daylight every morning we arose from the mats
that formed our couch. Breakfast and prayers were
finished by sunrise; and a little later we started
afield wading through the dew-laden grass, to begin
work where it was left off the evening before. The
claimant of the land under survey acted as guide, and
usually carried a long bamboo pole, surmounted by a
white flag, which he planted successively at the corners
of his estate, while the surveyor took sights with his
compass and directed along the boundaries our course
with the measuring-chain. Sometimes the track was
obstructed by thickets and jungles of rank vegetation, rendering it necessary to send a couple of
swordsmen in advance of our column. This pioneering work was entrusted to a pair of stalwart natives,
each armed with a cutlass and an axe with which
they made short work of all obstacles. Our task was
laborious, but not monotonous; for there were numerous intermissions during which we lay at rest on the
turf, while our chief took testimony regarding disputed
boundaries and made decision between rival claimants.
The weather was fine, and there was no end of variety
as we trudged up and down between the seashore and
the forest that covered the inland region. The coast




206


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


was everywhere a perpendicular bluff, from fifty to a
hundred feet high, forming a wall against which the
wind-swept sea was perpetually beaten into foam.
Looking down through the wild vines that festooned
the cliff, it was a grand sight to behold the long waves
rolling in endless succession and dashing aloft their
spray among the ragged rocks where sea-gulls nested
and white tropic-birds hovered. Then, turning from
the craggy shore, and toiling up the grassy slopes that
climbed the mountain-side, it was joy at the end of
our course to feel with glowing cheeks the cool and
fragrant breath of a leafy wilderness, beyond whose
greenwood vistas, above and far away, were visible
the snowy peaks of Mauna Kea.
Quickly flew the days thus busily employed, and
at the end of a month the field-work was completed.
Our last encampment was at the foot of a slope that
led straight up the northeastern side of the mountain,
forming with the horizon an angle of not more than
six or eight degrees, and affording an easier approach
to the summit than from any other part of the island.
The splendid midsummer weather dried the woodland
paths, and cleared the sky, so that we looked with
curious eyes toward the banks of snow still lingering
on the terminal peaks, and speculated upon the possibility of ascending to where they lay. Having finished his task, the surveyor announced his determination
to make the attempt; so the measuring apparatus was
sent home to Waimea, a guide was engaged, and a
pack-bullock was procured to transport provisions,
bedding, and other things needful for protection against




ASCENT OF MAUNA KEA


207


the cold. Two native laborers accompanied us, making a party of six, besides the bullock.
Starting immediately after breakfast, we marched in
single file at the heels of our guide, who proceeded no
faster than the slow-moving pack-animal could walk,
-about two miles an hour. Before noon, however,
we had risen above the heated lowlands and were breathing the invigorating air of the wooded heights. As the
afternoon advanced, clouds began to drift among the
tree-tops; and when, about four o'clock, we emerged
from the upper border of the forest and found ourselves
in the open clearing above the timber-line, the fog was
so dense that the path under foot was hardly discernible.
But our leader was familiar with the region, and he
brought us through the gloom to a cave which he had
selected for a resting-place that night.  This cave,concerning which the guide had discoursed at great
length, descanting upon its spacious depths and allembracing shelter,-was a dreadful disappointment,
turning out to be only an inclined table-rock, covering
an area about eight feet square, and scarcely high
enough to admit of sitting erect under its protection.
But there was no opportunity for choice,-it was this
or nothing, so we unloaded the bullock, tethered the
beast under a neighboring tree, and kindled a fire in
front of the cavern. The fog was everywhere, dripping from the rocky roof and shrouding the prospect
with its vaporous folds. After a dismal supper by a
smoky fire, we endeavored to arrange our bedding
for the night, though encountering many difficulties
through the roughness of the stony floor. About




208


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


nine o'clock the clouds suddenly disappeared, condensed by a cold wind from the heights, and the stars
came forth in the moonless night, illuminating the
sky with light sufficient to reveal the outlines of the
mountain behind and above our camp.
The early dawn found us shivering in the morning
air after an almost sleepless night. We were glad
enough when the sun appeared, and orders were given
to resume the march. The path was a mere trail,
worn by wild cattle as they moved up and down in
search of pasturage and water. The country was open
and hilly, with scattered thickets and little groves of
mamani trees, among which herds of cows and calves
concealed themselves during the heat of the day.
Occasionally an old bull would stalk forth, regarding
us for a minute with watchful suspicion; then, proudly
tossing his horns, would vanish among the ravines
with a whole drove of bovine dependants and descendants at his heels.
As we slowly ascended, the lowlands became once
more visible beyond the forest belt, and the coast-line
defined itself against the blue ocean. But towards
noon clouds began to gather, rising apparently out of
the earth; and soon we were again in darkness. About
two o'clock we reached another little cavern, near the
limit of vegetation, ten or eleven thousand feet above
the sea. Here the guide announced the end of this
day's journey, informing us that no shelter could be
found at any higher point. We therefore halted in
the dense fog, and endeavored to make ourselves comfortable under the overhanging rock. A large pile of




THE WORLD IN A FOG


209


dead silver-swords (Argyrophyton) was accumulated
for fuel; and with the aid of their downy leaves we
succeeded in mitigating the asperities of the stony
couch upon which our blankets were laid. Never
before this excursion had we felt the novel sensation
of immersion in a fog, and we groped around with
considerable enjoyment of the peculiar situation. One
phenomenon puzzled us not a little: though standing
erect in the mist, every one seemed to lean toward the
hillside. We finally concluded that this illusion was
due to the absence of a horizontal base; then, seeing
that every erect figure made with the slope an angle of
less than ninety degrees on the up-hill side, the natural
inference was a delusive belief that it was actually
leaning toward the mountain.
During the later hours of the afternoon the fog
dispersed, leaving the sky transcendently clear, and
unveiling in every direction a prospect of wonderful
grandeur. Our camp was nearly eleven thousand feet
above the ocean, which occupied the entire eastern
half of the field of vision. To the north, east, and
south, the slopes of Mauna Kea fell away gently towards the distant shore,- slopes arid and forbidding
at our elevation, but below us beautiful and green
with forests and fields of perennial verdure. Beyond
the fringe of foam that marked the outline of the
coast, the earth was flooded with an oceanic expanse
of ultramarineblue, rivalled only by the magnificent
azure of the sky; and at least a hundred miles away
could be faintly discerned a rosary of cumulus-clouds,
bead-like and golden, outlining the horizon with a




1 0o


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


reflection of yellow light from the sun, which was setting
behind the mountain. For an instant a purple splendor flushed the atmosphere and warmed the darkling
slopes; then before us rose a shadow, vast and gloomy,
advancing over lowland and forest, reaching beyond
the shore, and losing itself in the depths of the sea.
The brief tropical twilight soon faded into utter
darkness. Once more damp fogs closed in upon us;
and as we sat round the fire, watching the deepening
shadows, we were suddenly aroused by a furious barking of dogs that came up as if out of hell, from the
invisible abyss below our camp. Far off at first, the
sound came nearer, then seemed to recede, dying
away, and becoming finally inaudible in the distance.
The guide pronounced it a huntsman's pack, chasing
wild cattle near the encampment where we had passed
the previous night. Thus distinctly to hear what was
utterly invisible seemed strange indeed.
Before bedtime, the sky brightened, and the stars
appeared, glittering and glorious, filling the heavens
so far and so near that we seemed as if lying among
them while they drifted through infinite space. We
resolved to start early in the morning, hoping to reach
the top so as to view the magnificent spectacle of
sunrise from the highest point of land in the Pacific
Ocean. Everything was made ready for the ascent,
and we pulled the blankets over our heads before the
evening was half spent; but the excitement of the
situation, and the cool night air, prevented sound
sleep. Long before dawn, we cooked a hasty breakfast, and began by starlight to grope our way up




ABOVE THE CLOUDS
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us z m X S. M By. x.................. j. 9.........
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SUNRISE ABOVE THE CLOUDS 211


the mountain-side. The path was very rough, winding
among huge heaps of lava, once freshly thrown out
from the terminal craters, but now well-worn by centuries of frost and cold; and, for the first time in our
lives, we saw little hollows in the rocks filled with
solid transparent ice. After an hour of this ascent,
day began to dawn, urging us to greater effort. The
crest of the ridge seemed not far away, yet it appeared
to recede as we advanced. All too soon the constellations faded before an immense effulgence in the east,
and up came the sun, flooding the whole circle of the
earth with light. Above and around us the air was
luminous with sunshine; but far below our feet the
lowlands and the ocean were blotted from view by
a veil of clouds that lay flocculent and white, like
a billowy sea of foam, rolling in sunshine from horizon to shore, swelling around the mountain, and
threatening the whole earth with advancing waves.
Though far below the peak, it was impossible to
proceed before we had fully surveyed this glorious
spectacle of sunrise above the clouds. We feared the
mists would obscure the entire landscape; but, fortunately, a sea-breeze arose at an early hour, and drove
all fogs out of the sky.
We were now at an elevation of more than twelve
thousand feet; and having failed to reach the terminal
point as proposed, we moved with less haste.  The
upper portion of the mountain was a pathless waste of
rocks, without vegetation of any sort. Through the
transparent atmosphere, the rays of the sun penetrated
with such force that we no longer felt cold; but the




212


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


rarity of the air rendered muscular exercise fatiguing,
and frequent halts for rest were needful. About the
middle of the forenoon we reached the elusive crest
of the ridge toward which we had toiled for so many
hours, and found, to our disappointment, that it was
only the outer rim of the truncated top of the mountain. Before us extended a nearly level plain, irregularly quadrilateral, about three miles wide and five
miles long. This was the terminal plateau, formed by
the filling up of the original crater; and near its centre
were several conical peaks, hills of scoria, where the
dying volcano had uttered its last expiring sigh. The
greater part of the mountain-top was utterly barren,
dry, and bare; but on the northern slope of the highest peak a bank of snow still remained. Toward this
we directed our steps as rapidly as our breathless condition would permit. It was nearly noon when we
reached the base of the scoriaceous cone, and we consumed a full half-hour more in ascending to the snow.
Not only did the rarity of the air impede our progress,
but the yielding character of the sand, into which we
sank knee-deep at every step, rendered success almost
impossible.  Our native companions gave up the attempt, and sat down among the rocks; while we toiled
on, determined to touch snow and to stand upon the
summit. Reaching the bank after most laborious effort, we were much surprised; for it was not composed
of the light and flaky substance described in books, but
was a mass of solid glacier ice. Though exceedingly
uneven, this afforded better footing than the surrounding scoria, and over its surface we soon arrived at the




A MAGNIFICENT VIEW


2 13


terminal peak,-an elevation of thirteen thousand eight
hundred and five feet above the level of the ocean.
The day was singularly clear and bright; few clouds
were visible, and there was not a particle of dust,
smoke, or haze, to dim the absolute purity of the
atmosphere. We seemed to occupy the central point
of a crystal sphere, of which the nether half was
earth and deep-blue sea, while the upper half was
sapphire sky. From the island shore, thousands of
feet below, the ocean rose in every direction till at a
distance of a hundred and fifty miles the horizon described a perfect circle, as, apparently on a level with
our eyes, it divided the watery globe from the firmament above. The air was nearly calm, and no fleck
of foam disturbed the uniform surface of the sea.
Only one almost utterly invisible speck marked the
transit, far from land, of some white-winged courser
slowly moving on the track between San Francisco
and Honolulu. All else was silent and motionless as
heaven itself.
Recovering in part from the amazement produced
by this wonderful revelation of the immensity of
space, we began to examine in detail the stupendous
features of the surrounding panorama. Toward the
east the mountain gently sloped for a distance of
twenty-five miles, till the long descent was ended by
the northern shore of Hilo Bay, a shallow notch in
the windward coast-line of the island. We had no
field-glass; but so transparent was the atmosphere
that our youthful eyes could clearly discover the larger
houses in the village, and the ships at anchor, —little




214


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


black specks floating on the water in the harbor.
Following the outline of the land, we recognized the
scenes of our surveying tour, and the lower ridges
that had guided our ascent of the mountain. Far
away, in the north, beyond a valley ten thousand feet
deep and twenty miles wide, the evergreen hills of
Kohala breasted the ocean, and buttressed the northern
promontory of the island with perpendicular cliffs
from a thousand to fifteen hundred feet in height.
Then, sweeping the western shore and guided by the
gradual descent beyond the plain of Waimea, we
traced the reefs at Kawaihea, and the walls of the
temple erected by Kamehameha, founder of the
kingdom of Hawaii. But most imposing of all was
the view that filled the remainder of the circuit.
Twenty miles across a valley that was nine thousand
feet deep, rising to an elevation nearly equal with our
own, the peak of Mauna Loa extended from sea to
sea, and covered the entire southern half of Hawaii
with its symmetrical dome. Silently slumbering in
the brilliant sunlight, the mountain lay serene, with
dark-blue flanks and curving crest, far-reaching, and
clearly defined against a background of cerulean sea
and sky. Not a sight nor a sound was there to indicate one of the most tremendous volcanoes in the
world; only a wreath of vapor, thin and filmy, hanging motionless over the distant crater of Kilauea.
Lifting up our eyes to the northwest, we beheld,
afar off, other islands of the group. At a distance of
sixty miles, the peak of Haleakala rose ten thousand
feet above the sea, opening before us its crater, twenty




BEGINNING THE DESCENT


2I5


miles in circumference and eighteen hundred feet deep.
Still farther away, Lanai and Molokai were distinctly
visible; while beyond the horizon, faintly looming
under a chaplet of clouds, floating between heaven and
earth like a vision in dreamland, were the shadowy
summits of Oahu.
Thus gazing, and still longing to gaze, we saw, as
if it were rising out of the mountain, a little cloud,
that grew and discharged upon us a sprinkle of sleet,
then melted and vanished in sunshine overhead, —a
warning surely, bringing out of oblivion old stories of
thirst, starvation, and death in the fog. Hastily
gathering an armful of stones, we piled them on the
peak; then with one more sweep of the eye through
boundless space, we began to descend.
Rejoining our guides below the bank of snow, we
refreshed ourselves with a hurried repast, and then
plunged down the side of the mountain. We had
gazed upon the earth, had looked into heaven, had
seen what no flight of inexperienced imagination could
have found out; and now the only thought was of
escape from the clouds and darkness that threatened
the summit. Skipping like wild goats among the
rocks, we soon arrived in camp, where, heaping our
possessions upon the bullock's back, we made such
haste that we entered the forest before sunset, and
stopped for the night at the shanty of a wood-sawyer
who had dug a saw-pit among the trees in the upper
belt of the " forest primeval." This utilitarian worthy
was one of those devourers of natural beauty who
create a desolation and call it good; but we were too




2I6


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


hungry and tired to be critical, and after a bountiful
supper we slept the sleep of the just.
Before noon next day, our journey ended where it
began, in the lowland of Hamakua. Munson travelled
homeward, and returned to school, while I went with
Curtis on an expedition through the valleys of Kohala.
In those tremendous gorges we passed nearly two
weeks, wading among the submerged fields of taro,
and dragging the surveyor's chain where a boat seemed
almost indispensable. Measuring a base-line, we took
sights with compass and quadrant, and in this way ascertained the altitude of the crags around us. Near the
head of Waipio,- the Hawaiian Yosemite,- a lovely
waterfall, a perfect bridal-veil, fell two hundred feet to
a rocky shelf, then leaped eighteen hundred feet farther,
an unbroken sheet of foam, into a deep dark pool at
the base of the cliff. In Waimanu we measured a still
higher fall,- twenty-eight hundred feet of continuous
spray. This cascade, however, only played during
rainy weather, and was dried up for the greater part
of the Summer.
These wonderful valleys were exceedingly difficult
of access. An easily sloping bullock-track led down
the southern wall of Waipio, giving daily passage to
long lines of pack-animals loaded with taro pulp, the
food of the natives, which was thus exported from the
fruitful vale to the adjacent country; but the other
valleys were only reached by ancient foot-paths that
went straight up and down their precipitous walls.
When, as at Waimanu, these bluffs were sixteen
hundred feet high, no little effort was needed; in fact,




NATIVES IN      REMOTE     GLENS     217
the natives preferred the canoe-path by sea, though
this was only practicable in seasons of calm.
We found the inhabitants of these remote glens
living in great simplicity and comfort. Food was
abundant; the thatched houses were clean and commodious; they had their tiny schoolhouses where the
children could read the Bible and hymn-book, and
frolic all day; what more could primitive people desire? We passed one night in a little village built at
the water's edge, upon a broad talus formed by successive landslides from a perpendicular wall that faced
the sea with an elevation of twelve or thirteen hundred
feet. When the sun went down, and the restless ocean
moaned along the bowlder-strewn beach, while lingering sea-breezes made mournful music among the
rustling fronds of the cocoanut trees, it seemed as if
nothing could tempt one to tarry in such an abode.
But when the dawn of day awoke everything to life,when the young men and maidens came forth from
their huts by the shore, rejoicing in light and air, with
sunshine on the cliffs, with rainbows in the waterfalls
and delicious zephyrs softly stealing from the highlands that overlooked the sea,-it was impossible to
deny the charm of savage life beside the mighty ocean.




CHAPTER XV


New Offcial Dignity - Appointment as Hawaiian  Landsurveyor - At Work with a Party of Natives in the FieldFrom the Seashore to Mauna Kea- Cutting a Path through
the Forest- Wonders of Nature-Bird-life- Pleasures and
Hardships of the Camp -Forest Fires - A Volcanic Eruption - n Appalling Spectacle - Back to Honolulu- Coming of the Small-pox - Vaccination of the Natives - A
Final Mountain Expedition- Ravages of the VolcanoHunting Wild Cattle- Death of the Monarch of the Herd.
A FEW days after my return from these expeditions, while waiting for a passage to Punahou,
where school had already begun, the quiet town of
Hilo was agitated by the arrival of Chief Justice Lee,
who came to hold a judicial session in our little
thatched court-house. No other accommodation being
available, he was invited by my parents to make his
home with them. We all enjoyed his visit, for conversation with an intelligent and cultivated gentleman,
who knew the world and was not spoiled by it, was in
those days a rare entertainment. Judge Lee, being
President of the Land Commission, was naturally
interested by my narrative of recent experiences in the
field. I also guided him to various points of interest
in the vicinity, visiting thus, one day, the great Chinese sugar-plantation, twelve miles north of the town,
218




APPOINTED      LAND-SURVEYOR          219
and other valuable estates in the neighborhood. He
was delighted with everything, declaring it the gardenspot of the Islands. Before leaving our house, he gave
me a note of introduction to Mr. John Young, Minister of the Interior, requesting my appointment as
land-agent and government-surveyor for the southern
half of Hawaii. He also signed an order for a complete set of surveyor's apparatus, which I was to pay
for out of my earnings. My parents were quite overwhelmed by this unexpected bounty; but to me, in
my ignorance of the world, it seemed quite naturally
a part of the due order of events. I took passage for
Honolulu, while Judge Lee travelled overland to the
other side of the island.
Arrived at the capital, my first step was a visit to
the Hawaiian Treasury, where, in exchange for an
order from Curtis L., I received two gold eagles,my wages as chain-man in Hamakua. Never before
had I been in possession of so much money; and my
hand frequently visited my pocket, to make sure that
the precious coins were still there. The next errand
was to the office of the Minister of the Interior; but
instead of the Premier, I found our old acquaintance
Asa Thurston enthroned in the chair of the dignitary,
who was " out of town " for a few days. He took my
letter, read it carefully, the ends of his elegant mustachios rising as he read till they nearly touched his
eyebrows, and then returned it with the information
that I must see the Minister himself, and that the
date of his return was uncertain. Then began a series
of fruitless calls, such as every office-seeker since the




220


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


first moment of time has been compelled to make.
One morning, however, timidly entering the office of
my kind friend, the Rev. Richard Armstrong, Minister of Public Instruction, I learned that the Minister
of the Interior had returned at last, and was now in
his office.  Dr. Armstrong immediately took me
under his wing, and himself introduced me to the
great man, to whom I presented the letter from
Judge Lee. Mr. Young was a tall, handsome man,
with silky black side-whiskers, son of an English
sailor whom King Kamehameha, in the early years of
the century, had persuaded to leave his ship in order
to command the royal artillery and to marry a sister
of the reigning sovereign. The family prospered, and
its present representative was, next to the king, the
head of the nobility. In such an exalted presence I
felt very small indeed, especially when, after perusing
the letter, the puissant chieftain uttered an audible
grunt, and, without a word or a look for my consolation, withdrew, as if alarmed, into the unapproachable
recesses of his private office.
Calling upon Dr. Armstrong the next day, I was
told that my youth was made a serious objection to
Mr. Lee's request. This did not surprise me; for I
had not quite completed my sixteenth year. I consoled myself by the reflection that George Washington was a land-surveyor when only sixteen years old;
and "What man has done man can do " was a phrase
with which we at school were very familiar.  The
good Doctor advised me to wait for the return of
Judge Lee, and promised ini the meantime as far as




AN INDEPENDENT SURVEYOR 221


possible to aid my suit.  I accordingly set to work at
Punahou, among my old companions, till the arrival
of my patron.  Everything then fell into order at
once. The supercilious smiles with which the clerks
of the Interior Department previously welcomed me
were now replaced by decorous expressions of gravely
sympathetic interest; and presently I was informed
that my father was appointed to the office of landagent for the government, with permission to name
whom he would as surveyor. This arrangement was
perfectly satisfactory to me; and hastening to equip
myself with the necessary apparatus for surveying, I
engaged passage on the first packet for Hilo, where I
arrived a few days later, to the no small discontent of
my father, who was not at all pleased with the idea
of becoming, even nominally, a government official.
On second thought, however, he concluded for my
sake to accept the situation, though it involved a compulsory sacrifice of inclination on his part.
My first expedition as an independent surveyor was
among the people inhabiting the southern district of
Hawaii. I made my headquarters with the American
missionary, Rev. Mr. Kinney, who, with his beautiful
wife and two little children, was living in a pleasant
parsonage on the grassy slope of the foothills of
Mauna Loa. The house was planned and erected by
his predecessor, the Rev. Mr. Paris, a gentleman from
Virginia, who had, very naturally, reproduced the
salient features of the Southern mansions among which
he was brought up. The outlook over the native village
and the surrounding territory was attractive; and in




't22


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


front of the house was a pleasant garden that contained many tropical plants and fruits.
From this point I launched out in every direction,
surveying the house-lots and school-premises which
the government was deeding to the people.  The
population was thinly scattered over the lower slopes
of the mountain, and along a rocky coast, which,
owing to the volcanic origin of the land, presented
widely varied formation. There were sloping fields,
waving with grass and fertile as an American prairie.
Then, cutting right through the verdure, would be a
motionless river of cooled lava that in former days
had poured its fiery torrents from the mountain into
the sea. Broad tracts of level lava, now solid and
cold, marked the situation where lakes of liquid fire
had lain during the period of volcanic activity. But
the most striking contrast was exhibited near the
southern cape of the island. Westward from the mission station the traveller passed through a verdant
country, with the grassy slopes of Mauna Loa on one
side and the restless ocean on the other, till the path
suddenly ended on the brink of a tremendous escarpment with a perpendicular descent of several hundred
feet to an immense plain of black lava extending beyond the reach of vision toward the northwest. Not
a spire of grass, nor a shrub, nor any green thing,
could be seen in all that territory; nothing but ridges
and ranges and hills of lava formed by eruptions long
before the memory of man. A few years after my visit,
the mountain quietly opened its side, and without
any warning poured forth a river of fire, destroying




FROM THE SHORE TO MAUNA KEA 223
the houses and plantations and rich pastures through
which I had carried my compass and chain. It was
in this way, undoubtedly, that the island originally
grew out of the sea.
My next task was nearer home-the survey of
Makahanaloa, an extensive territory, reaching from
the seashore far up the side of Mauna Kea. It was
necessary to cut, for the compass and chain, a path
about twelve miles long through the trackless forest
that covered the mountain-side. Remote from human
habitations, a portable shelter for my workmen must
be provided; so I made a little tent of.unbleached
cotton sheeting, just large enough to cover eight men
lying close together on the ground. My party consisted of six natives,-two chain-men, two slashers
armed with cutlasses and axes to fell the trees and
shrubs that obstructed every step of the way, and two
guides, old bird-catchers, who were supposed to be
personally acquainted with the boundaries of the land
throughout the length and breadth of the wilderness.
It was near sunset on the first day of our expedition
when we entered the forest. The weather was fine,
the air was warm, and though the middle of January,
everything was green and beautiful.  My boys were
in high spirits over the contemplated picnic in the
woods; and the depths of the wilderness rang with
their shouts, as they pitched the tent upon a little
strip of turf, beside a limpid stream that issued, clear
and cold, from a thicket of ferns and mountain shrubbery. After supper, one of the guides went down into
the water with a small hand-net, which he soon filled




224


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


with delicious fresh-water shrimps. Some of these
were eaten alive and raw, while the remainder were
wrapped in fragrant ki-leaves, and roasted on the
coals, as a supplement to our evening meal.
With the coming of dawn, we all were awake and
alert.  A roaring fire in front of the tent diffused
warmth and life among the whole company, and
breakfast was soon despatched. We then proceeded
to measure a narrow woodland path which the guides
indicated as the track to be followed by the chain;
and in this way we penetrated the forest a distance of
nearly two miles the first day. The tent was moved
up the road, and our second camp was pitched among
giant ohia and koa trees, with tree-ferns and wild vines
and tangled bushes forming an almost impenetrable
jungle. The branches overhead were alive with birds,
-red, green, brown, and black. In other lands,
such affluence of aerial life would be accompanied
by a corresponding wealth of animal forms in and
upon the soil; but in fortunate Hawaii, all reptiles,
serpents, and wild vermin were unknown, so that the
densest thicket could be entered without fear of danger from any foe. Our old bird-catcher limed the
branches of a flowering ohia, and presently had two or
three birds gummed tightly by their feet to the sticky
twigs.  Climbing the tree, he brought them down
alive, plucked out the valuable feathers, and then liberated the frightened creatures without bodily injury.
After this day, our progress was very slow. So
dense was the forest, and so filled with fallen trees,
that the efforts of our swordsmen and axemen were




A PATH THROUGH THE FOREST 225
sometimes almost unappreciable. The forenoon was
usually bright and sunny, but the afternoons were
always cloudy, and often drizzly with a fine rain, or
pervasive mist, that dripped from every leaf, and kept
everything damp, even under the shelter of the tent.
But my boys worked patiently from morning till
night. There was no time-piece in the party, but all
our proceedings were regulated by the sun and by
daylight; and as our work continued from breakfasttime till sundown, we were not particularly interested
in the exact hour of the day. In advance of our column the guides burrowed in the jungle, seeking old
landmarks, -and designating our course.  Then followed the woodmen, hacking and slashing the bushes
and ferns; while I brought up the rear with my compass, taking frequent sights, to keep the men from
swerving out of line. When a sufficient distance was
thus opened, or when an angle was reached, the chainmen took up their chain, and, measuring the track,
the whole gang moved forward into the wilderness.
Sometimes the weazen-faced old guide, after a long
excursion in the jungle, would come back, acknowledging defeat and loss of the track; but he was never
in the least disconcerted by such failure. Cheerfully
squatting in the wet moss under a spreading tree, he
would draw out of some recess in his scanty garments
a grimy little bag, from which he would produce a
stumpy, brass-tipped wooden pipe. Then, beginning
the recital of some racy narrative always provocative
of hilarity, he would deliberately fill the bowl with
rank tobacco; after which, with flint and steel evoking




226


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


a spark in his primitive tinder-box, he would ignite
the charge, and fill the air with volumes of smoke
issuing from mouth and nose in succession. Thus
refreshed, the tobacco-pouch would be carefully packed
away, and its owner would plunge once more into the
midst of the dripping foliage.
After a day of such amphibious existence, it was
delightful to sit warm and dry in the tent, while
the boys huddled round a crackling fire of wet wood,
built under the protection of a venerable kea-tree, or
beneath the canopy of an immense tree-fern. There
they sat, spellbound and utterly infatuated by the
tales of the heathen guide, narrating exploits of ancient
gods and goddesses among the glens and glades of
Hawaii, till, as the fire died down, and its last flickering flame made uncertain shadows among the overhanging branches, the superstitious fellows would
creep shuddering into the bed of leaves where we all
enjoyed common quarters on the ground under the
sheltering tent.
Thus inch by inch we wormed our way through
the greenwood wild. At first, we fared sumptuously
every day on native food brought to our camp from
the lowlands near the coast; but after three or four
weeks, our stations were so far removed from the
settlements that our caterers ceased to appear, and the
stock of provisions was nearly exhausted. The guide
assured us that within three or four days we should
emerge above the forest upon the open mountain-side,
where fresh beef and potatoes could be obtained at
the camps of the bullock-hunters. He.also showed




FOREST FIRES


227


us, growing everywhere, an abundance of edible ferns
that were nutritious and good; so we unanimously
decided to forage for a living, and to complete our
task before retiring seaward.
At our present elevation, the air was drier than at
lower levels, and the woods were more passable,
encouraging us to expect speedy deliverance; but it
was nearly a week before the guide reported, one day,
that while pioneering in advance of the column he had
seen open country above the forest. That morning,
as we sat around the fire, ruefully roasting the footstalks and pith of the fern, we were surprised by an
appearance of smoke, widely diffused and dimming
the purity of the cloudless sky overhead. The guide
insisted that this merely signified a bush-fire on the
coast; but, dissatisfied with his explanation, I sent a
boy up a tall tree, only to learn that he could see
nothing more than a forest fire in the region below us,
near the sea. The veil of clouds that during the afternoon usually overhung the mountain soon closed in
upon us, and we thought no more of the matter that
day; but the cloudless hours of the following morning
again made evident the fact that smoke from some
distant source still pervaded the upper region of the
atmosphere. Busied all day, moving our camp into
the open country above the timber-line, we found ourselves shut in by clouds from the rest of the world,
and the unusual phenomenon remained without explanation.
Pitching the tent on a little knoll, our guides started in search of a wild cow for fresh beef. Scarcely




228


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


were they out of sight when we spied a calf, straying
alone at a distance from the parent herd. Fleet as
deer, my hungry boys threw away their packs, and
rushed upon the luckless creature, pulling him down
by the tail, slaughtering him with their cutlasses, and
proudly returning to camp with choice portions of
tender flesh still bleeding and smoking in the cool
mountain air. We immediately kindled a fire by
rubbing two sticks together, and gorged ourselves
with savory meat; then sallied forth to complete the
survey, —a task quickly accomplished in that fine
open country. When the sun went down, the last
boundary was measured, the last cairn was piled, and
we stood ready on the morrow to take up the line of
march toward home.
As we sat by the evening fire, roasting a joint of
veal for supper, one of the guides brought up a handful of potatoes from a deserted plantation, once cultivated by Ned, the notorious bullock-hunter, long
since summoned to his last assize, and now troubling.the earth no more. These degenerate tubers, though
fully grown, were the smallest I ever saw,-scarcely
larger than peas; but they roasted perfectly and
afforded a welcome change from the fern-roots upon
which we had subsisted for a week.
As the shades of night gathered round our tent, the
vast canopy of clouds that concealed the summit of
the mountain began to rise and roll away before the
evening breeze. With the disappearance of daylight
the clouded sky became everywhere aglow with lurid
flames, evidently issuing from Mauna Loa. We at once




A RIVER OF FIRE


229


comprehended the mystery of the smoke; there was a
volcanic eruption. Hurrying to the crest of a ridge
half a mile southwest of the camp, we obtained a full
view of the valley between the mountains, and of the
dome of Mauna Loa, miles beyond that awful gulf.
The whole space between the two mountains was
almost as brilliantly illuminated as if by daylight,
revealing upon the northern slope of Mauna Loa, at
a distance of twenty-five miles, and ten thousand feet
above the sea, a fountain of white-hot lava spouting
five hundred feet into the air. From this radiant
source rushed a river of liquid fire, ten or twelve miles
in length, pouring its raging torrent down the
mountain into a red-hot lake on the floor of the valley
at our feet. All along the lower reaches of this
mighty stream, the forest was disappearing like straw
in a furnace, yet adding apparently nothing to the
enormous banner of flame and smoke that floated
above the burning island. As we gazed and listened,
faint sounds reached our ears,-a continual, distant
susurration, as of locusts devouring a tree; a wonderfully composite note that contained the roar of a
volcano in action, the wailing of wood-nymphs in
agony, and the triumphant laughter of the goddess of
fire,-all rising and falling together, now dying as
if into silence, then swelling again upon the ambient
air,-a symphony beyond description, infernal.
We stood on the ridge- until thoroughly chilled by
the night air, gazing upon this awful display of volcanic energy. It was easy now to comprehend the
process by which the island and its mountains had




230      HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
grown to their present magnitude; for here it was in
actual operation before our eyes. From its course and
volume, there was great probability that the river of
fire would enter the ocean at Hilo; and as we returned
to camp we could not suppress the fear that the lava
might reach the coast in advance of our own arrival.
At break of day the following morning, we started
for home. Halting, about eight o'clock, beside a little stream of clear cold water within the forest, while
picking feebly at the scanty relics of fern-root and
broiled veal, we heard a long-drawn, far-reaching, earpiercing cry,-the aboriginal whoop with which the
Hawaiian natives signal each other at a distance. One
of my boys, blessed with the lungs of a stentor,
sprang to his feet and uttered a responsive shriek.
Presently we saw a large dog, leaping over and among
the fallen trees that obstructed the trail, and rushing
toward us with most extravagant manifestations of
canine joy. It was the big watch-dog from the schoolhouse at home. He was soon followed by two stalwart young men, loaded with provisions for our party.
Having heard nothing from us for nearly two weeks,
my father feared that we might be in trouble, and
accordingly had despatched this expedition for our
relief. We at once generously handed our breakfast
to the dog, and sat down by the sparkling stream,
with an appetite born of starvation, to enjoy a meal
that was more thoroughly grateful than any we had
ever eaten before.
After this reviving repast, we again started, laboriously threading the path we had previously traced




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I




A VOLCANIC ERUPTION


231


from the coast. I was interested by the rapid growth
of ferns and lianas, everywhere sprouting and already
obscuring the devastation wrought by our axes and
swords. With the going down of the sun, we came
out of the forest, near a large native house where we
received a hospitable welcome from the family, for
whose benefit after supper, our old bird-catcher gave
by special request his latest version of the exploits of
godlike Olohana, * hero of the tales that charmed my
boys during our sojourn in the wilderness.
Next morning our party was broken up, the guides
returning to their homes, while the rest of us hurried
over the slippery path that led to Hilo. There we
found everyone anxious concerning the fate of the
village, for the volcanic eruption was steadily advancing. I made a trigonometrical measurement, and
estimated the distance of the source to be thirty-five
miles from the harbor. The altitude of the red-hot
jet was usually about five hundred feet; but one day
it slightly exceeded a thousand feet, while the cloud
of dust and smoke ascended at least five thousand
yards higher, entering the current of the "return
trade-wind," by which it was swept to the northeast
in a direction exactly opposite to the course of the
wind on the surface of the earth. At early morning,
when the breeze blew from the mountain, the country
about us was covered with delicate filaments of fine
volcanic glass, spun like cob-webs from the melted
lava as it flew up into the air above the great fountain
Olohana —  " All hands," the name given by old Hawaiians to John Young,
the English boatswain who acted as chief of staff in the army of King Kamehameha the Conqueror.




232


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


of fire. At last, however, after nearly a month of
furious activity, the fire died out, and our anxieties
were relieved by the arrest of the flow that menaced
the existence of our beautiful bay.
The story of my work in the woods was rapidly
circulated among the native population, and proved to
be an excellent advertisement of the business. Orders
for surveying came in as fast as they could be executed,
and I was continually at work. Dressed in a blue
woollen sack-coat with a dark checked figure that was
almost a plaid,-warm in rain, and cool in the sun,- an
unstarched shirt that displayed a wide rolling collar and
a flourishing neck-tie, with a bright red sash of Chinese silk around my waist, and a pair of high boots
outside of my trousers, the whole outfit surmounted
by a soft gray felt hat of the latest Californian pattern,
and followed by two faithful Hawaiian chain-men, I
strode up and down the country from the northern
boundary of Hilo to the farthest cape of Kau, and
became one of the most widely known personages in
the land. Recalling those primitive days, I can now
easily understand the look of incredulity with which a
venerable naval chaplain, whom I encountered one
day, received my statement' that I was familiar with
the whole of Caesar and Virgil, was not without
knowledge of French, German, and Greek, and intended soon to enter an American college.
The following Winter I returned to Punahou, enjoying four months of hard work while completing
my preparation for college. One day I called upon
my kind-hearted patron, Judge Lee, and found him




COMING OF THE SMALL-POX 233
passing a leisure hour in his chambers at the courthouse. Our conversation turned upon the choice of
a profession; and he so strongly advised me to study
law that I then and there decided to adopt that course.
It was with profound satisfaction that I contemplated
the career thus marked out for me,-four years at
college, two years at Harvard Law School, and then,
ah, then! Something must still remain undecided.
The annual gathering of mission families at Honolulu was this year rendered memorable by the circumstance that my mother, for the first time in thirteen
years, braved the terrors of a sea-voyage, and passed
the period of General Meeting with us at Punahou.
She derived much pleasure from thus renewing
acquaintance with many of her friends whom she had
not seen for so many years; but while thus enjoying
this vacation, a terrible calamity unexpectedly befell
our island community. A clipper-ship from San
Francisco appeared in the offing one day, with a
yellow flag at her mast-head; there was a case of
small-pox on board. Two weeks later, several cases
were discovered among the native people in Honolulu.
A board of health was hastily organized, yellow flags
were placed on infected houses, and an attempt made
to vaccinate the population; but the supply of vaccine
virus was utterly insufficient, and the disease spread
rapidly among the susceptible natives. We returned
to Hilo as soon as a passage could be secured, and
the work of vaccination was carried to the utmost
extent, the cultivation and distribution of protective
virus being the chief occupation of our physicians.




234


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


Provided with as much as I could use, and travelling
through the country, I vaccinated everyone who came
in my way. By these measures the spread of the
disease was considerably restricted; yet nearly three
thousand aboriginal inhabitants perished before the
final arrest of the epidemic.
During the month of August, after the cessation of
the small-pox, Mr. Coan headed a party of Punahou
boys, and ascended Mauna Loa for the purpose of
exploring the course of the volcanic eruption which
had alarmed us the previous year. Returning from
one of my surveying tours, I joined the expedition,
and with it made the ascent. We found the rugged mountain-side covered with sand and scoria, borne
by the wind and rained down, during the weeks of
active eruption, over many miles of lava leeward of
the volcanic vent. In this way the jagged rocks were
concealed, and a tolerable track existed where formerly
it was almost impossible to clamber over the slag. At
an elevation of ten thousand feet above sea-level, we
discovered the pit through which the river of fire had
made its way to the surface. It was only a few rods
in diameter, surrounded by a conical rim of scoria
which measured about a mile in circumference at its
outside base. On its seaward side, this cone was
broken by a deep channel through which the molten
lava flowed down the slope of the mountain as long as
the eruption continued. Near its source, this channel
was an open canal; but farther down the mountain, it
was covered by an arch of cooled lava, forming a
tunnel, now drained and empty, through which the




FINAL MOUNTAIN EXPEDITION              235
fiery stream rushed into the lowlands below the crater.
We entered this vast cavern, wondering at its extent,
and at the vitreous polish of its sides and roof; but
without lanterns or torches, we could not explore its
course.
My final outing expedition was upon Mauna Kea,
where I was ordered to measure and mark the boundaries of a broad tract belonging to a native chieftain
of high rank. Taught by previous hardship, my
preparations were more elaborate than on former occasions; and I resolved, if possible, to combine the
pleasure of hunting wild cattle with the rather prosaic
details of a surveyor's occupation. The tent and
camp equipage were thoroughly overhauled, and I engaged a whaleboat with its crew to carry us twentyfive miles down the coast to a point whence we could
most conveniently ascend the mountain. It was a
cloudy, sultry evening when we embarked from the
strand at Hilo. Sails were useless, for want of wind;
so the boatmen put forth their oars and rowed laboriously over the undulating sea. About two o'clock
in the morning, deeming ourselves near a landing
where we had arranged for the embarkation of a
young half-caste whom I had engaged to accompany
us as bullock-hunter and purveyor to the expedition,
my stentorian chain-man began hailing the shore.
After much shouting and objurgation, a faint reply'
made itself audible above the roar of the surf outside
of which we lay. This was finally followed by the
appearance of a light canoe, careening among the
breakers and skimming the waves under the beetling




236


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


crags that loomed dim and high in the darkness
above our heads.   In  this little skiff came our
hunter, Jim the half-caste, a lithe and slender young
fellow, armed with an old-fashioned Kentucky rifle,
and accompanied by a pair of large Newfoundland
dogs. After an infinite amount of good-humored
chaffing and shouting, the transfer of these passengers to our boat was successfully achieved, and
we resumed our course just outside the surf along the
shore. For want of wind, our progress was very slow;
and we did not reach the little cove which was to be
our point of disembarkation till the middle of the
forenoon. Despite calm weather, long waves were
rolling from the open ocean, and were breaking with
furious bursts of foam upon the rocky shore, concealing from my unaccustomed eyes the channel that led
among the reefs to a narrow landing only wide enough
to receive a small boat or canoe. But my oarsmen
were perfectly at home in the place, and with consummate skill they mounted the crest of an advancing
wave that bore us safely into a sheltered pool where
we could beach the boat and step out upon the rugged
shore. The entire population of the little fishing
village greeted us with enthusiasm, and Jim was at
once immersed in business, chaffering with dealers in
provisions, owners of pack-cattle, and an innumerable
advisory council of idlers who surrounded us on all
sides. After a couple of hours spent in this kind of
negotiation, I succeeded in hiring a man who agreed
to transport a sufficient quantity of provision for the
use of our company, on condition that, besides a




A CAMP ON THE MOUNTAIN 237
specified number of silver coins, we should furnish him
with a full load of wild beef on our return from the
mountain.
Having completed these preliminary arrangements,
our tent and camp furniture were piled upon the
saddle of a pack-bullock, while another was freighted
with a cargo of eatables; and thus equipped, we started
in single file, slowly climbing the steep pathway out of
the deep valley in which we landed. Probably no
quadruped advances with slower pace than a loaded
steer; consequently, after a journey of six or eight
miles to the last inhabited settlement on the mountain
road, it was nearly sundown, and we decided to pass
the night in the house of one of our hospitable native
friends. The following day was dry and pleasant, and
we proceeded as rapidly as the movements of our
animals would permit, reaching the open country above
the timber-line just before dark. Here we chose a
site for the camp, near a spring of water, among a
little grove of trees that were scattered over the slope
of the mountain. The boys gathered dry wood and
kindled a blazing fire near a tree that sheltered a wide
space with its far-reaching limbs. Only the bullock
that bore our tent, and his driver, were missing.
Darkness covered the earth, and I began to fear a
night in the open air, when a distant shout announced
the approach of the stragglers, who finally arrived at
the fire. The tent was quickly pitched under the
tree, and after a hearty supper we soon fell asleep on
the ground, lying as comfortably as if on downy beds
of ease at home,-so readily do health and youth




238


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


adapt themselves to what are called the hardships of
savage life.
Early in the morning we again were afoot, leaving
all our baggage in the tent. While my chain-men
measured the boundary lines of the survey, Jim and I
started out to look for wild cattle. The dogs beat up
the copses and clumps of timber, and soon we discovered a considerable herd among the trees. Calling in
the dogs, my huntsman crept carefully against the
wind till within rifle-shot, when he selected a fat cow.
A supply of fresh beef for the camp was thus assured; but we yet had a contract with the bullockdriver to be filled. Terrified by the report of the
deadly rifle, the herd was now scattered all over the
flank of the mountain, and the prospect of securing
additional game was not very encouraging, when suddenly there walked out of an island of trees a large
bull with spreading horns and head erect, his nostrils
smoking and his tail swinging with rage. The hunter
and his dogs plunged into a little ravine through
which they could advance unseen, while I, with my
double-barrelled fowling-piece, loaded with heavy
leaden slugs, made a demonstration to distract the
attention of the bull. Jim soon appeared within fifty
yards of the animal, and shot him through the chest;
but he merely turned and walked sullenly back among
the trees, followed by the dogs in full cry.  Two or
three more shots were discharged during the next halfhour, but I could see nothing in the obscurity of the
grove, and after a while the hunter rejoined me with a
crestfallen look, declaring that his ammunition was all




HUNTING WILD CATTLE                 239
expended.  It was evident that a greater display of
courage and skill was needful to keep our banner from
trailing in the dust; so I demanded an exchange of
weapons, poured a handful of powder into the rifle,
hammered down a bullet after the wad, and advanced
in search of the prey. Soon discovering the beast
standing gloomily alone upon a distant ridge, I cautiously approached until, at a distance of about a
hundred yards, the opportunity seemed favorable, and
I planted a ball in his shoulder. I doubted not that
with the dispersion of the smoke we should see our
victim weltering on the ground; but for some reason
never fully comprehended, there was nothing of the
kind, and the bull, with horns erect, still stood firm
upon his feet. Jim and his dogs now ran up, and while
I was struggling with the last charge for the rifle, Jim
fired both barrels of the fowling-piece against the
forehead of the animal. Even this stupefying blast
seemed to produce no other effect than to start the
bull on a slow walk toward a neighboring copse. The
two dogs followed after him, deliberately pacing at
a safe distance from the heels of their antagonist,
and refusing all obedience to the outcries of their
master, who brought up the rear, reloading his gun,
and filling the air with curses and threats. I experienced much difficulty in forcing the only remaining
cartridge into the rifle, but having at last succeeded in
ramming down the charge, I hurried after the party,
and overtook them in a cluster of trees, among which
the bull was standing at bay, while the dogs sat on
their haunches and listlessly lolled'their tongues, to




240


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


the infinite disgust of Jim, who seized the rifle and
again blazed away without perceptible effect.  We
were now reduced to dependence upon the fowlingpiece alone, and I saw that our only chance lay in the
accurate delivery of a bullet at close quarters. The
bull had taken his stand under a tree that branched
near the ground; so, directing Jim to display his dogs
in front, I crept around behind the tree and climbed
into its branches before the animal was aware of my
approach.  Having secured a position of safety, I
gave a shout that instantly drew the attention of the
bull, who wheeled sharply round, and with a roar of
fury rushed toward my perch. Deliberately aiming
at a white spot in the centre of his forehead, I waited
until almost able to touch it with the muzzle of my
gun, and then pulled the trigger. There was a violent explosion that made my shoulder ache all day,
and down fell the monster on his side, with limbs extended and every muscle quivering all over the huge
frame. Jim instantly planted his hunting-knife in the
brain of the unconscious beast, while the dogs valiantly
assaulted the lifeless carcass, and were unwilling to let
go when ordered by their master to cease from worrying a harmless foe. Our bullock-driver took possession of the spoils of the chase, cutting up the beef
for transportation to his home, and recovering from
the carcass no fewer than eleven bullets, all flattened
out of shape against the flinty bones of the gigantic
skeleton.




CHAPTER XVI


Departure for the United States- The Final Leave-takingOn Shipboardfor the Voyage around the Horn - Good-bye to
Hawaii - Our Ship Quarters and Companions - A Motley
Crew of Sailors - A Masterful Captain - Making a New
Main-mast - Crossing the Equator - Harpooning Porpoises
and Chasing Whales — A Week of Idle Calm - Islands of the
Southern Pacific - Visits Ashore — Heading for the South
Pole - Ships that Passed- The Genius of the Polar RegionTierra del Fuego - Rounding Cape Horn - In Atlantic
Waters.
AND now the day of final departure from home
was at hand.   From Honolulu came information that my passage was engaged for New Bedford on
the good ship Bartholomew Gosnold, homeward bound
by way of Cape Horn. My last survey was forwarded
to the land office; my worldly goods were packed in a
little camphor-wood trunk - gift of my mother - and
in an old sea-chest of which I had somehow become
the possessor; everything was finished, and I was ready
to embark. A friendly whaling captain offered me a
passage to Honolulu, where the Gosnold was refitting
for her voyage round the Cape. So accustomed to my
frequent flights had we become, that it seemed nothing
unusual or painful when I bade everyone farewell. I
visited the old familiar haunts; looked in upon the
241




242


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


school-boys at their lessons and the watch-dog slumbering in his kennel, and once more climbed the fruittrees in the garden, wondering how large they would
be when I should see them again,-for I had no suspicion that this was the last time my eyes would ever
behold that beautiful spot. Bright and clear before
me lay the future; four years at college, two more in
a law-school, then home again to grow rich in the
courts of the kingdom. "Man proposes, but God
disposes."
Arrived at Honolulu, I found that two weeks must
elapse before the Bartholomew Gosnold would be ready
to sail; so I whiled away the time with my former
schoolmates, visiting, riding, picnicking, and receiving
congratulations from everyone in view of my translation to the land of my fathers.  Swiftly sped those
hopeful days before the second of December (I853),
when Captain Heustis summoned his passengers aboard,
and hoisted sail "for home."  It was a lovely afternoon in the delightful tropical Winter, when our ship
glided out of the crowded harbor, slowly receding from
shore till the beautiful island seemed afloat upon the
waves on the distant horizon. The trade-wind blew
softly; not a cloud could be seen, as the level rays of the
setting sun gilded every peak and lighted the mountain
valleys behind Honolulu. Many a time this enchanting vision had met my gaze, and cast no shadow of regret across my soul; but now, as twilight fell, and earth,
air, sea, and sky were melted in the awful gloom of
coming night, one lingering, longing look through
tear-dimmed eyes, and then-no more Hawaii for me.




11~~~~~~~~
OF~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ X




a




QUARTERS ON SHIPBOARD


243


The following morning, when we awoke, land was
out of sight, and our ship was steadily advancing
toward the Equator. The Captain,- short, stout, and
good-humored, -had put away his "long-shore togs,"
and walked the deck in a colored shirt with cotton
trousers to match. Everyone else was attired with
equal simplicity; so my fellow-passenger, James A.,
and myself gladly followed suit, and adapted our garments to the increasing heat of the weather. The
cabin was twelve feet square, lighted through a skylight in the deck, and giving access to four little staterooms. The Captain's apartment was the largest, as
became his rank, and was furnished with a case for the
chronometers, and an arm-chair, opposite which hung
a colored portrait of a handsome young lady —the
Captain's sweetheart, to whom he was engaged to be
married at the end of his voyage. Next to this comfortable nest was my stateroom, containing a berth,
but not wide enough to admit a chair. James occupied the corresponding room on the other side, while
the fourth was held in common by the first and second
mates,-the third mate, a taciturn Indian from Gay
Head, being accommodated with a bunk in the steerage. Behind the companion-way was a little storeroom
for our chests, and there was also a pantry from which
the mulatto steward regularly produced our meals.
The cabin table, just large enough for six people, was
securely fastened in front of the transom, on which sat
the Captain as commander-in-chief and head of the
feast, always flanked by his inseparable companion,
Pink, a small white cur with a corkscrew tail, now on




244


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


his fourth voyage round Cape Horn. Open-mouthed,
and intent upon the provisions heaped near him, the
little fellow would sit quietly waiting his turn; but if
too long neglected, he would place a tiny paw upon
the Captain's arm, thus asking why he was forgotten.
There was another dog on board,-a big, black Newfoundland, taken from a wreck in the Arctic Ocean.
He was a surly old scoundrel, for whom Pink entertained supreme contempt, never willingly tolerating
such a rival in the cabin, always bristling and barking
furiously from his seat beside his master whenever
Marcus showed himself at the cabin door.
Just forward of the cabin was a den in which
bunked the third mate, three boat-steerers, the carpenter, and the cook. These were men of higher
rank than the common sailor, chosen for superior
strength and skill,-sometimes seeking knowledge of
the art of navigation, and anxious to reach a better
position, fairly on the way to become mates and captains in the future. The boat-steerers were responsible for the boats that hung alongside the ship; and
much of their time was spent in examination of the
lines and other whaling gear,-carefully splicing
ropes, renewing the fastenings of the harpoons, and
whetting the razor-like edges of the deadly lances with
which whales were slain. In the bow of the ship was
a dark and noisome hole, the forecastle, in which
dwelt fifteen or eighteen sailors, - Portuguese, Irish,
Swedes, drunkards and rapscallions generally. These
gentry were as quiet and orderly as one could wish;
but our Captain informed us that when he first




MAKING A NEW MAIN-MAST 245
took them out of New Bedford they were utterly
insubordinate, until he had floored every man of them
with his own fist. It seemed hard to believe that such
a white-handed, smiling, good-natured person, who
never swore, or drank, or uttered a word of impatience
or anger during the voyage, should have been able
thus to subdue such a gang; but it was a fact, and the
usual experience of sea-captains besides, —the old
story of the iron hand in a silken glove.
Before the day was over, the Captain learned that
the main topmast was sprung, -that is, partly broken,
-at the cross-trees. This fact, though probably well
known before, was purposely concealed from our commander until after leaving port, in hopes that he might
be induced to return for repairs; but he decided otherwise, and the crew were set to work stripping the
main-mast of its upper sails and top-hamper. The
top-gallant and royal yards and masts were lowered to
the deck; and as we jogged along under easy sail, a
heavy timber that had been lashed to the rail during
the whole voyage was placed on a pair of carpenter's
horses amidships, where it was attacked by the first
mate and the ship's carpenter.  Day by day they
chipped the rough log, rounding and smoothing and
polishing it from end to end till it was a perfect copy
of the original spar. A fortnight after leaving port
the task was completed, the mast was once more
rigged aloft, and the ship again ploughed the waves
under full sail.
As we approached the Equator, the heat became very
uncomfortable. Accustomed to the temperate airs of




246


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


Hawaii, James and I were quite surprised by our first
experience of torrid heat. Only on deck, clad in the
thinnest of garments, was comfort to be found. We
sat in the boats and read the lightest of literature,
when not occupied with watching the flight of seabirds, the dashing of waves alongside, and the fleecy
clouds that crossed the glowing sky. Occasionally a
school of porpoises would suddenly surround the ship,
arching their backs out of the foam as they rushed
along, easily outstripping our course, leaping and
tumbling over one another in the surf that rolled out
from under the bows. Their appearance always produced great excitement among the crew. One of the
boat-steerers, armed with a harpoon, would take his
stand on the chains under the bowsprit, and there,
watching for an opportunity, would sometimes succeed in hurling his javelin through the body of a
gambolling fish.  The sailors then seized the line
and promptly hauled the victim on board, where he
was made over to the cook, to be transformed into
fresh mutton for the table. In this way we sometimes captured two or three fish out of a school;
but usually the first discharge of blood that tinged
the waves was sufficient to alarm the whole troop, and
they would disappear as suddenly as they came.
About two weeks after leaving Honolulu, our ship
entered the "doldrums"-the zone of variable winds
that separates the northeast trade-winds from those of
the southeast.' For nearly a week we were rocking in
a calm, or fighting the sudden squalls that broke upon
us as if out of a clear sky. The air was moist and




IN THE "DOLDRUMS"


247


sultry, making life more uncomfortable than ever, as
our ship rolled and pitched and twisted uneasily over
the heaving billows of the restless ocean. After a day
thus spent, it was a positive relief to watch in the twilight of evening the coming of a white-squall, suddenly
gathering on the horizon, and rushing upon us like a
fiend let loose for our destruction. As the watchful
eye of the mate discovered the line of foam that
marked the approach of a tempest, he would utter a
few sharp words of command; the seamen would fly
aloft; for a minute there would be a confusion of
fluttering canvas and sinking yards, and then the ship
would stand ready for the encounter, stripped of all but
its steering sails. Quickly it came, the sky obscured
by flying scud, and the waves blowing into foam under
the blast, as it drew near and nearer, till we could hear
the screech of the wind and the rush of the water
before the storm burst upon us; with one long roll to
leeward and a wild sweep to windward, the stanch craft
would head up into the teeth of the gale, until its
short-lived fury was past, leaving the watch on deck to
shake out the sails, - happy if not driven from our
course by these fitful gusts.
After nearly a week of this weather, we passed in
sight of Christmas Island, a ring of sand lying on a coral reef that seemed afloat upon the water.  Ascending
the mast, we could look over the breakers that thundered on the shore, and see the placid lagoon within
the encircling land by which it was sheltered from
the fury of the waves. At one point we descried a heap
of broken timber, the wreck of a ship that ran ashore




248


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


one night, a few years before, while voyaging from
Honolulu to New York. The passengers were rescued by a man-of-war, and not a sign of life was now
visible upon the uninhabited atoll.  Catching the
strong southeast trades, we continued our course,
heading straight for the South Pole.
One morning, not far from the beginning of the
New Year, a little island called Aitutaki appeared just
before us. It was about nine miles long, and from
two to four hundred feet high, surrounded on all sides
by a coral reef inclosing a wide zone of smooth water
between the barrier and the white sandy shore. Passing to leeward of the island, our ship was hove to, -
for there was no anchorage,-and our Captain took us
in his boat, to visit the land. The sailors pulled vigorously at the oars, and soon brought us to the
entrance of the lagoon,-a gap in the reef through
which sea-water, driven over the barrier on the windward side of the island, was rushing out like a river.
On either side of this narrow passage the breakers
were tumbling against the coral wall, so that there was
no other entrance. It was a long and difficult contest
with the current; but we finally succeeded in reaching
the quiet waters within the reef. Over this tranquil
lagoon our boat moved as lightly as a swan; while
through the transparent water the white sandy bottom
was plainly visible, with here and there a cluster of
growing coral, affording shelter for whole gardens of
sea-plants and sea-shells, among which bright-colored
fishes moved in every direction, presenting an everchanging spectacle of beauty unrivalled by anything




VISITS ASHORE                249
on dry land. All too soon we reached the little wharf
in front of the village, and were set ashore in the
midst of a throng of native men and boys, who
received us joyfully, leading us through a vast grove
of cocoanut trees, past the picturesque chapel,-a
large thatched building with open sides, carpeted
throughout with clean mats newly braided from the
pandanus leaf,-and escorting us to the house of the
English missionary, Rev. Mr. Royle, the patron saint
and spiritual guide of this tropical paradise. The missionary, a little dried-up old gentleman with kindly
eyes and saintly features, neatly dressed in the costume of an English dissenting clergyman, greeted us
cordially upon the veranda of his house, a long onestoried edifice, thatched like a native building, but more
substantially constructed than the aboriginal residences.
Placed near the crest of the island, the view from the
veranda was very fine, overlooking one whole side of
the islet, the broad lagoon, and the vast ocean beyond
the outer reef. For many years the family had dwelt
here in almost utter seclusion from the great world.
The older children were grown up and "gone home"
to England, leaving the parents, with two of their
younger daughters, to labor year after year among the
simple savages. Well was their devotion repaid; for
they saw the wild people,-murderous cannibals, who
killed and ate their earliest foreign visitors, -softened
and civilized by the influence of Christian training, and
now living in a state of morality and happiness that
was only possible under the peculiar circumstances of
isolation in which they dwelt. Affording no anchorage




250


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


for shipping, the island was delivered from the deathdealing visitations of foreign seamen. Too small
to furnish anything attractive in the way of commerce, there was no inducement for traders to establish
a station. The missionary had everything to himself,
and the result was pleasing indeed. The whole island
was a garden of vegetables and fruit-trees, cocoanuts,
oranges, and bananas. The natives were larger and
lighter colored than the Hawaiians, but their language
was almost the same as that of our people at home.
The houses of the aborigines were neatly built, lighter
and better ventilated than the straw huts of the
Hawaiians. The men and boys were sufficiently clad
in white cotton shirts and trousers; and the women
were equally well covered, though it was difficult to
catch a glimpse of them, for they were required to keep
at home and out of sight when seafaring visitors were
on shore. Nor were such visitors permitted to range
the island; they were not allowed to leave the immediate vicinity of the landing-place, where all barter for
provisions was conducted by the sea-captain and the
native officials. James and I, being the sons of missionaries, vouched for by the spiritual father of these
innocent people, were received without restriction, and
were allowed to visit the whole island. Provided with
a pair of little ponies, we galloped hither and thither
among the orange groves and the cocoanut palms,
and soon saw everything that was interesting. The day
was of the loveliest; the air was balmy and mild; the
island seemed an enchanted garden, into which sin and
sorrow, disappointment and misery, had never entered.




THE ISLAND OF RARATONGA 251
Isles of the Blest! home of perpetual infancy and
innocence! Who would not be content to live always
under such limitations!
At daylight the following morning, the island of
Raratonga loomed on the southern horizon; and soon
after breakfast the ship was hove to off the principal
settlement and missionary station. The island, thirty
miles in circumference and four thousand feet high, far
excelled in beauty any one of the Hawaiian Islands,
fully justifying the assertion of our Captain, who declared that he could show us in the South Pacific whole
groups of islands more beautiful than anything north
of the Equator. A ring of surf, foaming white in the
morning sunshine, formed an appropriate setting for
the jewel. Within the reef, a narrow lagoon of still
water encircled the island, forming a marine promenade
that gave easy access to every part of the sandy shore,
from which a wide plain, covered with verdure and
densely populated, sloped gently upward to the
mountains that rose abruptly from the heart of the
island. Drifting clouds continually kissed the central
peaks, and dropped in showers upon the highlands,
filling the soil with moisture and affording abundant
springs of living water throughout the entire lowland
circuit. It was like living in a continuous garden
of fruits and flowers all the way round the island;
the shade-trees, even, were loaded with eatables; breadfruit, oranges, cocoanuts, bananas, and pineapples grew
without number. Our Captain soon filled his boat with
tropical productions, and was also successful in purchasing a number of pigs and a few chickens. More




252


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


accessible than the people of Aitutaki, the inhabitants
of Raratonga were far more worldly-minded and cosmopolitan in appearance than their secluded brethren;
but in all externals, at least, they seemed to occupy
a higher moral plane than the Hawaiians, who enjoyed
unlimited opportunities for sharing in the whiteman's civilization.
Having now replenished our stock of fresh provisions, the boats were hoisted into place; our yards were
braced up sharp to catch the southeast trades; before
night the "Gem of the Seas" was but a bank of clouds,
dimly visible on the northern horizon; while between
us and the South Pole was nothing save the vast
expanse of the Southern Ocean and the blue sky
overhead. As thus we sailed, James and I read and
re-read our school books, in preparation for a dreaded
examination for admission to college. We studied
geography on the Captain's charts, and helped him
in his daily observations for latitude and longitude.
We walked the little poop-deck, and climbed the
rigging to harden our muscles, as well as for the wild
pleasure of looking down upon the narrow hull that
seemed to swing out from under us, first one way and
then the other, as the ship reeled over the waves.
One warm afternoon, a long-drawn cry from the
lookout at the mast-head electrified the whole ship's
company: "There she blows! there she blo-o-ws!"
About two miles away a solitary sperm whale was
breathing vapor into the air, creating the appearance
of a fountain at play upon the surface of the sea. The
ship was instantly hove to; the boats were lowered,




HEADING FOR THE SOUTH POLE 253
and, the wind being fair, were hurried under sail in pursuit of the whale, leaving us to follow with the Captain,
the steward, the cook, and the carpenter, as sole navigators of our craft. In the absence of the forecastle
men, I took advantage of this opportunity to visit their
territory, and to climb out to the end of the flying
jib-boom, where, steadying myself against the stay that
ascended to the top of the mast, I could look out upon the expanse of blue water before us. It seemed as
if I were in the air, flying like a bird through space,
with nothing in sight but sea and sky. On turning
round, a beautiful picture was presented by the ship
itself, following hard after, yet seeming far enough away
to be an object wholly separate and disconnected from
myself. Yielding to a gentle breeze, the black hull
deliberately rose and fell, carving the waves with its
cutwater, dividing the billows and rolling them out on
either side in lines of foam that splashed the bows
and lapped along the shining bends till their bubbles
vanished in our wake.   Above the deck rose the
masts, tapering and towering through a cloud of
canvas, each milk-white sail bellying unwrinkled from
its spars, and swelling round and full like a balloon at
liberty in space. Surely, nothing more beautiful than
a ship under full sail has come from the hand of man.
No wonder the ancient Polynesians mistook the fleets
of their early discoverers for celestial birds of passage, gliding over the waters among their lovely isles!
But this delightful procession through the realm of
the old sea-gods could not be indefinitely prolonged.
Just as I seemed to hear the Tritons blowing their




254


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


shells, and proclaiming the approach of Amphitrite
and her attendant sirens; just as Oceanus and Varuna,
with their joyous cohort, were rising from repose beneath the purple sea, our prey suddenly disappeared,
and left no sign to guide us on his track.  The boats
were recalled, and slowly coming back were hoisted
up with many a malediction against the folly of chasing a phantom like the Great White Whale, the terror
of all hunters in equatorial seas.
Coming on deck, one morning after breakfast, we
descried a sail astern, hull down beyond the horizon.
Sailing nearly the same course with our ship, she came
at such a rate that before noon it was possible to
make her out, a full-rigged clipper' ship of the largest
size.  All that afternoon she followed us, leaping and
bounding over the waves like a greyhound in pursuit
of a hare, and at four o'clock she passed us. It was a
splendid sight, that long, low, clipper hull, black and
shining as steel, with every sail set and drawing full
from the deck to sky-sail-mast trucks. As she came
down upon us, she luffed a little, and passed not more
than fifty yards to windward, taking the wind out of
our sails and becalming us completely for a moment.
As the ship leaned toward us before the fresh breeze,
we could look in upon the whole length of her deck
with its swarm of people,-wild-looking seamen on
the forecastle and in the waist, while the quarter-deck
was well sprinkled with officers and passengers, ladies
in black silk gowns, with gentlemen in blue flannels,
and on the poop the captain, resplendent with gilt buttons on coat and cap. In the mizzen-rigging hung a




SHIPS THAT PASSED


255


large blackboard with the ship's latitude and longitude
chalked upon it. In answer to this, our mate held up
a corresponding inscription, and as the ships drew
near each other the captains raised their trumpets and
saluted one another across the water.
"Ship ahoy!"
"Ahoy!"
"What ship is that?"
"The Bartholomew Gosnold; so many days from
Honolulu; bound to New Bedford. What ship is that?"
"The Queen of the Seas; so many days from the
Guano Islands; bound to Hampton Roads."
By this time the huge clipper had passed us completely, and the last compliments of the captains were
lost in the intervening distance.  Before dark the
stranger was hull down in advance; and next morning we again had the whole vast circle of the sea to
ourselves.
Thus sailing, as the month of January progressed
we found ourselves entering a temperate climate beyond
the zone of tropical heat. The trade-wind still blew
from the east and southeast, crowding our ship westward toward New Zealand; till one forenoon, warm
and bright, we saw in the distance a leaden cloud that
seemed to ascend beyond the southern horizon.
Slowly it rose, a dome-like mountain of vapor, not
flocculent and filled with sunshine, like the clouds
that hang over tropical seas, but densely compacted,
layer on layer, like driven snow. Slowly but constantly it rose, until it occupied a complete half of the
sky, filling the air with dreary monitions of storm and




256


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


chill and coming disaster. It was the Genius of the
Polar Region,-the Great Spirit of the Southern
Waters, brooding over the Antarctic Ocean, and now
breathing upon us as we approached from equatorial
seas.  We had just ascertained the latitude, and the
Captain had ordered eight bells at noon, when we saw.
a line of vapor slowly creeping over the water from
the base of that vast fog-bank. Our ship was idly
rolling in a perfect calm, and there seemed nothing to
fear from such a little wisp of scud; the bell proclaimed the dinner-hour, and we were leisurely packing our quadrants, when, with a sudden rush and a
hideous roar, the wind came down upon us as if from
every direction at once, taking the fore-top-gallant
mast and the flying jib-boom with all their sails. The
Captain seized his trumpet; all hands were called on
deck; the yards were lowered by the run; and for half
an hour the men in the rigging found it all they could
do to furl the flapping sails and secure the remaining
spars. In the midst of this confusion, a tremendous
shower of rain, mingled with hail and sleet, deluged
the ship and drenched every one of us to the bone.
The wind finally settled into a steady gale from the
southwest, and before night we were careening under
storm-sails with our prow headed for Cape Horn.
We were now sweeping through the northern zone
of the Antarctic Ocean, where the cold southwest wind
blows without interruption all the way round the
world, raising the largest waves ever measured. It
was not an uncommon thing to see a long rolling
billow, crested with foam on a level with the fore-yard,




ROUNDING CAPE HORN                 257
at least thirty-five feet high. The wind being favorable, we experienced little discomfort from its violence,
and every day our chart showed a rapidly diminishing
distance from Cape Horn; but the laborious behavior
of a large clipper-ship under close-reefed top-sails,
which, we passed a few days later, showed us how
severe was the struggle to make headway in the
opposite direction against such a blast. There was
something very exhilarating in the wild environment.
No more we felt the enervating breath of tropical
breezes, inviting to slumber out of sight of the sun;
the roar of the southwester roused everyone to
movement and action in the bracing air. The sky
was dim with haze and spray, the leaden waves foamed
lustreless around us, and the horizon vanished in
showers of sleet. Yet we were not alone; for the
sea-mews followed us in flocks, whirling above the
masts, or skimming the tops of the waves, while little
stormy-petrels fluttered and ran on the water in our
wake, and great white albatrosses, on motionless
pinions, soared through the air as light and buoyant
as cloudlets that float in summer skies.
Wishing to verify his observations for longitude,
our Captain determined to sight the Diego Ramirez
Islands-a cluster of rocks sixty miles southwest of
Cape Horn. He accordingly shaped our course so as
to touch the isles; and one long summer afternoon in the
latter part of January we were all on the alert, hoping
to see land. The day was clearer than usual, but the
wind was strangely moderate, so that it was nearly four
o'clock when the lookout at the mast-head sang out,




258     HAWAIIAN      YESTERDAYS
" Land ho! Land on the lee-bow!" The high bluffs,
-twin crags, looking as if they might be the remains
of an antarctic iceberg petrified and eroded by the sea,
— were presently visible from the deck; and before
sunset we could see and hear the angry surf breaking
mast-high against the perpendicular cliffs,-all that was
left of what was probably once an outlying headland of
Tierra del Fuego.  Sea-birds swarmed about the precipitous rocks; and among the waves were hairy seals
and flocks of penguins bravely paddling toward the
ship, their heads and backs just visible above water, the
latter looking more like young puppies out for a swim
than real feathered birds.  Everything was wild and
strange, —another world, a sphere remote and separate
from that orb on which we had our birth.
Early the next morning, our Captain called us to see
Cape Horn. Half asleep, we bundled out of bed and
hurried on deck into the biting air. The view was
grand, though forbidding. A few miles northwest of
the ship rose the mighty promontory, in form and
proximity to the sea reminding one of Diamond Head
near Honolulu. Along the northern horizon, extending eastward, was a range of lofty mountains, snowclad and cloud-capped, forming the island of Tierra del
Fuego.  Behind us swept the storm-clouds of the
Antarctic Ocean, coming after us, every few minutes,
with violent blasts of wind and intermittent showers
of sleet, covering the deck with whitened granules,
blotting out the sky, and compelling us to carry low
sails till nearly night. Then, after a few hours of
comparative calm, the wind suddenly veered round to




ENTERING THE ATLANTIC


259


the east, heading us off in the direction of the South
Shetlands. All night long the violent pitching of the
ship indicated to us, as we lay in our berths, the severity of the conflict against an opposing gale; but as
morning dawned, wind and waves grew calm, and a
charming day succeeded the previous storm. Away to
the north, under a brilliant sky, stretching westward
as far as eye could reach, were the snowy mountains of
Tierra del Fuego, sloping eastward into the sea, then,
after an interval of blue ocean, rising again in a lower
range,-apparently an island lying a short distance
east of the mainland.' "Staten Land, and the Straits
of Lemaire!" exclaimed everyone.  So thought the
Captain; and if so, the wind was favorable for a direct
passage through the straits into the Atlantic Ocean,
thus saving a long detour to the east of the Falkland
Islands. But not feeling quite sure of his opinion,
the sharpest-eyed lookouts were sent aloft to scan the
situation, and finally the commander himself climbed
the rigging.  All agreed that a clear passage was
visible, with blue water beyond; so, after an early
morning observation for longitude, that confirmed our
inference from sight and dead-reckoning, the ship was
headed north, and the yards were squared before a favorable breeze from the south. It was a glorious day,
-equal to the finest weather in the Pacific; and we
bowled along under full sail, with all our studding-sails
drawing on each side. But before long another terror
appeared, to agitate our anxious Captain's soul. All
of a sudden we saw, right ahead, stretching east and
west for many miles across our course, a wall of foam,




=6o


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


breaking and boiling like the rush of waves against a
coral reef. Again our Captain flew to his charts; but
they intimated no sign of danger, -nothing but deep
water and a safe passageway. It was a "tide-rip,"
said the old sailors; a line of surf caused by collision
of the tides from the Antarctic and Atlantic Oceans.
Thus reassured, we boldly advanced, and soon reached
the breakers. The ship rose upon the swell, stood
for a moment poised on its crest, then, swinging halfway round till the sails flapped in the wind, she plunged
headlong through the foam, emerging on the other
side without harm except a thorough drenching of
the deck with water that boiled over the rail as she
staggered among the surging billows.
Our troubles now seemed to have reached their
end, and we surrendered ourselves to the enjoyment
of voyaging with a fair wind and a tranquil sea. Soon
after noon we entered the straits, gliding between the
rugged mountains of Tierra del Fuego and the barren
hills of Staten Land. A few penguins swam out to
inspect us and an occasional flight of sea-gulls reminded
us that we were not utterly alone. Eagerly we scanned the shores, hoping to discover smoke or other sign
of human habitation; but all in vain, nothing moved
on those inhospitable, uninviting coasts. Gladly we
entered the blue waters of the peaceful Atlantic,
sheltered completely from the fierce gales of the southwestern sea by the Headlands of Patagonia and the
archipelago that conceals the Straits of Magellan; and
when the sun went down, the lingering twilight of the
southern summer revealed no land in sight.




CHAPTER XVII


"There she Blows!" - A School of Sperm Whales - Boats in
Pursuit - Harpooning and Making Fast - Night-search
for a Missing Whaleboat - Two Whales Alongside - Tenthousand-dollar Prizes -" Cutting-in " the Blubber - Trying
out the Oil- Working Northward- The Coast of Brazil
- A "Blackbird Hunter" of the Seas- In the Gulf Stream
- An "Old-fashioned Northeaster"- Terrific Storm at
Sea-Montauk Point and Block Island- In New Bedford
Harbor — On Shore in a Strange Land.
T   HUS sheltered between Patagonia and the Falkland Islands, our Captain availed himself of the
opportunity for repairing his broken spars.  The
stump of the jib-boom was hauled in on deck, and the
carpenter was busily engaged in fitting a substitute out
of a spare mast which had been carried through the
voyage in anticipation of possible emergencies like the
present. The boom was completed, and everything,
one afternoon, had been unrigged to make way for it,
when, about four o'clock, as under a blue sky we
slowly sailed over the quiet water without a white-cap
in sight, we were suddenly aroused by the stirring cry
of"There she blows!" Everyone rushed on deck,the Captain with his spy-glass, followed by the dogs,
dancing and barking, as full of excitement as any
human being.    The crew immediately cast loose the
lashings that had secured the boats during the storms
26i




262


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


of the Southern Pacific, and the officers prepared their
harpoons and lances for the fray. It was a school of
sperm whales, presently visible from the deck at a distance of about two miles north of our position, hundreds of them, sporting on the surface of the water,
breathing forth fountains of spray at every expiration
from their nostrils, sometimes leaping into the air and
creating an immense surge of white foam as they feli
back among the waves.
The ship was soon hove to, and the three boats
were lowered and started in pursuit of the gigantic
game. In the course of a few minutes they were
among the whales, and we saw the mate's boat-steerer
stand up with a harpoon, which he poised for a moment, and then darted downward into the back of one
of the wallowing monsters. Almost at the same time
the other boats made fast in like manner, and we
could see them dragged furiously through the water
by the terrified creatures to which they were attached.
The foremost boat soon lost its whale by the drawing
or breaking of the harpoon, but it succeeded in planting a fresh iron in the side of the second whale,
which rushed on, though now compelled to drag two
boats in its effort to escape.  Nothing could better
illustrate the vigor of the powerful animal than the
rapid rate with which it swam through the water,
nearly swamping the boats that clung to the harpoon lines almost smothered by the foam that was
dashed upon them in their wild rush over the sea.
The first whale had received a serious wound, and
soon ceased the attempt to follow its companions.




SEARCHING FOR THE WHALEBOATS 263
The mate cautiously drew his boat by its harpoon-line
to the side of the monster, and plunged his slender
lance again and again into its flank, causing blood to
fly from its blow-hole. The boat then drew off to a
safe distance, while the whale slowly swam round in
a narrow circle, furiously striking the waves with its
broad flukes; then, rolling over and over, opening and
snapping its jaws as it rolled, finally making one convulsive spring and falling back lifeless on the water.
It was now sunset; and the other boats, scarcely discoverable on the northern horizon, were still dragging
in the wake of their prey. Their position and course
were carefully noted, and all our energies were directed
to getting the dead whale lashed alongside of the ship.
This was accomplished by eight o'clock in the evening, and the ship's head was then turned in the direction of the boats. We now learned that in the hurry
of departure the boat-kegs had been left on board,
and the absent crews were without light, compass,
or means of signalling in the dark. The Captain was
much alarmed by this discovery, and immediately
ordered a bonfire of tar-barrels on the try-works
amidship. This furnished a magnificent illumination,
lighting up every sail and spar and thread of rigging
from stem to stern, so that the boats could not fail to
find the ship if anywhere within twenty miles' distance.
After sailing as far as the boats were thought to have
run, the vessel was hove to, and the mate's boat was
sent out,-this time well provided with lanterns,- on
a scouting expedition.
While thus prowling in the darkness, about ten




264


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


o'clock, the second mate's boat suddenly came in
sight, pulling slowly into the circle of light around
the ship. The crew brought the news that they had
killed their whale, and that the third boat was lying by
the carcass, about three miles away, under a certain star
which must be our guide to the spot. The two boats
were immediately taken up, and we proceeded in the
indicated direction till the Captain estimated that we
had covered the prescribed distance. We again hove
to, and threw a fresh tar-barrel on the fire, keeping a
sharp lookout in every direction. The moonless night
was clear but very dark, and the wind was nearly calm,
so that we experienced darkness visible and silence
audible on that expanse of ocean. Presently, as I
leaned over the quarter-rail, striving to discover some
sign of the boat, I heard a faint and distant cry coming
out of the black night across the water. I notified
the Captain, and almost immediately the mate came aft
with the announcement that he also heard a shout.
One of the sailors,- a gigantic mongrel, half negro
and half Cape Cod Indian, gifted with a voice like a
foghorn, - was ordered into the rigging to answer the
call of his messmates, and the two boats were sent to
aid in towing the dead whale. The three crews soon
joined forces, and guided by their lanterns the ship
moved slowly toward the spot. By midnight, both
whales were securely lashed alongside, the boats were
hoisted up, and we all turned in for a few hours of
sleep before entering upon the arduous task of "cutting in" the blubber. The Captain was so overjoyed
by the recovery of his boats and by the magnitude




TEN-THOUSAND-DOLLAR PRIZES              265
of their prize,-two seventy-barrel whales, worth at
least five thousand dollars apiece, —that he never
uttered a word of reproach for the negligence of the
officers in leaving the ship without their boat-kegs.
At an early hour in the morning, all hands were
called on deck; a huge block-tackle was swung between
the fore and main tops; a staging was rigged outside
of the ship above the nearest whale; and from this a
sailor with a "spade," -a chisel-shaped instrument
on a long spearlike handle,-dug a hole through
the layer of blubber, eight or ten inches thick, that
invested the entire body of the creature. Another
boat-steerer,-Portuguese Andrew, a nimble, muscular young fellow,-then leaped down upon the
back of the whale, with a long rope tied around his
waist and held by a gang of men on board to keep
him from slipping off into the water. The hook of
the huge tackle that hung between the masts was
lowered to him; and after a tremendous struggle
with the heaving mass as it rose and fell upon the
waves, he succeeded in thrusting the curved iron into
the opening through the blubber. The sailors immediately hauled him on board, thoroughly drenched
with ice-cold water, and turned him over to the
steward for his reward,-a glass of whiskey and a suit
of dry clothes; while the other boat-steerers with their
spades proceeded to cut two parallel lines through
the blubber, beginning at the hook and advancing
spirally around the body of the whale. The crew
on board carried to the windlass the cable that ran
through the blocks of the tackle, and began hauling it




266     HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS
in. The tension thus produced caused the loosened
strip to peel from the carcass, coming off in a spiral
ribbon like the skin of an orange as the whale slowly
rolled around its axis in response to the efforts of
the men at the rope. When the end of the strip
reached the masthead, it was cut off at the level of
the deck, and was lowered into the blubber-room,
to be slashed into smaller pieces; while the crew
on deck hooked on again to the remainder. Having
thus divested the entire body of the whale of its tallowy
covering, the lower jaw was cut off and hauled on
board for the sake of its ivorylike teeth; and the
nose, with its contents of liquid spermaceti, forming a mass ten feet long and four or five feet thick,
was in like manner secured. The sailors worked
with a will, and completed the arduous task at a late
hour of the evening, to the great satisfaction of the
Captain, who was in constant dread of interruption by
a storm before he could secure the fruits of his toil.
Early next morning, a fire was lighted in the tryworks, and the kettles were soon filled with boiling oil
and seething fragments from the blubber-room, where
the huge "blankets" and "horse-pieces" were carved
into manageable cubes. The whole process resembled,
only on a larger and coarser scale, the preparation of
lard from the fat of the hog.  When sufficiently
boiled, the oil was strained from the scraps, and was
"run off" into casks that were made ready, near the
works, by the hard-working cooper. Thus produced,
the oil was tasteless, odorless, and as edible as freshly
melted lard,-in fact, the sailors considered doughnuts




WORKING NORTHWARD


267


fried in boiling sperm-oil one of the greatest dainties
obtainable. To satisfy our curiosity, the Captain had
a piece of whale's flesh cooked; but we found it coarser
than the strands of a hempen cable, and utterly destitute of agreeable flavor.
The following week favored us with fine weather,
which we improved to the utmost. The whole ship,
and everybody on board excepting the Captain and his
passengers, were thoroughly saturated with grease.
Fortunately, there was no disagreeable smell, and we
contemplated the black smoke from the try-works with
serene satisfaction. The Captain walked the quarterdeck, his face continually beaming with smiles that
grew more radiantly expansive with each report from
the boiler and the cooper. There was indeed good
reason for his elation, for this catch would put into his
pocket an additional thousand dollars beyond what he,
would otherwise receive at the end of his voyage.
But our most joyous experiences grow tiresome at
last; consequently, after about ten days of excitement,
we were glad enough to have the ship cleaned and
under fill sail once more; while even the dogs enjoyed
their bath and purification at the hands of the steward.
Thus jogging along, though out of sight of land, yet
under shelter of the South American continent, we
enjoyed fine weather and favorable winds that bore us
rapidly toward the torrid zone.  It was pleasant, as
we advanced, to note the changes in the nocturnal sky;
to see the Magellanic clouds, the Southern Cross,
bright Canopus, and the Antarctic constellations gradually sinking in our wake, while Sirius, Aldebaran,




268


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


the Pleiades, the Bears, and finally the Pole-star itself,
rose and resumed their wonted stations before us.
Warmer grew the pleasant air; and when we caught
the southeast trades, it seemed as if we could feel the
breath of the Pacific Ocean, and ought again to behold
the lovely South Sea Islands looming on the horizon.
But no land appeared, till, north of Bahia, one morning we spied two negroes sitting on a catamaran, —a
primitive craft formed by lashing two logs of wood
side by side. Presently another similar raft came in
sight; and soon the coast of Brazil,-a low and level
shore,-loomed in the west. The fishermen, answering the hail of our Portuguese sailors, informed us
that yellow fever was prevailing in Pernambuco; so
the Captain gave up his intention of landing in that
seaport, where he was hoping to replenish his stock of
fresh provisions, and to procure some of the famous
navel oranges and pineapples that were then such rarities in northern markets. With a fair wind, we sailed
for two or three days in sight of land, and were compelled to keep a bright lookout to avoid running over
the numerous catamarans.
One day we saw a clipper-brig coming under full
sail, heading toward the open ocean. We ran up our
flag; but the stranger paid no attention to this salutation, and swept on its eastward course. The Captain
declared it a "blackbird hunter," sailing to the Gold
Coast or the Gulf of Guinea after a cargo of slaves. An
hour or two later in the day, a large square-rigged ship,
lazily tacking along the coast, approached us. Again
we raised the colors, whereupon our pursuer flung out




THE SARGASSO SEA


269


the green banner of Brazil, and, filling away in the
opposite direction, was soon hull down behind our
ship. This the Captain believed to be a guarda costa,
or disguised man-of-war, lying in wait for smugglers
and slavers from the coast of Africa,- perhaps for the
very one we had just seen.
Soon after passing Pernambuco,-a mass of buildings gleaming white in the hot sunshine on the lowlying beach, with its suburb, Olinda, beautifully placed
on high ground north of the port,-the shore-line
curved sharply away from Cape St. Roque toward the
west, and we found ourselves again far out at sea.
Our voyage across the northwest trade-wind zone
was without notable incident. For a number of days,
while sailing parallel with the line of the windward,
Antilles, the sea was alive with flying-fish. Out of
each wave that was touched by the ship's bow, they
darted like sparrows from a hedge; not infrequently
missing their way and falling on deck. After leaving
the trades, we entered the western border of the Sargasso Sea, where for hundreds of miles the ocean is
covered with floating seaweed. Hand over hand, I
descended a rope that hung over the rail, and collected
a quantity of the strange plants, which we kept for
several days in a pail of water. They were of an
olive-green color, luxuriantly branched, and covered
with little vesicles filled with air that buoyed up their
stalks so that they could not sink.  Small shells
clung to the stems, and tiny crabs made a little world
of their own among the clustering leaves. It was
believed by the sailors that in the central gulfs of the




270


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


North Atlantic this weed is so dense as to impede
navigation; but we experienced nothing of that sort.
It was the middle of April, 1854, when we crossed
the gulf stream, and found ourselves in green water,
within a day's sail of New Bedford. The morning
was cloudy and cold, the sea rolled heavily before a
strong northeast wind, and the barometer in the cabin
was rapidly falling. The Captain studied the clouds
with an anxious countenance, and finally announced
his conclusion that we were "going to have a regular
old-fashioned northeast gale, and must get away from
land as fast as possible." The ship was under closereefed top-sails, heading northwest, for Long Island.
The wind was already too strong to risk an attempt
at tacking, so the Captain gave orders to "wear ship,"
letting her fall off before the wind and bringing her
round by a long circuit to the opposite tack. Rushing
before the wind among such waves as were tumbling
after us, there was danger that they might dash over
the stern and swamp the deck at least. At the critical
moment, it seemed as if we might be thus engulfed;
down, down went the taffrail, and far above our heads
rose the following wave, a cataract just ready to break
inboard, when the buoyant hull reared up in the air,
and the threatening billow rolled harmlessly under our
keel. Before the next surge could reach us, the ship
came up into the wind, and we were safe. Every sail
was then securely furled, and the ship was hove to
under a bit of canvas in the weather shrouds and a
little storm-sail in the forward rigging.
All day long the gale increased, till it actually blew




A TERRIFIC STORM AT SEA


271


the waves flat, so that the ship rode in comparatively
smooth water. The surface of the ocean was a sheet
of flying foam; and at night the whole expanse was
luminous with phosphorescent light from floating animalcules beaten by the wind. The rigging and spars
of the ship literally formed a "harp of a thousand
strings," that, swept by the storm, gave forth a deep
and solemn note resounding loud and clear above the
roar of the tempest. It was impossible to remain on
deck, and I was obliged to content myself with an
occasional glimpse through the half-open companionway. We felt no fear, for a cargo of twenty-five
hundred barrels of oil could not easily sink. The
Captain reckoned that the ship was about eighty miles
from the coast; and as our drift to leeward was at the
rate of one mile every hour, it was not difficult to calculate how long it would take to beach us on the New
Jersey shore. During the night, the mizzen top-mast
snapped in two, and went overboard with a crash.
This made hard work for the crew, but everything else
stood firm, and the second night was less violent than
the first. On the third day the wind began to subside
and the air cleared so that numerous other vessels
came in sight out of the obscurity in which they had
been veiled during the storm. One by one we shook
out our sails, and after a few hours were able to resume
the course toward New Bedford.
At three o'clock next morning, the lookout discovered the lighthouse on Montauk Point; at breakfasttime Block Island was visible; and soon we could see
the mainland, lying low along the northern horizon,




272


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


and covered with a thick mantle of snow left by
the recent gale. The wind was light and favorable,
and the ship glided eastward, past various "Hens and
Chickens," "Sows and Pigs," and other rocks and
reefs that adorn the approach to New Bedford.
It was the middle of the afternoon when we passed
the old-fashioned telegraph station at the entrance of
the harbor, whence our arrival was announced by movements of the arms of what looked something like a
partly'dismantled windmill. The ship was soon surrounded by a fleet of boats propelled by sails or oars,
and filled with men, shouting and gesticulating, and
sometimes endeavoring to climb on board, though the
Captain would not permit that, so long as we were
under way. These were the New Bedford land-sharks
who prey upon newly arrived seamen, and they were
eagerly striving to capture our poor fellows that they
might drag them to their dens and rob them at leisure.
All dicispline ceased the instant the anchor was
dropped in front of the city, and away went the crew
with their new-found friends. With the Captain and
the officers, we remained on board till the arrival of a
ship-keeper with his men to guard the cargo. This
gave us a little time to view the harbor, with Falmouth
on one side and New Bedford on the other. Passing
strange was the sight of that multitude of brick houses;
and stranger still, to our unsophisticated vision, was
the thicket of chimneys everywhere interrupting the
sky-line of the roofs. Across the water was a large
church, conspicuous by reason of an enormous tower
and lofty spire; and nearer by was a coasting-steamer




IN NEW BEDFORD HARBOR              273
leaving the wharf, and moving without sails into the
middle of the stream. On her bow was painted in
large letters the name "Wamsutta."  How queer!
What could be the derivation of a word so outlandish?
But there was little time for philological research;
and on the arrival of the ship-keeper the Captain hailed
a boat and took us ashore. An affable "shark"
guided us to an old-fashioned hotel, a wooden building a few squares distant from the wharf, where we
were made very comfortable over-night. At an early
hour next day, our guardian took us to the customhouse, and obtained our trunks, which were immediately forwarded to the railway station. As we walked
up the street, a gentleman fashionably dressed in
broadcloth, with a silk hat and polished boots to
match, hailed us from across the way; it really required
careful observation to recognize in him our truculent
second-mate. The Captain himself had discarded all
traces of the sea; but we, poor children of Hawaii,
were arrayed in brown linen, with hats from Panama,
-our Sunday-best in Honolulu. Fortunately, the
day was warm, and we were too much occupied with. novel sights and experiences to feel cold. Watching
his opportunity, my companion drew me aside before
leaving the hotel, and, producing a filthy wad of
crumpled paper covered with illegible printing and
pictures scarcely discernible, asked my opinion as to
the probable worth of such a rag, which had been
given him in change for a piece of gold. I recognized
it as a bank bill, of which the fame had reached
Hawaii; but we thought it best to consult the affable




274


HAWAIIAN YESTERDAYS


clerk, who assured us of its unquestionable value.
Still, from that day to this I have never been able to
overcome my preference for a currency of gold and
silver coin.
We arrived at last on the platform of the railway
station, ready to enter the cars for Boston. The
crowd of well-dressed people, the tumult of porters
and hackmen, the rush of baggage-trucks, the mingled
sound of escaping steam and clanging bells, were
almost too much for my excited nerves; and I was
glad when the train began to move through the
streets, out into the open country.. I was really
riding in one of those railway cars of which I had
read and heard so much! The length and weight
of the train surprised me, and the sharpness of
the curves in the track was another source of astonishment; but the swiftness and ease of locomotion was
delightful. We reached Boston at noon; and there,
on the steps of the United States Hotel, our little trio,
which for a hundred and forty days had lived in most
enjoyable harmony, was dissolved in the twinkling of
an eye.


THE END




INDEX




4~ ~~~~~~~~i




INDEX


A
A., JAMES, 243-274
Aitutaki Island, 248-251
Alexander, Mr., of Lahainaluna
College, 120, I93
Alexander Liholiho, King of Hawaii, 46
American Board of Commissioners
for Foreign Missions, 2, 13
Andrews, Dr. and Mrs., of Kailua,
28, 64, 98, IOS
Armstrong, Captain, of the United
States, o02
Armstrong, Mr., of Honolulu, 133,
I86, 220
Atkinson, Rev. and Mrs., 154
Averick, whaleship, 4-9
B., HIRAM, 44
B., Nathaniel, 197
Baldwin, Dwight, I94
Bartholomew Gosnold, 240-273
Beach-combers, I8, 56, 71-75
Bethel Chapel, Honolulu, 134-137,
I54, 197
Bingham, Father, 45, 125
Bird, Miss Isabella, 145
Bird-catching, 224
Bishop, Charles R., of Honolulu,
187
Black Rock, Island of Lahaina, I 51
"Blackbird hunter" (slave ship),
268
Boarding-school, Hilo, 21, 22, 33
-36, 57


COA


Boat-steerers on a whaleship, 244
Botany, Study of, III, 191, 193
Brass band, The first to play in
Hawaii, 102
Brassey, Mrs., 145
Brewer, C. and Co., Honolulu, 132,
135
"Bridgewater Treatises," 103
British Consul-General at Honolulu, 136, 199, 200
C., ALVAH, 124
California and the discovery of
gold, r56, i86, 194, 195
Cape Horn, 258
Cape St. Roque, 269
Carysport, of the British Navy, io5
Cascades of Hilo, 117
Castle, Mr., of Honolulu, 133
Catamaran, Brazilian, 268
Chamberlain, Mr., of Honolulu, 41,
124, I33, 155
Cheever, Henry T., 145
Christmas Island, 247
Clarion, brigantine, 117
Chinese celebrations, 200, 2oi
Chinese sugar-mill, 70, 71
Clark, Rev. E.W., Lahaina, 47, 20,
I86
Coan, Munson (Mr. Titus M.
Coan ), 23, 25, 41, 51, 54-56, 60 -65, 76, 81-91, IOI-Io5, 146, I57 -167, I69-I71, I73-185, 204-216
7




I
I (


278


INDEX


COA
Coan, Rev. and Mrs., I6, 21, 23, 34,
40, 41, 53-56,60, 6I, 63,66,67, 73,
76, 77, 8I, 82, 100-102, 104, I13,
145, I46, I55-167, 169-171, 234
Cocoanut Island, 95, 96
Constellation, frigate, 103
"Conversations on  Chemistry,"
Mrs. Marcet, I I 
Cooke, Mr. and Mrs. Amos, 46,133
"Course of Time," Pollock, 112
Couthouy, Mr., the conchologist,
50
Cumming, Miss Gordon, 145
Cyane, sloop-of-war, 145-148
DAMON, Father and Mrs. (see
seamen's chaplain), 137
Dana, J. D., the geologist, 50, 145
Dana, Richard H., Jr., 145
Dancing, 202
Diamond Head, 122
Diego Ramirez Islands, 257
Dimond, Mr., of Honolulu, 133
Doldrums, 246
Dole, Rev. Daniel, 116, 117, 124,
126, 127, 137, I39, 19I, I95, i98
Douglas, the English botanist, 31,
144
Dracaena leaves, 84, 91
Drayton, Mr., of the Vincennes, 54
Dublin, frigate of the British Navy,
103, 104
Dupont, Captain, 145-148
ELLIS, Rev. William, 64
"Encyclopaedia Britannica," 139
Essex, whaleship, 39
FEVER, Treatment of, 193
Fiji Islanders, 51, 54, 55
Flying Fish, schooner, 50


HOY
Forbes, Mr. and Mrs., Lahaina,
120-122
Fort Street Congregation, Honolulu, 198
France in Hawaiian affairs, 132,
I88, 189
Franklin, Lady, 145
Fruits in Hawaii, 60-62
"GARDENER'S    Lexicon," Don,
193
Gassendi, steam-corvette, 188
General Meeting, Honolulu, 9, 15 -17, 19-21, 28, 40-46, 155 156, 233
Goodrich, Rev. Joseph, 13-15, 21,
60, 97
Gray's text-book on botany, 192
Gulick, Rev. Peter, and sons, 115
Gun-powder, 104, 105
H., MRS., of Honolulu, 136
Haleakala, Volcano of, 214
Hall, Lord High Admiral John, of
Hawaii, 16
Hall, Mr., of Honolulu, 133
Hana, Island of Maui, 46
Hawaiian Islands, Life in the, 9 -242
Haze of unknown origin, 189, I90
Heustis, Captain, 242-274
Hilo, 1o, 13, 14, 21-23, 32-39, 42,
48, 49, 56-68. 71-80,92-109, 114,
143-147, 167-I60, 218, 231, 233,
241, 242
Hilo, Missionary visits in District
of, 169-172
Hitchcock family, 149-I53
Honolulu, 4I-46, 122-124, 131-137,
197-202
Hoyer, Captain, I39


r




INDEX


I'


279


IE
Ze (Freycinetia scandens),
Independence, frigate, 167
Irving's works, 113


83


J., MRS., of Honolulu, 136
J., Mrs. Hannah and daughter, of
Honolulu, 136
"Jack-house," Honolulu, 200
"John the Portugee," seller of
spirits, 71
Jones, Commodore Catesby ap
Catesby R., of the Pacific Squadron, 100-103
Judd, Dr., of Honolulu, 53, 54
KAHOOLAUE, Island of, 121
Kaluna, clipper-built fore-andafter, 142
Kamehameha, King, 99, 103, I05,
109, 201
Kamehameha III, yacht, 115, 149,
15o
Kawaiahao Church, 135
Kearney, Commodore, I03
Keoui Ii, Queen of Kamehameha,
94
Kerr, Mr., of Rio Janeiro, 6
Kilauea, Goddess of, 167
Kilauea, Volcano of, 50, 8i, 85-92,
I58
Kinney, Rev. and Mrs., 154, 221
Konahuanui, mountain peak, 131
L., CURTIS, of Waimea, 204
Ladd, Mr. and Mrs. John, 136, 137,
197
Lahaina, 47, 121
Lahainaluna College, 120, I2I
Lanai, Island of, 121
" Land-sharks," 272
La Poursuivante, frigate, I88


NED
Lathrop, Dr., of Honolulu, 194
Lathrop, George, son-in-law of
Nathaniel Hawthorne, I94
Lee, William L., I87, 188, 198, 2I8,
232
Lindley's book on botany, 192
Loewenstein, Austrian traveller, 38
Low, Major, 145
Lyman, Prof. Chester S., 145
Lyman, Mr. and Mrs. David B.,
and family, I-x6, 20-65, 68, 8o98, IOO-117, 143-I47, I55-I57,
169, 2I8, 219, 221, 233, 24I, 242
MAALEA, Bay of, 12I
Mahukona, Island of Hawaii, 47
Makahanaloa territory, 223
Man-of-War, Life on, 174-185
Manoa Valley, 13I
Maui, Volcano of, II8
Mauna Kea, 30, 37, 62, 148, 2o6 -2I5, 235
Mauna Loa, 37, 53, 54, 87, 158, 214,
220, 228, 229, 231, 234
Measles, Ravages of, I68, 169, 173
Mokuola, or Cocoanut Island, 95,
96
Molokai, Island of, 121, 152, 153
Montgomery, Commander, of the
Portsmouth, 107
Moonlight, Danger from lying in
the, 141
Mountain cattle, 2o8, 238-240
Musical instruction, 35, 36
"NARRATIVE of Sir Edward Seaward," Porter, I12
"Natural Philosophy," Olmstead,
127
Ned, the bullock-hunter, 29, 30,228




280


INDEX


OAH
OAHU College, 126
Ohio, line-of-battle ship, 173-I85
Olinda, Brazil, 269
Olohana, 231
Oo, a blackbird, 83
P., MR. and Mrs., fellow-voyagers
on the Ohio, 174
P., Mr. Benjamin, and son, 68, 69
Paris, Rev., 221
Paula Marin, Don Francisco de,
13I
Paulet, Lord George, jo5, io6
Peach-tree, The unfruitful, 6i
Peacock, 52
Pernambuco, Brazil, 269
Pickering, Mr., the ethnologist, 50
"Pilgrim's Progress," 112
Poi 59
"Polynesian Researches," Ellis, 64
"Polynesian, The," Honolulu, 136
Porpoises, 246
Portsmouth, sloop, 107
Pougot, Father Charles, 76-78
"Practice of Medicine," Eberle,
I09
Prescott's histories, 130
Price, Mr., purser of the Cyane, 148
Puna, Missionary visits in District
of, 157-I67, 172
Punahou School, 115, I6, 124-139,
148, I54, I86, 906-194
"Punch," 107
Punch-bowl Hill, Honolulu, 41, 133
Queen of the Seas, 254, 255
RAINBOW Cascade, 92-95
Raratonga Island, 251, 252
Rice, Father, of Punahou School,
128, 149
Richards, Rev., x8, 19, 47


TAR
Ricord, Mr. John, 138, 144, 147,
148, I86
Roads, 79
Rogers, Mr., of Honolulu, 133
Roman Catholic missionaries, 75 -78, I35
Rooke, Dr., of Honolulu, 192
Rovers of the sea, 38, 39
Royal Chapel, Honolulu, 45, I35
Royal George, English line -of -
battle ship, 104
Royal School, Honolulu; 46, 133,
I39
Royle, Mr., of Aitutaki, 249
S., MISS, of Punahou School, 120 -13I, 137, I38
Sargasso Sea, 269
Savannah, frigate, 107
Scott, Dr., of the Talbot, 107
Seamen's Chaplain, Father Damon, 132, I98
"Selections  from  the British
Poets," 65, 112
Sharks, 140, 149
Shubrick, Commodore, I68
Sloat, Commodore, of the Savannah, 107, o8
Small-pox in the Islands, 233
Smith, Rev. Lowell, 135
Store, The first, on Hawaii, 68-70
Stribling, Captain, 173
Sugar-mill on Hawaii, 70, 71, 218
Survey of the Islands, 203-232, 235
-240
Sweet-potatoes growing on lava,
i60
Talbot, brig, io6, 107
"Talisman, The," 13
Taro, 59


r7




INDEX


281


THO




Thomas, Admiral, of EnE
103, 105
Thompson, Sir Thomas, Io6
Thurston, Asa, 44, I98, 219
Thurston, Father, 44, 156
Tierra del Fuego, 258-26o


gland,


United States, frigate, IOO-IO3
United States Exploring Expedition, 50
VEGETATION on Hawaii, 82, 83
Vincennes, 5S-52, 54, 55
Volcanic glass, 53, 54, 231
"Voyages in the South Pacific,"
John Williams, 64
W. FAMILY. 28


YOU
Wailuku River, 63, 92
Waimanu canon, 118, 216
Waipio cafion, 118, 216
Wamnsutta, 273
Whaling, 252-254, 26I 267
Wilkes, Lieutenant Charles, 50-52,
54, 56
Wood, Dr., American consular
surgeon, Honolulu, 132, 135
Wood, Dr. Wm. Maxwell, 147
Wood's text-book on botany, 192.
Wylie, Mr. Robert C., 139
YOUNG, Mr. John, 219, 220; Mr.
John Young, Sr., 231
"Youth's Companion, The," 65




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