TIME AND CHANGE 



sumers really find out the superior quality of the 

 Hawaiian product. 



From Mr. Aiken's house one has a view of the 

 great wall of mountains that form the western and 

 older — older geologically — end of the island, 

 in which lies the famous lao Valley, which I have 

 already described. We judge, from the much deeper 

 marks of rain erosion, that this end of the island 

 is vastly older than the butt end upon which Halea- 

 kala is situated. Haleakala is eroded comparatively 

 little. On all its huge northern slope there is only one 

 considerable gash or gully, and this is probably not 

 many thousand years old; but the northwestern end 

 of the island is worn and carved in the most striking 

 manner. Looking at it that morning, I compared 

 it to my extended, relaxed hand, the northern end 

 being gashed and grooved like the sunken spaces be- 

 tween the fingers, while the southwest end, not more 

 than ten miles distant, was only slightly grooved and 

 more like the solid wrist and back hand. All the 

 rains brought by the northeast trades fall upon the 

 northeast end of the islands. The mountain-peaks 

 on the end hold the clouds and strip them dry, so that 

 little or no rain falls upon the south and southwest 

 sides. This is true of all the islands. One end of 

 each is arid and barren, while the other is wet and 

 verdant. One of the smaller islands, Kahoolawe, J 

 believe, dominated by Maui on the northeast, is said 

 to be drying up and blowing away by inches. 



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