LETTER XXIII. 



" Sundowning "— An Evening Ride— The Vale of Hanalei— Exquisite 

 Enjoyment — " Paniola. n 



Li hue, Kauai, April 17. 



Before leaving Kauai I must tell you of a solitary expedi- 

 tion I have just made to the lovely valley of Hanalei. It was 

 only a three days' "frolic," but an essentially "good time." 

 Mr. Rice provided me with a horse and a very pleasing native 

 guide. I did not leave till two in the afternoon, as I only in- 

 tended to ride fifteen miles, and, as the custom is, ask for a 

 night's lodging at a settler's house. However, as I drew near 

 Mr. B.'s ranch, I felt my false courage oozing out of the tips of 

 my fingers, and as I rode up to the door, certain obnoxious 

 colonial words, such as " sundowners," and " bummers," oc- 

 curred to me, and I felt myself a " sundowner " when the host 

 came out and asked me to dismount. He said he was sorry 

 his wife was away, but he would do his best for me in her ab- 

 sence, and took me down to a room where a very rough-look- 

 ing man was tenderly nursing a baby a year old, which was 

 badly burned or scalded, and which began to cry violently at 

 my entrance, and required the united efforts of the two be- 

 reaved men to pacify it. I took it while they went to make 

 some tea, and it kicked, roared, and fought until they came 

 back. By that time I had prepared a neat little speech, 

 saying that I was not the least tired,, and would only trouble 

 them for a glass of water • and, having covered my cowardice 

 successfully, I went on, having been urged by the hospitable 

 ranchman to be sure to stay for the night at his father-in-law's 

 house, a few miles further on. I saw that the wishes' of the 

 native went in the same direction, but after this experience I 

 assured myself that I had not the necessary nerve for this 

 species of mendicancy, and went on as fast as the horse could 



