LETTER XXV. 



Incidents of Travel — A New Light — Tropical Cold — A Hawaiian Desert — 

 A Mountain Sheep Station — Mauna Kea and its Tula Cones. 



Kalaieha, Hawaii. 



My departure from Ulupalakua illustrates some of the uncer- 

 tainties of" island travelling. On Monday night my things were 

 packed, and my trunk sent off to the landing ; but at five on 

 Tuesday, Mr. Whipple came to my door to say that the 

 Kilauea was not in the Lahaina roads, and was probably laid 

 up for repairs. I was much disappointed, for the mild climate 

 had disagreed with me, and I was longing for the roystering 

 winds and unconventional life of windward Hawaii, and there 

 was not another steamer for three weeks. 



However, some time afterwards, I was unpacking, and in the 

 midst of a floor littered with fems, photographs, books, and 

 clothes, when Mrs. W. rushed in to say that the steamer was 

 just reaching the landing below, and that there was scarcely the 

 barest hope of catching her. Hopeless as the case seemed, we 

 crushed most of my things promiscuously into a carpet bag, 

 Mr. W. rode off with it, a horse was imperfectly saddled for me, 

 and I mounted him, with my bag, straps, spurs, and a package 

 of ferns in one hand, and my plaid over the saddle, while Mrs. 

 "W. stuffed the rest of my possessions into a clothes-bag, and 

 the Chinaman ran away frantically to catch a horse on which 

 to ride down with them. 



I galloped off after Mr. W., though people called to me that 

 I could not catch the boat, and that my horse would fall on 

 the steep, broken descent. My saddle slipped over his 

 shoulders, but he still sped down the hill with the rapid "rack- 

 ing " movement of a Narraganset pacer. First a new veil 

 blew away, next my plaid was missing, then I passed my trunk 

 on the ox-cartwhich should have been at the landing ■ but still, 



