I had intended to go into details of the horrible
descent, but the "pilikia" is over now, and Halemanu claps me on the
shoulder with an approving smile, ejaculating, "Maikai, maikai"
(good). Besides, my returning senses inform me that I have not
tasted food since yesterday, and some delicious river fishes are
smoking on the table. . . . .
I.L.B.
LETTER XVII.
STR. KILAUEA.
. . . I have been spending the day at Lahaina on Maui, on my way
from Kawaihae to Honolulu. Lahaina is thoroughly beautiful and
tropical looking, with its white latticed houses peeping out from
under coco palms, breadfruit, candlenut, tamarinds, mangoes,
bananas, and oranges, with the brilliant green of a narrow strip of
sugar-cane for a background, and above, the flushed mountains of
Eeka, riven here and there by cool green chasms, rise to a height of
6000 feet. Beautiful Lahaina! It is an oasis in a dazzling desert,
straggling for nearly two miles along the shore, but compressed into
a width of half a mile. It was a great missionary centre, as well
as a great whaling station, but the whalers have deserted it, and
missions are represented now only by the seminary of Lahainaluna on
the hillside.
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