Page:The Boy Travellers in Australasia.djvu/53

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
THICKETS OF HOW-TREES.
29

wheeled vehicles, and now and then our friends met a Chinese gardener taking the produce of his little patch to market on the back of a pack animal, and in some instances on a wheelbarrow. A few groups of men and women on foot were encountered, but the number was so small that Frank and Fred concluded that the Hawaiians were a home-loving people, and did not wander about much.

Near the Pali the road passed through thickets of how-trees, which resembled the growths of manzanita on the slopes of the California foothills. These thickets are so dense that it is impossible for man or horse to pass through them; in fact they are impenetrable to any but the smallest animals. Frank thought he would like to cut a cane as a souvenir, but refrained from doing so when reminded by Fred that he could probably buy all the canes he wanted in Honolulu.

MOUNTAIN SCENE IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.

Suddenly from the other side of the narrow pass a wonderful panorama was presented. Around on each side were the rugged cliffs of the mountain range, while in front they looked from a height of eight or nine hundred feet above the sea-level upon a picture which included every variety of scenery. In the distance was the blue Pacific washing