the grass for half-an-hour. He had frequently reiterated "Half Way
House, you wear spur;" and, on our remounting, he buckled on my foot
a heavy rusty Mexican spur, with jingling ornaments and rowels an
inch and a half long. These horses are so accustomed to be jogged
with these instruments that they won't move without them. The
prospect of five hours more riding looked rather black, for I was
much exhausted, and my shoulders and knee-joints were in severe
pain. Miss K.'s horse showed no other appreciation of a stick with
which she belaboured him than flourishes of his tail, so, for a
time, he was put in the middle, that Upa might add his more forcible
persuasions, and I rode first and succeeded in getting my lazy
animal into the priestly amble known at home as "a butter and eggs
trot," the favourite travelling pace, but this not suiting the
guide's notion of progress, he frequently rushed up behind with a
torrent of Hawaiian, emphasized by heavy thumps on my horse's back,
which so sorely jeopardised my seat on the animal, owing to his
resenting the interference by kicking, that I "dropped astern" for
the rest of the way, leaving Upa to belabour Miss K.'s steed for his
diversion.

The country altered but little, only the variety of trees gave place
to the ohia alone, with its sombre foliage. There were neither
birds nor insects, and the only travellers we encountered in the
solitude compelled us to give them a wide berth, for they were a
drove of half wild random cattle, led by a lean bull of hideous
aspect, with crumpled horns. Two picturesque native vaccheros on
mules accompanied them, and my flagging spirits were raised by their
news that the volcano was quite active. The owner of these cattle
knows that he has 10,000 head, and may have a great many more. They
are shot for their hides by men who make shooting and skinning them