ʻO ka ʻāpana o ka puke na Ignacio Manuel Altamirano kahi e wehewehe ai i ka pōā i hāʻawi i ka inoa i kāna hana.
He kanaka ʻōpio ʻo ia i kona mau makahiki he kanakolu, kiʻekiʻe, kaulike kaulike, me kahi kua Herculean, a uhi maoli ʻia i ke kālā. ʻO ka lio e holo ai, he sorrel nui loa, lōʻihi, ʻeleʻele, ikaika, me nā mākia, nā haunches mana e like me nā lio mauna a pau, me ka ʻāʻī maikaʻi a me kahi poʻo noʻonoʻo a kū hoʻi i luna. ʻO ia ka mea i kapa ʻia e nā kahu holoholona he "lio hakakā."
Ua ʻaʻahu ʻia ka mea holo e like me nā pōā o ia manawa, a e like me kā mākou charros, nā charros ʻoi loa o kēia lā. Ua ʻaʻahu ʻo ia i kahi lole ʻeleʻele me ka humuhumu kālā, nā breech me ka lālani pālua o nā "escutcheons" kālā, i hoʻohui ʻia e nā kaulahao a me nā kaula o ka hao like; uhi ʻo ia iā ia iho me ka pāpale o ka huluhulu ʻeleʻele, me nā kaʻe nui a pālahalaha, a ma luna a ma lalo hoʻi o lākou kahi ākea a me ka manoanoa o ka lipine chevron kālā i ulana ʻia me nā hōkū gula; Ua hoʻopuni ʻia ke kīʻaha poepoe a pālahalaha ʻia e kahi pāpālua kālā ʻelua, ma kahi i hāʻule ai nā pā kālā ʻelua ma kēlā me kēia ʻaoʻao, ma ke ʻano o nā bipi, e pau ana i nā apo gula.
Ua komo ʻo ia i ka ʻāpana o ka pale i uhi ai ʻo ia i kona helehelena, he pālule huluhulu ma lalo o kona kapa komo, a ma kona kāʻei he mau pū kī ʻelima i hana ʻia me nā niho ʻelepani, i loko o kā lākou ʻeke ʻili Sila Nui i ulana ʻia me ke kālā. Ma ke kāʻei ua nakinaki ʻia i kahi "kanana", he kāʻei ʻili pālua i ke ʻano o ke kāʻei pūliki a hoʻopiha ʻia me nā pū panapana, a ma ka noho noho he machete me kahi ʻauamo kālā i hoʻokomo ʻia i loko o kāna pahu, i kāhiko ʻia me nā mea like.
ʻO ka noho lio āna e holo ai, ua kāhiko nui ʻia me ke kālā, ʻo ke poʻo nui he kālā, e like me nā tile a me nā ʻūlū, a ua piha ke kaula hao o ka lio i nā chapetas, nā hōkū, a me nā kiʻi capricious. Ma luna o ka paniolo ʻeleʻele, ka hulu kao nani, a e kau ana i ka noho noho, kau ʻia kahi pū, i loko o kāna wahī i humuhumu ʻia, a ma hope o ke tile hiki ke ʻike ʻia i kahi kāpena nui i hoʻopaʻa ʻia. A ma nā wahi āpau, kālā: i ka humuhumu ma luna o ka noho, ma ka pommel, ma nā uhi, ma nā ʻili o nā Tiga i kau ʻia mai ke poʻo o ka noho, ma nā pahi, nā mea āpau. ʻO kēlā kālā he kālā he nui, a ua ʻike ʻia ka hoʻāʻo e hoʻolōʻihi iā ia ma nā wahi āpau. He hōʻike kolohe, hoʻomāinoino, ʻono ʻole ia. ʻO ka mālamalama o ka mahina i hoʻomālamalama i kēia ensemble holoʻokoʻa a hāʻawi i ka mea hoʻoholo i ke ʻano o kahi ʻuhane ʻē i kekahi ʻano mea kaua kila; kekahi mea e like me ka picador apo bipi a i ʻole ka mīkini haneli Pule Mele Hemolele. ...
ʻO ka mahina ma kāna zenith a ʻumikūmākahi ia i ka pō. Ua haʻalele ka "kālā" ma hope o kēia ninaninau wikiwiki ʻana, i kahi pelu ʻana i kahi moe o ka muliwai e pili ana i ka lihi i piha i nā kumulāʻau, a ma laila, hūnā pono ʻia i ka malu, a ma ke kahakai maloʻo a one hoʻi, ua kū ʻo ia i uka. Wehe ʻo ia i ke kaula, hoʻokuʻu i ke kaula hao mai kāna lio a, e paʻa ana i ka lepe, hoʻokuʻu iā ia e hele i kahi mamao e inu wai. Ma hope o ka māʻona o ka holoholona, ua kūʻē hou ʻo ia iā ia a kau me ka ʻeleu ma luna ona, hele i kēlā kapa o ka muliwai a komo i kekahi o nā ala ʻololī a malumalu hoʻi i hiki aku i ka pali a hana ʻia e nā pā o nā lāʻau o nā māla māla.
Ua hele wāwae ʻo ia i kahi wikiwiki a akahai no kekahi mau minuke, a hiki i ka pā pōhaku o kahi māla nui a hanohano. Ma laila ʻo ia i kū ai ma ka wāwae o kahi sapote kolossal nona nā lālā lau e uhi i ka laulā āpau o ke alaloa e like me ka vault, a e hoʻāʻo ana e komo me nā maka i loko o ke aka mānoanoa e uhi ana i ka pā, ua ʻoluʻolu ʻo ia iā ia iho me ka manawa ʻelua i ka lālani e hōʻike ana i kahi ʻano leo hoʻopiʻi. :
-Psst ... psst ...! Pane maila kekahi o nā ʻano like, mai ka pā, kahi i hōʻike koke ʻia ai kahi kiʻi keʻokeʻo.
-Manuelita! -'ōlelo i kahi leo haʻahaʻa i ka "kālā"
"E kuʻu zarco, eia wau!" wahi a ka leo wahine ʻono i pane aku ai.
ʻO Zarco kēlā kāne, ka pōā kaulana nona ka inoa i hoʻopiha i ka ʻāina āpau me ka weliweli.
