Hawaiian Islands

In Martin Eden’s recollection of the Hawaiian Islands, a narrow mountain trail leads him to an isolated settlement where people with Leprosy live beyond ordinary reach. The valley’s natural defenses and the secrecy surrounding it shape the episode: Martin remains there for three months, then escapes with help from a young woman and swears never to disclose the hiding-place. When he tells Ruth Morse about it, he says this is the first time he has even mentioned the place.

Finding the Hidden Valley

After deserting a schooner and landing on a beach, Martin heads inland in search of somewhere to hide. For three days he lives on wild guavas, ohia-apples, and bananas. On the fourth, he finds a recently traveled foot-trail leading upward. It follows the crest of a ridge scarcely three feet wide, with precipices hundreds of feet deep on either side; Martin judges that one armed man could defend the route against an overwhelming force.

Three hours after finding the trail, Martin reaches a pocket valley amid lava peaks. Its terraces are planted with taro, fruit trees grow there, and eight or ten grass huts stand among them. The terrain makes the settlement difficult to approach, while its cultivated patches and dwellings reveal a community established within the mountain enclosure.

The Settlement and Its Defenses

Martin recognizes the inhabitants as people with Leprosy as soon as he sees them. The settlement is led by an elderly man, described as kind but far advanced in the disease, who rules with the authority of a king. He had discovered the valley and founded the settlement, although Martin says this was against the law.

The community’s isolation is reinforced by force as well as geography. Its leader has guns and ample ammunition, and the residents are practiced shots from hunting wild cattle and pigs. Martin sees no possibility of simply running away and stays in the valley for three months. The narrow ridge, steep drops, and armed defenders make the settlement a refuge that is also a place of confinement.

Escape and the Secret

Martin credits his escape to a young woman living in the settlement. He describes her as half-Chinese, quarter-white, and quarter-Hawaiian, beautiful and well educated. Her mother lives in Honolulu, is wealthy, and finances the settlement; Martin believes this support means the daughter need not fear punishment for helping him leave.

Before letting him go, the young woman makes Martin swear that he will never reveal the valley’s location. He says he has kept that promise until speaking to Ruth, and that this conversation is his first mention of the place. The account therefore identifies the valley through its concealment as much as through its landscape: Martin supplies its route and features, but preserves the secret on which the woman’s request rests.

Memory and Human Cost

Martin tells the story in response to Ruth’s questions about why he went there and how he escaped. His recollection turns an adventure in difficult terrain into an account of vulnerability and obligation: he initially feels frightened of catching the disease, but says that pity for the young woman makes him forget his fear. He recalls her as only slightly affected, with two twisted fingers on her right hand and a small spot on her arm, yet believes she was condemned to remain in the settlement and die there.

The valley’s remoteness thus carries a human cost. Its protections and cultivated life exist alongside enforced isolation, while Martin’s escape leaves the young woman behind. His description presents her as more than the means of his release: he remembers her beauty of spirit as well as appearance, and imagines that she may now be dead.