CUSTOM OF TATAUING. 107 or catching hold of some part of our clothes. They seemed surprised at our addressing them in their own tongue, but were much more so, when Mauae, who preceded us with a large fan in his hand, told them we were teachers of religion; that we preached and prayed at every place where we had stopped, and should most likely do so there, before we went to sleep. We passed through the town to the residence of the head-man, situated on the farthest point towards the sea. He invited us to his house, procured us some water to wash our feet, and immediately sent to an adjacent pond for some fish for our supper. While that was preparing, the people assembled in crowds around the house, and, a little before sun-set, Mr. Thurston preached to them in the front yard. Upwards of 200 were present, and, during the whole of the service, sat quietly, and listened attentively. A considerable number of the people at this place had one of their lips tatau'd, after the manner of some of the New Zealand tribes. There was more tatauing here, than we had observed at any other place; but it was very rudely done, displaying much less taste and elegance, than the figures on the bodies of either the New Zealanders, Tahitians, or Marquesians, which are sometimes really beautiful. After the service, some of our number visited the ruins of a heiau, on a point of lava, near our lodgings. During the evening, we made some inquiries respecting it, and found it had been dedicated to Taire, and was thrown down in the general destruction of idols in 119. They seemed to think it was well that idolatry had been prohibited by the king; said its frequent requisitions kept them very poor, and occasioned them much labour. They were almost entirely ignorant of the religion of Jesus Christ. One man from this place had been at Honoruru, in Oahu, since the king had been favourably disposed towards Christianity. He attended the public worship in the native language once while there, and 108 MAKOA REFUSES TO VISIT THE VOLCANO. heard about Jesus Christ, the God of the foreigners; but had given a very imperfect account of him. The people seemed inclined to listen attentively to what was said about salvation through the Redeemer, and we endeavoured to unfold, in a concise and simple manner, a view of the leading doctrines and duties of our holy religion. Having been employed in this manner until a late hour, we asked them to unite with us in our evening worship, which we conducted in their language, and then lay down to rest. Many of the people in the house continued talking till almost daylight. 30th. This morning we arose much refreshed; but Makoa not having arrived with our baggage, we did not leave Honuapo so early as we could have wished. Great numbers of the people crowded our house at an early hour, and while breakfast was preparing, they were addressed from Psalm xevi, 4. When the service was ended, the people were anxious to know more about these things. Some time was therefore spent in conversation with them. We had seldom seen any who appeared more interested in the truths of the Gospel, than the people at Honuapo. He About 8 A. M., Makoa arrived, but without our baggage. The men who were bringing it, he said, could not be persuaded to come on last night, but had set out this morning, and would soon overtake us. We now acquainted him with our intention to visit the volcano, and requested him to hasten the men with our baggage, as we should want more things there, than we could conveniently carry. objected strongly to our going thither, as we should most likely be mischievous, and offend Pele, or Nahoaarii, gods of the volcano, by plucking the ohelo (sacred berries,) digging up the sand, or throwing stones into the crater, and then they would either rise out of the crater in volumes of smoke, send up large stones to fall on us and kill us, or cause darkness and rain to overtake us, so that we should never find our way back. We told him we did not Sketched by Mr. Ellis. A MISSIONARY PREACHING TO NATIVES, S.S.Jocelyn Sc. PREACHING ON THE LAVA. 109 apprehend any danger from the gods, that we knew there were none, and should visit the volcano. If we were determined on going, he said we must go by ourselves; he would go with us as far as Kapapala, the last village at which we should stop, and about twenty miles on this side of it, and from thence would descend to the seashore, and wait till we overtook him. The Governor, he said, had told him not to go there, and, if he had not, he should not venture near it, for it was a fearful place. We waited till after nine o'clock, when the men not arriving with our baggage, we proceeded on our way, leaving Makoa to wait for them, and come after us as far as Kapapala, where we expected to spend the night. As we walked through the village, numbers of the people came out of their houses and followed us for a mile or two, when they gradally fell behind. When they designed to leave us,. they would run a little way a head, sit down on a rock, give us their parting aroha as we passed, and continue to follow us with their eyes, till we were out of sight. After travelling sometime over a wide tract of lava, in some places almost as rugged as any we had yet seen, we reached Kokukano. Here we found an excellent spring of fresh water. While we were stopping to drink and rest ourselves, many natives gathered round us from the neighbourhood. We told them to accompany us to a cluster of houses a little further on, which they very cheerfully did; and there Mr. Ellis preached to them, and invited all who were athirst, and whosoever would, to come and take of the water of life freely. They sat very quietly on the lava till the concluding prayer was finished, when several simultaneously exclaimed, "He mea maitai ke ora, e makemake au," (A good thing is salvation; I desire it.) They then proposed several questions, which we answered, apparently to their satisfaction, and then kept on our way. We travelled over another rugged tract of lava about 200 rods wide. It had been most |