CURIOUS NATURAL PHENOMENON.

25

furnished, had a large wooden bowl of poe* placed by the side of his plate, from which he frequently took very hearty draughts. Two favorite lap-dogs sat on the same sofa with him, one on his right hand, and the other on his left, and occasionally received a bit from his hand, or the fragments on the plate from which he had eaten. A number of his punahele (favourites,) and some occasional visitors sat in circles on the floor, in every direction, around large dishes of raw fish, baked hog, or dog, or goat, from which each helped himself without ceremony, while a huge calabash of poe, passed rapidly round among them. They became exceedingly loquacious and cheerful during their meal, and several, who had been silent before, now laughed loud, and joined with spirit in the mirth of their companions. A neat wooden dish of water was handed to the Governor, both before and after eating, in which he washed his hands. The same practice was followed by his friends; and this, we believe, is a general custom with the chiefs, and all the higher orders of the people, throughout the islands.

In the forenoon, the party walked through the settlement, in a south-east direction, to examine the ground, with a view to discover the most eligible place for digging a well, a convenience indispensable to the comfortable maintenance of a missionary station here, as there is no fresh water within five or six miles of the town. They entered several caverns in the lava, resembling an arched vault, or extended tunnel of various thickness and dimensions. They supposed the lava at the edges of the torrent had first cooled, hardened, and formed the side walls, which approximated as they rose, until, uniting at the top, they became a solid arch enclosing the stream of lava, which continued to flow on towards the sea.

One of these tunnels, called Raniakea, they found to be of considerable extent. After entering it by a

* A sort of paste_made of baked care, beat up, and diluted with pater.

small aperture, they passed on, in a direction nearly parallel with the surface, sometimes along a spacious arched way, not less than twenty-five feet high, and twenty wide, at other times by a passage so narrow that they could with difficulty press through, till they had proceeded about 1,200 feet. Here their progress was arrested by a pool of water of considerable extent and depth, and salt as that found in the hollows of the lava within a few yards of the sea. This latter circumstance in a great degree damped their hopes of finding fresh water by digging through the lava. In their descent, they were accompanied by more than thirty natives, most of whom carried torches. These, on arriving at the water, simultaneously plunged in, extending their torches with one hand, and swimming about with the other. The partially illuminated heads of the natives, splashing about in this subterranean lake, the reflection of the torchlight on its agitated surface, the frowning sides and lofty arch of the black vault, hung with lava that had cooled in every imaginable shape, the deep gloom of the cavern beyond the water, the hollow sound of their footsteps, and the varied reverberations of their voices, produced a singular effect; and it would have required little aid from the fancy, to have imagined a resemblance between this scene and the fabled Stygian lake of the poets. The mouth of the cave is about half a mile from the sea, and the perpendicular depth to the water is probably not less than fifty or sixty feet. The pool is occasionally visited by the natives for the purpose of bathing, as its water is cool and refreshing. From its ebbing and flowing with the tide, it has probably a direct communication with the sea.

In the afternoon, Messrs. Thurston and Bishop walked out in a north-west direction, till they reached the point that forms the northern boundary of the bay, on the eastern side of which Kairua is situated. It runs three or four miles into the sea, is composed entirely of lava, and was formed by an eruption from

SITUATION OF KAIRUA.

27

one of the large craters on the top of Mouna Huararai, about twenty-three years ago, which filled up an extensive bay twenty miles in length, and formed the present coast. A number of villages, plantations, fish-ponds, &c. were at the same time destroyed.

In several places Messrs. Thurston and Bishop observed, that the sea rushes with violence along the cavities beneath the lava to a considerable distance, and then, forcing its waters through the apertures in the surface, forms a number of jets d'eau, which, falling again on the rocks, roll rapidly back to the ocean. They enjoyed a fine view of the town and adjacent country. The houses, which are neat, are generally built on the sea-shore, shaded with cocoanut and kou trees, which greatly enliven the scene. The environs were cultivated to a considerable ex

tent in every direction. Small gardens were seen among the barren rocks on which the houses are built, wherever soil could be found sufficient to nourish the sweet potatoe, the water melon, or even a few plants of tobacco, which in many places seemed to be growing literally in the fragments of lava, collected in small heaps around their roots.

28th. In the morning Messrs. Thurston, Goodrich and Harwood walked towards the mountains, to visit the high and cultivated parts of the district. After travelling over the lava for about a mile, the hollows in the rocks began to be filled with a light brown soil; and about half a mile further, the surface was entirely covered with a rich mould, formed by decayed vegetation and decomposed lava. Here they enjoyed the agreeable shade of bread-fruit and ohia trees. The latter is a deciduous plant, bearing a beautifully red, pulpy fruit, of the size and consistency of an apple, juicy, but rather insipid to the taste. The trees are elegant in form, and grow to the height of twenty or thirty feet. The leaf is oblong and pointed, and the fruit is attached to the branches by a short stem. The fruit is abundant, and

28

EXCURSION TO THE PLANTATION.

is generally ripe, either in different places on the same island, or on different islands, during all the summer months. The path now lay through a beautiful part of the country, quite a garden compared with that through which they had passed, on first leaving the town. It was generally divided into small fields, about fifteen rods square, fenced with low stone walls, made of the fragments of lava which had been gathered from the surface of the enclosures. These fields were planted with bananas, sweet potatoes, mountain taro, tapa trees, melons and sugar-cane, flourishing luxuriantly in every direction. Having travelled about three or four miles through this delightful region, and passed several valuable pools of fresh water, they arrived at the thick woods, which extends several miles up the sides of the lofty mountain that rises immediately behind Kairua. Among the various plants and trees that now presented themselves, they were much pleased with at species of felix, whose stripes were about five feet long, and stem about fourteen feet high, and one foot in diameter. A smart shower of rain (a frequent occurrence in the mountains,) arrested their further progress, and obliged them to return to their lodgings, where they arrived about five in the afternoon, gratified, though fatigued, by their excursion.

Mr. Bishop called on Thomas Hopu, the native teacher who has for some time resided at Kairua, and was pleased to find him patient under the inconveniences to which his situation necessarily subjects him, and anxious to promote the best interests of his countrymen.

29th. The Sabbath morning dawned upon the Missionaries at Kairua, under circumstances unusually animating, and they prepared to spend this holy day, in extending as widely as possible their labours among the benighted people around them. Mr. Thurston preached in the native language twice at the Governor's house to attentive audiences. Mr. Bishop and Thomas Hopu proceeded, early in

CHRISTIAN ZEAL OF A CHIEF.

29

the morning, to Kaavaroa, a village about fourteen miles distant, on the north side of Kearake'kua, where they arrived at 11 A. M. They were received by Kamakau, chief of the place, with many expressions of gladness. He led them to his house, and provided some refreshment; after which they walked together to a ranai, (house of cocoa nut leaves,) which he had erected some time ago for the public worship of Jehovah. Here they found about one hundred of his people assembled and waiting their arrival. Mr. Bishop, with the aid of Thomas, preached to them from John iii, 16, and endeavoured, in the most familiar manner, to set before them the great love of God in sending his Son to die for sinners, and the necessity of forsaking sin, and believing on him, in order to eternal life. Towards the latter part of the discourse, the preacher was interrupted by Kamakau, who, anxious that his people might receive the greatest possible benefit by the word spoken, began earnestly to exhort them to listen and regard; for their salvation depended on their attention to the truths which they heard. After the service was concluded, he again addressed them, earnestly and affectionately recommending them to attend to these things.

Kamakau wished them to meet with the people again; but as the day was far spent, they thought it best to return. He then told them, that after their departure he should assemble his people again, and repeat to them what they had heard. He asked

many questions respecting the way of salvation, and the heavenly state, and appeared deeply interested in the answers that were given; especially when informed that heaven was a holy place, into which nothing sinful would ever enter.

As they went from his house to the beach, they passed by a large idol, that Kamakau had formerly worshipped, lying prostrate and mutilated on the rocks, and washed by the waves of the sea, as they rolled on the shore. It was a large log of wood rudely