io8 Kilaiiea and Manna Loa. 



leaving the south lake. Having arrived at about the middle of the depression a considerable rise in 

 the ground presented itself on our left — to the west. Having ascended this, we found ourselves at 

 the brink of a fearful chasm, which fell off on our side with a beetling wall to the depth of several 

 hundred feet and extended about half a mile from north to south. Very hot air rose from it. Around 

 it, towards its northern extremity, the lava is thrown up into an indescribable confusion ; pile upon 

 pile of aa gorge and ridge by turns. 



The caving in of the floor seemed to be still in progression, for twice during our exploration 

 of the crater, our nerves were disturbed by a prolonged heavy rumbling and rattling noise, as from 

 a distant platoon-fire of musketry, coming from the northwest corner. 



Kilauea iki, which iu 1865 was covered with shrubs on its side and partly on the 

 bottom, was now overflowed with black, shining lava. It has been free from fire since 1832. 



Thus far as to what we have seen. Now allow me to relate what I learned from Kaina [the 

 District Judge, and a most intelligent Hawaiian], who ha.s resided near the volcano without inter- 

 ruption for the last five months, and whose strong nerves sustained him during the fearful cata.strophe 

 introduced by the earthquake of April 2nd. He and the Chinaman who keeps the house, were the 

 only persons who remained at Kilauea. He says that for two months preceding the first shock, 

 namely, from January 20th to March 27th, the crater had been unusually active; eight lakes being 

 in constant ebullition and frequently overflowing. During all this time (the date of its first appear- 

 ance could not be ascertained exactly), there was in the northwest corner a blow-hole, from which 

 at regular intervals of a minute or less, with a roaring noise, large masses of vapor were thrown off, 

 as from a steam engine. This ceased about the 17th of March. At the same time the activity of 

 the lakes became greatly increased, and Kaina anticipated mischief. March 27, the first shock was 

 perceived. Two days later Mr. Abraham Fornander found the bottom of the crater overflowed with 

 fresh lava, and incandescent. 



Thursday, April 2nd, at a few minutes past four p.m., the big earthquake occurred, which 

 caused the ground around Kilauea to rock like a ship at sea. At that moment there commenced 

 fearful detonations in the crater ; large quantities of lava were thrown up to a great height ; portions 

 of the wall tumbled in. This extraordinary commotion, accompanied with unearthly noise and sway- 

 ing of the ground, continued from that day till Sunday night, April 5th, hxaX from the first the fire 

 began to recede. On Thursday night it was already confined to the regular lakes ; on Saturday night 

 it only remained in the great south lake, and on .Sunday night there was none at all ; Pele had left 

 Kilauea. The noises now became weaker, and were separated by longer intervals. By Tuesday 

 quiet reigned in Kilauea. On that afternoon the lava burst out at a distance of forty miles, south- 

 west, in Kahuku. 



April 2nd, from six to ten p.m., Kaina observed fire in the direction of Puna, which, at the 

 time, caused him to believe that the lava had found a vent again in that direction, as it did in 1840; 

 but he subsequently satisfied himself that it was only a reflection from lava iu Kilauea iki. It was 

 not seen afterward. 



In Kapapala we are told that fire had been seen several nights in a southeast direction, and 

 that natives had reported flowing lava there. We rode over iu the morning of April 20th. At a dis- 

 tance of five miles from Mr. Reed's dwelling, where the Puna road turns off from the Kilauea road, 

 heavy clouds of white vapor were seen to issue from the bush, which sparsely covered the pahoehoe, 

 makai"*- of the road. Half an hour's ride brought us up to the place, but we were obliged to leave 

 our horses .some distance before reaching the spot, on account of fissures. After having crossed a 

 number of them, heading for the heaviest cloud of vapor, we at last came to a deep crevasse in the 

 pahoehoe, at least twenty-four feet in width, no bottom visible. It narrowed and widened out iu 

 places, but nowhere was less than eight feet wide. Its length we estimated at four hundred feet. 



"Makai is the Hawaiian for "towards the sea". [486] 



