168 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



This welling of the liquid lava is in marUed contrast to what takes place 

 at volcanoes of the explosive sort. Their vents seal over after each explosive 

 eruption, and to all appearances they die out apparently to remain dead forever 

 Usually, however, they awake and explode without warning, presenting- a magnifi- 

 cent spectacle of volcanic power that results too often in all th(^ horrors attend- 

 ing the loss of life and property. 



At Kilauea, as has been stated, different conditions prevail. The action 

 there is confined, in the main, within the crater itself, and the interest centers 

 in what actually takes place in the hnver pit of Ilalemaumau rather tluui, as 

 on near-by ^laiuia Loa, in the tiiiw which may cnurse down the moiuitaiu side. 



The Explosive Eruption of 1789. 



Without doubt one ot tlic most remarkal)le exhibitions of volcanic force 

 whii'li has occurred at Kilauea since the islands were first inhal)ited liy the na- 

 tives occui-red in the year 1789 — a little over ten years after the discovery'-^ of 

 tile groiiii by Captain James Cook. 



In Xovembei' of that year, Keoua, a native chief of Hawaii, with a liand of 

 followers set out from llilo to return to Kau in pursuit of a rival chief whose 

 warriors in his absence were invading his home district. Hastily returning from 

 TTiIo with reinforcements, the shortest route took him by the overland trail 

 \\liich passed the brink of the volcano Kilauea. They camped at the crater two 

 days, during which time it was very active. On the second night, being in a 

 state of terror and scarcely knowing which way to proceed, they divided into 

 three companies, presumably for safety, and set out upon their .journey in fear 

 and trembling. The party in the lead had not proceeded far, according to the 

 historian Dibble, "before the ground began to shake and rock beneath their feet 

 and it liecame <iuite impossible to stand. Soon a dense cloud of darkness was 

 seen to rise out of the crater, and almost at the same instant the electric effect 

 upon the air was so great that the thunder began to roar in the heavens and 

 the lightning to flash. It continued to ascend and spread abroad until the 

 whole region was envelojied and the light of day entirely excluded. The dark- 

 ness was the more lerritie being made visible by an awful glare from the 

 streams of red and lilue light, variously combined, that issued from the crater 

 lielow, and lit up at intervals liy the intense flashes of lightninu' from above. 

 Soon followed <in immense volume of sand and cinders which were thrown in 

 liigh heaven and came down in a destructive shower for miles around. Some 

 few ])ersons in the forwai'd company were burned 1o death by the sand and 

 cinders ami others were seriousl\- in.jured. All experienced a siitt'oeating sensa- 

 tion upon the lunus and hastened on with all speed. 



"The rear body which was nearesi the volcano at the time of the eruption 

 seemed to suffer the least injni'y, and after the earth([uake and shower of sand 

 had passed over, hastened forward to escape the dangers which threatened them. 



