172 NATURATi HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



spent the night on the brink of the crater in a rude grass hut constructed for 

 her shelter. In the morning she and her little company of followers descended 

 into the crater to the black ledge .just mentioned, and there in full view of the 

 grand and terrific action of the inner crater at her feet, she ate the sacred 

 ohelo berries consecrated to Pele, and hurled stones into the burning lake, saying 

 "Jehovali is my God. He kindled these fires, I fear not Pele. If I perish by 

 her anger then you may fear Pele, but if I trust in Jehovah and He preserves 

 me when breaking her tabus, then you must fear and serve Him alone." 



As the courageous woman was unharmed the belief in the mighty spell of 

 Pele was broken, and thus was accomplished what has very justly been called, 

 "one of the greatest acts of moral courage ever performed." 



The Eri'ptiox .vn'd Flow op 1840. 



Returning to our account of the crat<'r, -we must pass over the remarkable 

 eruption of 1832, when in two years the lava welled and dropped a thousand 

 feet, and consider for a moment the great eruption and flow of 1840, which 

 illustrated so splendidly an important phase of activity at the volcano. 



For eight years after the eruption of 1832 the process of refilling the ealdera 

 of Kilauea had been going on until at last the black ledge surrounding its inner 

 walls, as seen and described by Ellis, had been covered with new lava about 

 one hundred feet deep. Kilauea after eight or nine years of cumulative work 

 was ready for an outbreak, and in the summer of 1840 an extensive erniition 

 took place. The event was minutely recorded by the Rev. Titus Coan. 



After a period of intense ebullition in the pit the ciLstomary break-down 

 occurred, but on this occasion, in place of venting deep down in the bowels of the 

 earth, the lava worked its way to the eastward in the direction of Puna through 

 some old subterranean conduit, perhaps a thousand feet beneath the surface of 

 the mountain, until it emerged in the bottom of an ancient wooded crater, eight 

 miles distant from Kilauea. Its course all the way to this place coidd be dis- 

 tinctly traced by the rending of the earth's crust into innumerable fissures and 

 by the emission of steam and gasses. 



From till' old crater, which w;is loui' liiuulred feet deep, tlie lava stream 

 continued on its way seaward; part of the time deep down under the earth; 

 part of the time fiowing over tlie surface as a river of fire. At last, flowing in 

 this way for several miles, it again broke out like an overwhelming flood, and 

 sweeping forest, hamlet, plantation, and everything before it, rolled down with 

 resistless energy into the sen. There, leaping n precipice of forty or more feet 

 in height, it poured itself in one vast cataract into the depths below with loud 

 detonations, fearful hissing, and m thousand uneartlily and indescribable sounds. 

 Imagine this mighty Niagara of fire pouiinu its livid flood into the ocean night 

 and day for three weeks. The atmosphci-c in all directions was filled with ashes, 

 spray and gasses ; the coast was extended into the sea a (|narter of a mile, a 

 sand beach and a new cape were formed, while the light was so gre:it that print 

 could lie re;i(i Mt midnight forty miles at sea. 



