268 



Summit of MaunaLoa. HAWAIIAN GROUP, OR 



View from the summit of Mauna Loa. 

 Departure from Pendulum Peak. 



which had now become our hospital, and which 

 was found dry, warm, and large enough to have 

 accommodated the whole party. All the sick were 

 immediately transported here, and placed under 

 the superintendence of Dr. Judd and his assistants. 

 The men here had procured a large turtle-shell 

 from the natives, and in commemoration of their 

 jaunt, engraved on it all their names, and nailed it 

 to a staff which they erected at the mouth of 

 the cave. 



We passed the night with Lieutenant Budd, and 

 although the lava floor of the tent was a rough bed, 

 we seldom enjoyed so sound a sleep. 



After arranging every thing relative to the pro- 

 visions, when they should arrive, and visiting the 

 sick with Dr. Judd, I determined to return to the 

 top. The doctor remained for a day or two, to 

 arrange matters with the natives at the lower sta- 

 tion, so as to have our supplies more regularly for- 

 warded. Taking with me James G. Clarke, a sea- 

 man, I again started for the summit, heavily laden 

 with provisions. In order to prevent any accident 

 by losing the direction, small flags were placed, as 

 we went up, within sight of each other. We 

 reached the observatory at the terminal crater 

 at four o'clock, after a hard walk of six hours. 

 We had now three stations, viz.: the Recruiting 

 Station, Lieutenant Alden's, and the Flag Station, 

 under the sergeant of marines. These made it 

 a more easy task to get the loads up, although 

 it would require a longer time. 



I found they had built some part of the wall 

 around our encampment on the summit, and being 

 apprehensive that we were again to have bad 

 weather, we all joined to secure the tents more 

 effectually against the anticipated storm. 



The cold, this day, to our feelings was intense, 

 although the temperature was not lower than 26. 

 All our exertions in carrying stone for the wall, 

 and violent exercise, could not keep us warm. Dr. 

 Pickering came in, towards dark, half frozen, 

 having made the circuit of the three craters, which 

 had occupied him nearly all day. 



The two chronometers, with the pendulum clock, 

 and some of the pendulum apparatus, had reached 

 the top during the day ; and I was rejoiced to find, 

 on examination and comparison with the one I had, 

 that no difference of rate had yet taken place. 



On the 28th the day dawned with fine weather, 

 and continued beautifully clear. We were employed 

 in taking observations, and the transit was set 

 firmly, to get the passage of the stars : a wall was 

 also built around the observatory, to protect it from 

 the wind. 



On the 29th we were busy putting up the pen- 

 dulum apparatus. A short time after noon, Dr. 

 Judd again joined us with the joyful news that the 

 party from the ship had arrived, with sixty days' 

 provisions for as many men. I now felt that 

 through our own perseverance we should succeed 

 in obtaining our wishes, for with this supply we could 

 remain sufficiently long to effect my object in visit- 

 ing the mountain. 



At night, on the 30th, we had a visit from the 

 old guide, Keaweehu, the bird-catcher, who gave 

 us the name of the terminal crater, as Moku-a- 

 weo-weo, and of that south of it as Pohakuohanalei. 

 According to his statement, Moku-a-weo-weo 

 emitted fire not long after Cook's visit, and again 

 five years since, on the north side. 



We now erected our pendulum-house, and 

 Treble, the armourer, succeeded in rendering the 

 bar of the pendulum-frame as good as it was ori- 

 ginally. 



The view from the western side of the dome of 

 Mauna Loa was, as we saw it, surpassingly grand. 

 In the distance, the island of Maui emerged from 

 and broke the line of the deep blue horizon, while 

 its lower side was dimmed by a whitish haze, that 

 seemed to unite it to the island of Hawaii. The 

 same haze enveloped the hills of Kohala on our 

 right, and the western extremity of ' Hawaii. 

 Nearer to us was Hualalai, the third great moun- 

 tain of Hawaii, up whose sides a compact mass of 

 white fleecy clouds was impelled by the sea-breeze. 

 To our right rose in bold relief Mauna Kea, 

 covered with its snowy mantle; and at our feet 

 was spread out, between the three great moun- 

 tains, the black plain of lava, overhung by a dusky 

 pall of clouds. All these features were so blended 

 into each other by the mist, as to exhibit a tone of 

 harmony that could hardly be conceived, consider- 

 ing the variety of the forms, characters, and dis- 

 tances of the objects, and which seemed to blend 

 earth, sea, and sky into one. I can never hope 

 again to witness so sublime a scene, to gaze on 

 which excited such feelings that I felt relieved 

 when I turned from it to engage in the duties that 

 had called me to the spot. 



It was not without some nervous excitement 

 that I placed my instrument on the highest point 

 of Mauna Loa, within a few feet of its crater, and 

 turned it upon Mauna Kea, to measure the difference 

 in the height of these twin giants of the Pacific. 



The very idea of standing on the summit of one 

 of the highest peaks in the midst of this vast ocean, 

 in close proximity to a precipice of profound depth, 

 overhanging an immense crater " outrageous as a 

 sea," with molten rock, would have been exciting 

 even to a strong man ; but the sensation was over- 

 powering to one already exhausted by breathing 

 the rarefied air, and toiling over the lava which 

 this huge cauldron must have vomited forth in 

 quantities sufficient to form a dome sixty miles in 

 diameter, and nearly three miles in height. 



I was still in doubt which mountain I should find 

 the highest; for although previous measurements 

 had given it in favour of Mauna Kea, yet I had 

 found Mauna Loa about three hundred feet higher 

 than it had been reported to be. Double the zenith 

 angle was soon obtained, and decided it in favour of 

 Mauna Kea, and subsequent calculations gave one 

 cone of it as one hundred and ninety-three feet 

 above the place where I stood. Although twin 

 mountains, they are of very different character. 

 Mauna Kea is a vast mound topped with cones, 

 nine in number, whilst Mauna Loa is a smooth 

 dome. On the former the frosts of winter prevail, 

 while the latter has internal fires, and occasionally 

 vomits forth its lava to the very point where the 

 other begins to rise, covering its broad flanks with 

 layers of rocks. 



When day broke, on the 13th January, all was 

 bustle on the summit of Mauna Loa. Every one 

 was engaged in taking down and packing up the in- 

 struments and equipage, loaded with which the na- 

 tive labourers scampered off. Some of them, in- 

 deed, unable to bear the cold any longer, and hoping 

 to obtain loads afterwards, withdrew without bur- 

 dens. 



