On the Volcanic Character of the Island of Hawaii. 199 



what consternation and horror must it have filled the afflicted 

 inhabitants of the surrounding villages, as they beheld its irre- 

 sistible and devastating course, impressed as they were, with the 

 belief that Pele, the goddess whom they had offended, had left 

 her abode in the volcanoes, and was in person visiting them 

 with thunder, lightning, earthquake, and liquid fire, the in- 

 struments of her power and vengeance. As we passed along 

 this vaulted avenue, called by the natives Keanaee, we beheld 

 a number of caverns and tunnels, from some of which, streams 

 of lava had flowed. The mouths of others being walled up 

 with stones, we supposed were used as sepulchres. Mats 

 spread upon the slabs of lava, calabashes, &c, indicated some 

 of them to be the habitations of men ; others, near the open- 

 ings, were used as workshops, where women were weaving 

 mats, or beating cloth. Some we also saw used as store-houses, 

 or depositories of sandal-wood. In many places, the water 

 filtered through the lava, and around the spots where it had 

 dropped upon the ground, we observed a quantity of very fine, 

 white, spear-shaped crystals, of a sharp nitrous taste. Having 

 walked a considerable distance along the covered way, and 

 collected as many specimens of the lava as we could conveni- 

 ently carry, we returned to the sea-shore, the path along which 

 was often tedious and difficult, The lava frequently presented 

 a mural front, from 60 to 100 feet in height, in many places 

 hanging over our heads, apparently every moment ready to 

 fall ; while beneath us the long rolling billows of the Pacific 

 chaffed and foamed among the huge fragments, along which 

 our road lay. In many places, the lava had flowed in vast 

 torrents over the top of the precipice into the sea. Broad 

 flakes of it, or masses like stalactites, hung from the projecting 

 edge in every direction. The attention was also attracted by 

 a number of apertures in the face of the rocks, at different di- 

 stances from their base, looking like so many glazed tunnels, 

 from which streams of lava had gushed out, and fallen into 

 the ocean below, probably at the same time that it had rolled 

 down in a horrid cataract from the rocks above. 



On the 25th, Messrs. Thurston, Goodrich and Bishop con- 

 tinued their journey along the shore, which was " literally 

 iron-bound." It was formed of steep rocks of lava, whose 

 surface wore the most rugged aspect imaginable. About 

 2 P.M. they passed Taureonahoa, three large pillars of lava, 

 about 20 feet square, and 80 or 100 high, standing in the wa- 

 ter within a few yards of each other, and adjacent to the shore. 

 Two of them were united at the top, but open at their base. 

 The various coloured strata of black, reddish and brown lava 



being 



