MAUNA LOA. 137 



distance to be passed over in the ascent from the black ledge, which 

 was found six hundred and sixty feet below the rim. 



To the bottom of the crater, there was a descent at the northwest 

 angle of the black ledge, where a portion of it had fallen in, and 

 afforded an inclined plane to the bottom. This at first appeared 

 smooth and easy to descend, but on trial it proved somewhat diffi- 

 cult, for there were many fissures crossing the path at right angles, 

 which it was necessary to get over, and the vitreous crust was so 

 full of sharp spiculse as to injure the hands and cut the shoes at every 

 step. Messrs. Waldron and Drayton in their descent were accom- 

 panied by my dog Sydney, who had reached this distance, when his 

 feet became so much wounded that they were compelled to drive him 

 back ; he was lamed for several days afterwards, in consequence of 

 this short trip into the crater. 



These gentlemen, after much toil, finally reached the floor of the 

 crater. This was afterwards found to be three hundred and eighty- 

 four feet below the black ledge, making the whole depth nine hundred 

 and eighty-seven feet below the northern rim. Like the black ledge, 

 it was not found to have the level and even surface it had appeared 

 from above to possess : hillocks and ridges, from twenty to thirty 

 feet high, ran across it, and were in some places so perpendicular as 

 to render it difficult to pass over them. The distance they traversed 

 below was deceptive, and they had no means of ascertaining it but by 

 the time it took to walk it, which was upwards of two hours, from the 

 north extreme of the bottom to the margin of the large lake. It is 

 extremely difficult to reach this lake, on account of its overflowing at 

 short intervals, which does not allow the fluid mass time to cool. The 

 nearest approach that any one of the party made to it at this time 

 was about fifteen hundred or two thousand feet; they were then 

 near enough to burn their shoes and light their sticks in the lava 

 which had overflowed during the preceding night. 



The smaller lake was well viewed from a slight eminence : this lake 

 was slightly in action ; the globules, (if large masses of red fluid lava, 

 several tons in weight, can be so called,) were seen heaving up at 

 regular intervals, six or eight feet in height ; and smaller ones were 

 thrown up to a much greater elevation. At the distance of fifty feet 

 no gases were to be seen, nor was any steam evident, yet a thin 

 smoke-like vapour arose from the whole fluid surface : no puffs of 

 smoke were perceived at any time. 



At first it seemed quite possible to pass over the congealed surface 



VOL. IV. 35 



