MA UN A LOA. 149 



minal point. I gave him instructions to repair to the lower country, 

 as there was nothing for him to do in tliis barren region. 



The wind blew a strong gale from the southwest, and it was 

 piercingly cold ; the thermometer, at 3 p. m., showed 25°. For 

 some time previous, I had been obliged to keep the Kanakas 

 before me, to prevent them from throwing their loads down and 

 deserting ; but I found them unable to go any further ; being nearly 

 naked, they were suffering much. Seeking a place of shelter under 

 a high bank of clinkers, partly protected from the wind, I allowed 

 them to deposit their loads, and gave them permission to return, upon 

 which they seemed actually to vanish ; I never saw such agility dis- 

 played by them before. 



As soon as the natives who were on the road saw those from the 

 upper party coming down, they could no longer be induced to face the 

 cold, and all deserted at once. The mountain became in consequence 

 a scene of confusion ; being strewn with instruments, boxes, pieces of 

 the portable house, tents, calabashes, &c., which the natives had 

 dropped. 



I now found myself with the guide and nine men, with nothing for a 

 covering but the small tent used for the instruments, and the coming 

 on of a snow-storm, made it very necessary to have something to 

 protect us. The thermometer had gone down to 1 8°, and most of the 

 men were much affected with the mountain-sickness, with headache 

 and fever, and were unable to do any thing. I felt quite unwell 

 myself from the same cause, having a violent throbbing of the 

 temples and a shortness of breath, that were both painful and dis- 

 tressing. With the few men that remained able to work, I began 

 building a circular wall of the clinkers, to enable us to spread what 

 little canvass we had, over it; all the blankets we could spare were 

 hung inside, which I hoped would keep us from being frozen. After 

 succeeding in this, which occupied us till dark, we made a fire to 

 prepare our scanty supper, and some tea for the sick. I now dis- 

 covered that three of the men were absent ; and on inquiry, found 

 that they had gone down, in hopes of finding my tent, which they 

 supposed had been left about a mile below. One may judge of my 

 uneasiness, as it was pitchy dark, and there was no trace v/hatever of 

 a track, or any thing by which they could find their way back, over 

 many dangerous chasms. I had bai-ely wood enough to heat the 

 water for the sick, and no more than a piece or two of candle, without 

 any lantern, and therefore no obvious means of making a signal. 



VOL. IV. 3S 



