VISIT TO THE GREAT VOLCANO. 201 



walking. Smith informed me that there were but few horses 

 on the island, and those have been brought over from Oahoo, 

 and are generally old and broken down. 



At 1 o'clock it commenced to rain, but it turned out to 

 be only a shower. The road now laid through a dense forest, 

 in which we observed growing in great abundance the Teutui- 

 tree, from the nut of which the natives extract an excellent 

 oil. On emerging from this wood, we found ourselves in a 

 country similar to that we passed over before. About 4 

 o'clock we reached the house where Captain Wilkes and 

 party spent their second night while on their way to the sum- 

 mit of Mouna Loa. It is a large native building, standing 

 a few hundred yards from the road, with some cultivated 

 land around it. We now came to a region of country entirely 

 composed of lava and producing no other vegetation than what 

 grew in the crevices. This lava was of a dark brown color 

 and very hard, and with a surface ruffled like that of the sea 

 at the first springing up of a breeze. It was a highly interest- 

 ing scene both for the geologist and mineralogist. After a 

 walk of between three and four miles over this volcanic re- 

 gion, we passed on our left a cluster of cottages, surrounded 

 apparently by a rich soil, and shortly after reached what is 

 called the " half-way house," where we proposed to spend the 

 night. Upon entering, the inmates immediately retired to 

 one of the out-houses, thus giving us possession of the en- 

 tire building. It appeared to be newly erected and better con- 

 structed than any building we had seen on the way. In the 

 .centre of the floor was a cheerful fire, the sight of which 

 we hailed with joy, for we were both wet and cold. Around 

 its gladsome blaze we seated ourselves, enjoyed its genial 

 warmth, dried our clothing, and then proceeded to par- 

 take our repast.. When the repast was over we once morp 



