MAUN A LOA. 123 



some of our party who had already descended. The vastness thus 

 made sensible, transfixes the mind with astonishment, and every in- 

 stant the impression of grandeur and magnitude increases. To give 

 an idea of its capacity, the city of New York might be placed within 

 it, and when at its bottom would be hardly noticed, for it is three and 

 a half miles long, two and a half wide, and over a thousand feet deep. 

 A black ledge surrounds it at the depth of six hundred and sixty feet, 

 and thence to the bottom is three hundred and eighty-four feet. The 

 bottom looks, in the daytime, like a heap of smouldering ruins. The 

 descent to the ledge appears to the sight a short and easy task, but it 

 takes an hour to accomplish. 



We pitched our tents in full view of the volcano, on its western 

 side, and the natives busied themselves in building temporary huts to 

 shelter them from the cold blast that rushed by. All this was accom- 

 plished, and we had time to take another view of the crater before 

 dark. 



All usual ideas of volcanic craters are dissipated upon seeing this. 

 There is no elevated cone, no igneous matter or rocks ejected beyond 

 the rim. The banks appear as if built of massive blocks, which are 

 in places clothed with ferns, nourished by the issuing vapours. 



What is wonderful in the day, becomes ten times more so at night. 

 The immense pool of cherry-red liquid lava, in a state of violent ebul- 

 lition, illuminates the whole expanse, and flows in all directions like 

 water, while the illuminated cloud hangs over it like a vast canopy. 



The bank near us was covered with half-naked natives, two hun- 

 dred or more in number, all gazing, with affrighted looks and savage 

 wonder, on this surprising phenomenon. Their ancestors would 

 not have dared thus to look upon and into this dreaded abode of 

 the malicious goddess Pele, never having approached it without the 

 greatest fear and awe, and then only to deliver their offering by 

 casting it into the burning pool, to secure a safe transit through her 

 territory. 



We sat on its northern bank for a long time in silence, until one of 

 the party proposed we should endeavour to reach the bank nearest to 

 and over the lake ; and having placed ourselves under the direction of 

 Mr. Drayton, we followed him along the edge of the western bank ; 

 but although he had been over the ground the day before, he now lost 

 his way, and we found ourselves still on the upper bank, after walk- 

 ing two or three miles. We then resolved to return to the first 

 place that appeared suitable for making a descent, and at last one 

 was found, which, however, proved steep and rugged. In the dark- 

 ness we got many a fall, and received numerous bruises; but we 



