132 MAUNA LOA. 



the loose and absorbent lava. This was a dreadful blow to my friend's 

 feelings, and produced much laughter among us, in which the consul 

 himself at length joined ; although I must confess I was somewhat of 

 his opinion, that it had been done designedly, either to secure the sale 

 of that belonging to others, or to get rid of the load, which had been a 

 great annoyance and trouble to the bearer all day, and for which he 

 nad already been paid. 



On the baggage coming up, Mr. Eld reported a deserter, who was 

 brought up for trial, and an investigation had, in order to make an 

 example of him. He was a swarthy and diminutive-looking person, 

 with rather a good countenance, but it was just then so distorted with 

 fright, that it was impossible to look at him without laughing. It 

 appeared that he had been left by his chief at the crater, to superin- 

 tend some hogs and provisions that belonged to the party ; while thus 

 employed, Mr. Eld, the officer in charge of the rear, wanted another 

 person to carry on the clock-case, as one of the four that were at- 

 tached to it had not been forthcoming ; he in consequence had pressed 

 the culprit into the service against his will, taking him from the station 

 where his chief had placed him. On the route over some of the 

 roughest part, seeing this man somewhat fatigued, Mr. Eld kindly 

 relieved him for a few moments, of which he took advantage and 

 disappeared. Mr. Eld immediately left the load and gave chase, but 

 in a few moments he stumbled and fell over the clinkers, by which he 

 received a contusion on the knee ; rising with the prospect of having 

 to aid in transporting the clock, he discovered the delinquent concealed 

 under a neighbouring bush, and immediately forced him to return to 

 his load, and thus brought him on. Mr. Eld, on hearing the facts of 

 the case told by the native, interceded in his behalf, and Dr. Judd, 

 after giving him an admonition, set him at liberty to return to his 

 charge at the volcano. 



We were now for a long time enveloped in mist, for we had reached 

 the region of clouds. The thermometer at 6 p. m., stood at 54° ; the 

 dew-point at 44°. Instead of trade-winds from the northeast, we had 

 a mountain breeze from the west, which caused the temperature to fall 

 to 43°, and produced a feeling of great cold, being a fall of forty 

 degrees since we left the coast. 



The men whom we had hired just before leaving Hilo, belonged, 

 as will be recollected, to Kanuha's district, and engaged to find them- 

 selves in food ; but many of them had been so improvident of their 

 supply that it was now found to be gone, and as many as twenty of 

 them were without any thing to eat. When this became known, we 

 proposed to supply them with rations at the original cost of the poe, 



