MAUNA LOA. 139 



duties, while some of the officers forwarded the heavy articles ; for we 

 now found the necessity of advancing, step by step, towards the 

 summit. The main difficulty was the want of water at the depot, but 

 this I was in hopes might be supplied from above by the return of the 

 parties who were to carry up the instruments, provisions, and wood. 



My party consisted of the guide, Keaweehu, twelve Kanakas, and 

 seven of our own men, including the sergeant. At about twelve 

 o'clock we reached a spot where the guide pointed out a few half- 

 burnt sticks, as the place where Lowenstern had cooked his dinner. 

 As the two Kanakas who had charge of the bundles of wood had 

 contrived to lighten their loads very much by dropping part of it by 

 the way, I gave them orders to take the wood he had left to cook our 

 supper. 



Mr. Brackenridge passed me on his way from the crater. From 

 him I ascertained we were yet three and a half miles from the terminal 

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

 was nothing for him to do in this barren region. 



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

 cold : the thermometer, at 3 p. m., showed 25°. For some time pre- 

 vious, 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 displayed 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 18°, 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 



