HAWAII. 205 



Ned's conduct afterwards was not a little suspicious, for he men- 

 tioned he had warned Mr. Douglass against the dangers of these pits, 

 and had accompanied him to within a short distance of them. So 

 strong were the suspicions against him, that a post-mortem examination 

 took place by Drs. Judd and Rooke ; but nothing could be elicited, for 

 all the wounds were such as Mr. Douglass might have received from 

 the animal. Few deaths could be more awful than that which he is 

 supposed to have suffered. 



Bullock-hunting seems to partake somewhat of the dangers of the 

 chase of wild beasts, and has much of its attraction. Many stories 

 are related of natives having been tossed, gored, and carried on the 

 animal's horns for hours, and from these reports the natives are easily 

 alarmed with the appearance even of a half-tamed animal, as we had 

 abundant reason to observe on our w r ay up Mauna Loa. 



A story was related of a native, who, having prepared a pit, suc- 

 ceeded in entrapping a large bull, but became so excited at his success, 

 that he slipped and fell in himself; however, being armed with a 

 knife, he succeeded in killing the animal : when discovered both were 

 dead. 



Mr. Castle had three ribs broken, and Ragsdale, our old guide, a leg 

 fractured, while hunting; and many other rencontres, partaking too 

 much of the marvellous to be repeated here, were told me. 



They encamped for the night in an old bark hut, in the line of 

 woods. The 16th was rainy, but they continued their way down the 

 mountain in a north-northeast direction, passing through the woods. 

 The path was wretched, and full of mud and mire. The last part of 

 the w 7 ay the trees became more numerous, and consisted, besides the 

 ohea and koa, of the Ilex, Aralia, Myoporum (false sandalwood), 

 several Composites, a Silene, and four or five species of Lobelias, with 

 handsome flowers, mostly blue. Lower down, near a deserted hut, 

 they unexpectedly found a mamanee tree, which they were told had 

 been planted for the purpose of enticing the birds. 



From scrambling over roots and through mire, they were much 

 fatigued before they reached Puahai. This village contains a few 

 straggling houses on the table-land : it is distant about two miles from 

 the sea and twenty-five miles to the northwest of Hilo. The natives 

 here appeared to be much more primitive than they were in other 

 places, and had had but little intercourse with strangers. It was with 

 some difficulty that provisions could be procured: a dollar was de- 

 manded for a turkey, and four needles for a chicken. No more than 

 three of the latter could be found in the village. Their guide met 

 with considerable delay in getting the necessary quantity to supply the 



