AFRO-INDIAN REGIONS, 



451 



Western margin of the new lava-stream. Here and there, its surface 

 had broken up in cooling into beds of "climpers;" entirely resembling 

 those of the old lava on Mauna Roa, except that the fragments were 

 yet more jagged, and not being as well settled in their places, proved a 

 greater impediment to the traveller. Extinct " fumaroles" occurred 

 at intervals on the new lava; marked by little accumulations of sul- 

 phur efflorescence, mixed with a white powder, possibly alum. 



Passing Pahuhali in the afternoon, we stopped about three miles 

 beyond, at the houses of some natives. The new lava-stream here did 

 not exceed a fourth of a mile in width. The sweeping away of the 

 forest had been accomplished by flowing quietly around the standing 

 trees, which would burn off even with the surface of the molten lava; 

 the upper portion of the tree would then fail over, scorched and killed, 

 to remain unconsumed on the lava-surface : in some instances even, 

 the epidendric ferns on the branches had kept alive, and were now seen 

 sprouting. Towards the margin of the lava-stream, where the heat 

 seemed to have been less prolonged, the trunks of the trees had left 

 casts in the cooled lava ; perpendicular holes, ten or twelve feet deep, 

 and some of them two feet in diameter ; whose origin might not have 

 been suspected, but for the dead tree-top alongside. In this locality 

 also, trees at the distance of twenty feet outside of the lava-stream, 

 seemed to have been hardly scorched. 



On the 23d, we continued South, by the Kaimo path; which, in 

 crossing the track of the new lava-stream, remained uninterrupted ; 

 except by a mere fissure, kept from closing by the lava cooling while 

 issuing forth. Throughout a great part of its course, the new lava- 

 stream was subterraneous ; and only at intervals, were portions forced 

 to the surface through opening fissures. At the intersecting of the 

 Kaimo path, three of these new lava-patches were in close proximity : 

 the uppermost, two miles of its length being in sight, extended to 

 within a few feet of the path ; just across, was the middle lava-patch, 

 only a hundred yards or so in length and breadth; while a fourth of a 

 mile below, in plain sight through the woods, was the commencement 

 of the final outgushing ; the molten mass continuing onwards above 

 ground, and pouring into the sea at Nanavali. 



On its way to the Kaimo path, the new lava-stream traversed an 

 uninhabited district, represented as difficult of access from the rough- 

 ness of the lava-surface. Two parties from the Vincennes had already 

 followed different routes through this district: but wherever we made 



