64 HA WAIIAN O UIBE BOOK. 



population. It was short, sharp, and. sudden ; a strong, 

 well man at dawn, was dead before dark. The smallpox, 

 measles, licentiousness, the changes from barbarism to 

 civilization, and other causes, have contributed, and the 

 end cannot be far distant. Just at the harbor of Kawai- 

 hae, on the right, is a pagan temple or heiau, one of the 

 largest and most perfect on the island. Here Keoua, ri- 

 val of Kamehameha the Great, having been revengefully 

 murdered by Keeaumoku, the assassin was exposed as 

 a sacrifice with his slaughtered companions. This tem- 

 ple was built by Kamehameha the Great, to show his 

 veneration for the gods, to secure their favor, to 

 strengthen his kingdom and to offer human sacrifices. 



WAIMEA. 



Waimea village is distant fourteen miles from Ka- 

 waihae by a passable cart road, that rises about 250 feet 

 to the mile. Horses may be obtained at the beach. This 

 place formerly had a large population, and has been a 

 mission station for many years, under the charge of 

 Rev. L. Lyons, of the American Board of Missions. 

 The situation is a plain between the Kohala range of 

 mountains and Mauna Kea, where the trade winds 

 sweep across at times with tremendous force, and being 

 charged with moisture, at the temperature of this ele- 

 vated region, woolen clothes are essential and a fire in- 

 doors decidedly comfortable during the cooler seasons, 

 when the thermometer frequently averages below 55 

 degrees, and thin ice occasionally forms in winter. 



Three miles south of Waimea are the sepulchral caves 

 of the ancient Hawaiians. They are not easy to find 

 without a guide, and have so often been disturbed and 



