122 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
when we left Keauhou, and pursued our journey. 
Mr. Harwood proceeded in the canoe ; the rest of 
our number travelled on foot. Our way lay across 
a rough tract of lava, resembling that which we 
passed over the preceding afternoon. In many 
places it seemed as if the surface of the lava had 
become hard, while a few inches underneath it 
had remained semifluid, and in that state had 
been broken up, and left in its present confused 
and irregular form. This rugged appearance of 
the external lava was probably produced by the 
expansive force of the heated air beneath the 
crust, but that could not have caused the deep 
chasms or fissures which we saw in several places. 
We also observed many large spherical volcanic 
stones, the surface of which had been fused, and 
in some places had peeled off* like a crust or shell, 
an inch or two in thickness. The centre of some 
of these stones, which we broke, was of a dark blue 
colour and compact texture, and did not appear to 
have been affected by the fire which had calcined 
the surface. 
After travelling about two miles over this barren 
waste, we reached the place where, in the autumn 
of 1819, the decisive battle was fought between 
the forces of Rihoriho , the present king, and his 
cousin, Kekuaokalani, in which the latter was 
slain, his followers completely overthrown, and 
the cruel system of idolatry, which he took up 
arms to support, effectually destroyed. The 
natives pointed out to us the place where the 
king’s troops, led on by Karaimoku, were first 
attacked by the idolatrous party. We saw several 
small heaps of stones, which our guide informed 
us were the graves of those who, during the con¬ 
flict, had fallen there. We were then shewn the 
