252 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
violent heaving motion, sent up a column of dense 
black smoke, followed by the most brilliant flames. 
A violent percussion was afterwards felt, streams 
of bright red lava were spouted up, and immense 
rocks in a state of ignition thrown to a great 
height in the air. A volley of smaller stones, 
thrown with much greater velocity and force, 
instantly followed the larger ones, and struck 
some of them, when the latter frequently burst 
with a report like thunder, accompanied by vivid 
flashes of lightning. Many of Keoua’s people 
were killed by the falling fragments of rocks, and 
a number were actually buried beneath the over¬ 
whelming mass of ashes and lava. Some of the 
natives say, the warriors of two districts, about 
eighty men, perished on this occasion. Not inti¬ 
midated by this event, which many considered as 
a premonition of his fate, Keoua continued his 
march, and the volcano continued its action, con¬ 
fining, however, its operation within the boundaries 
of Kirauea. We had heard the account several 
times before, with some little variation as to the 
numbers killed, and the appearance of Pele to 
Keoua, in the column of smoke as it rose from the 
crater, and, with the exception of this last circum¬ 
stance, believe it to be true. 
Frequently during the night the natives thought 
they saw some one or other of the deities, but im¬ 
mediately afterwards they doubted. At these 
times, if we asked them where they saw Pele, they 
would sometimes point to the red lava, at others to 
the variegated flame; and on our saying we could 
not perceive any distinct form, they generally 
answered by assuring us, that during the night 
some one or other of them would certainly be seen. 
We jocosely requested them to inform us as soon 
