278 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
from the shore, its bottom surrounded by lava, 
its summit rising considerably above the water. 
We exceedingly regretted our ignorance of this 
inundation at the time we passed through the 
inland parts of the above-mentioned districts, for, 
had we known of it then, we should certainly 
have descended to the shore, and examined its 
extent and appearance. We now felt convinced 
that the chasms we had visited at Ponahohoa, and 
the smoking fissures we afterwards saw nearer 
Kirauea, marked the course of a stream of lava, 
and thought it probable, that though the lava had 
burst out five months ago, it was still flowing in a 
smaller and less rapid stream. Perhaps the body 
of lava that had filled Kirauea up to the black 
ledge which we saw, between three and four hun¬ 
dred feet above the liquid lava, at the time we 
visited it, had been drawn off by this subterranean 
channel, though the distance between the great 
crater and the land overflowed by it, was not less 
than thirty or thirty-five miles. 
When the day began to close, and we wished 
the natives to retire, we told them that to-morrow 
was the sacred day of Jehovah, the true God, and 
directed them to come together early in the 
morning, to hear his word, and unite with us in 
his worship. We then spread our mats upon 
some poles that lay at one end of the house, and, 
as we had no lamp, and could procure no candle- 
nuts, we laid ourselves down as soon as it became 
dark, and, notwithstanding our uncomfortable 
lodging place, slept very soundly till daybreak.* 
On the morning of the 3d, between six and 
seven o'clock, about two hundred of the people 
collected in front of our house. We sung a hymn ; 
one of our number preached to them a discourse 
