THROUGH HAWAII. 
57 
were juicy, and supplied the place of fresh water, a 
comfort they had been destitute of since the preceding 
evening. 
They continued ascending till three p. m. when, having 
suffered much from thirst, and finding they should not 
be able to reach the highest peak before dark, the sky 
also being overcast, and the rain beginning to fall, they 
judged it best to return to Kairua, without having 
reached the summit of Mouna Huararai; particularly 
as they were somewhat scattered, and found difficulty 
in pursuing the most direct way, on account of the 
thick fog which surrounded the mountain. 
On their return they found the aid of their pocket 
compass necessary to enable them to regain the path 
by which they had ascended in the morning. After 
travelling some time, they beheld with gladness the 
sun breaking through the fog in which they had been 
so long enveloped, and, looking over the clouds that 
rolled at their feet, saw him gradually sink behind the 
western wave of the wide extended ocean. The ap¬ 
pearance of the sky, at the setting of the sun, in a 
tropical climate, is usually beautiful and splendid ; it 
was so this evening; and from their great elevation, 
the party viewed with delight the magnificent yet 
transient glories of the closing day. They travelled 
about three miles further, when, being wet with the 
fog, and weary with travelling, they erected a hut on 
the lava, and encamped for the night. They succeeded 
in making a good fire, dried their clothes, and then sat 
down to partake of the little refeshment that was left. 
It consisted of a small quantity of hard taro paste, 
called by the natives ai paa. A little water would have 
been agreeable, but of this they were destitute. Having 
i 
