THROUGH HAWAII. 
101 
ners of his mouth. The upper part of his beard was 
shaven close; but that which grew under his chin, was 
drawn together, braided for an inch or two, and then 
tied in a knot, while the extremities below the knot 
spread out in curls like a tassel. A light kihei , (cloth 
worn like a shawl,) was carelessly thrown over one 
shoulder, and tied in a knot on the other; and a large 
fan, made of cocoa-nut leaf, in his hand, served to beat 
away the flies, or the boys, when either became too 
numerous or troublesome. 
Leaving Kairua, we passed through the villages 
thickly scattered along the shore to the southward. 
The country around looked unusually green and cheer¬ 
ful, owing to the frequent rains, which for some months 
past have fallen on this, side of the island. Even the 
barren lava, over which we travelled, seemed to veil 
its sterility beneath frequent tufts of tall waving grass, 
or spreading shrubs and flowers. The sides of the 
hills, laid out for a considerable extent in gardens 
and fields, and generally cultivated w ith potatoes, and 
other vegetables, were beautiful. The number of heiaus, 
and depositories of the dead, which we passed, con¬ 
vinced us that this part of the island must formerly 
have been populous. The latter were built with frag¬ 
ments of lava, laid up evenly on the outside, generally 
about eight feet long, from four to six broad, and about 
four feet high. Some appeared very ancient, others 
had evidently been standing but a few years. 
At Ruapua we examined an interesting heiau, called 
Kauaikahaora, built of immense blocks of lava, and 
found its dimensions to be 150 feet by 70. At the north 
end was a smaller enclosure, sixty feet long and ten 
wide, partitioned off by a high wall, with but one 
