132 
MISSIONARY TOUR 
ed when fleeing thither for protection. Tamehameha 
now remained master of the field, and before evening 
reached Honaunau, the former residence of the van¬ 
quished chiefs. 
The scene of this sanguinary engagement was a large 
tract of rugged lava, the whole superficies of which 
had been broken up by an earthquake. Since leaving 
Keei, we had seen several heaps of stones raised over 
the bones of the slain, but they now became much more 
numerous. As we passed along, our guide pointed out 
the place where Tairi, Tamehainelia’s war-god, stood, 
surrounded by the priests, and, a little further on, he 
shewed us the place where Tamehameha himself, his 
sisters, and friends, fought during the early part of the 
eighth day. A few minutes after we had left it, we 
reached a large heap of stones overgrown with moss, 
which marks the spot where Kauikeouli was slain. 
The numerous piles of stones which we saw in every 
direction, convinced us that the number of those who 
fell on both sides must have been considerable. 
The Sandwich Islands, like many other parts of the 
world, have frequently felt the cruel scourge of war. 
Their traditionary history, so far as we have been able 
to trace it, is distinguished by nothing so much as 
accounts of the murderous and plundering expeditions 
of one island against another, or the sanguinary bat¬ 
tles between the inhabitants of different parts of the 
same island. The whole group have seldom, if ever, 
been united under one authority; but, in general, sepa¬ 
rate governments, and independent kings or chiefs, have 
existed in each of the large islands; and sometimes 
the six great divisions of Hawaii have been under as 
many distinct rulers or chieftains. Their inclinations 
