152 
MISSIONARY TOUR 
proceeding about two miles from the sea, that the 
ground was generally cultivated. They passed through 
considerable groves of bread-fruit trees, saw many 
cocoa-nuts, and numbers of the prickly pear (cactus 
ficus indicus ,) growing very large, and loaded with fruit. 
They also found many people residing at the distance of 
from two to four miles from the beach, in the midst of 
their plantations, who seemed to enjoy an abundance 
of provisions, seldom possessed by those on the sea 
shore. They returned about noon. 
Finding ourselves in want of cooking utensils, and a 
little tea and sugar, which, in order to lighten our bag¬ 
gage, we had left at Kairua, and perceiving our stock 
of medicines nearly expended, it was thought best that 
one of our number should return for them. Mr. Thurs¬ 
ton accordingly left Honaunau in the canoe at 2 p. m. 
and reached Kairua about sunset. He returned about 
three the next morning, with most of the articles we 
needed. 
The night of the 22d was a restless one with us all, 
on account of the swarms of vermin that infested 
our lodging. We should have been glad to have 
changed our quarters, but I was not yet well enough 
to proceed. 
Another day’s detention afforded us time for the more 
minute examination of whatever was interesting in the 
neighbourhood, and the more ample development of the 
object of our visit to the unenlightened people of the 
village ; and those were the occupations of the day. 
Honaunau, we found, was formerly a place of consi¬ 
derable importance, having been the frequent residence 
of the kings of Hawaii for several successive genera¬ 
tions. The monuments and relics of the ancient 
