224 
MISSIONARY TOUR 
them asked. We told them we were sorry they should 
feel uneasy on this account,—that we acknowledged 
Jehovah as the only divine proprietor of the fruits of 
the earth, and felt thankful to him for them, especially 
in our present circumstances. Some of them then said, 
“We are afraid. We shall be overtaken by some 
calamity before we leave this place.” We advised 
them to dismiss their fears, and eat with us, as we 
knew they were thirsty and faint. They shook their 
heads, and perceiving us determined to disregard their 
entreaties, walked along in silence. 
We travelled on, regretting that the natives should 
indulge notions so superstitious, but clearing every 
ohelo bush that grew near our path, till about two 
r. m. when the Crater of Kirauea suddenly burst 
upon cur view. We expected to have seen a mountain 
with a broad base and rough indented sides, composed 
of loose slags or hardened streams of lava, and whose 
summit would have presented a rugged wall of scoria, 
forming the rim of a mighty caldron. But instead of 
this, we found ourselves on the edge of a steep preci¬ 
pice, with a vast plain before us, fifteen or sixteen 
miles in circumference, and sunk from 200 to 400 feet 
below its original level. The surface of this plain was 
uneven, and strewed over with large stones and vol¬ 
canic rocks, and in the centre of it was the great cra¬ 
ter, at the distance of a mile and a half from the ,preci- 
pice on which we were standing. Our guides led us 
round towards the north end of the ridge, in order to 
find a place by which we might descend to the plain 
below. As we passed along, we observed the natives, 
who had hitherto refused to touch any of the ohelo 
berries, now gather several bunches, and, after offering 
