234 
MISSIONARY TOUR 
we remained till nearly half-past eight, when we were 
happily relieved by his sudden appearance. He had 
descended, and walked along the dark ledge of lava 
on the east side of the crater, till a chasm obliged him 
to ascend. Having with difficulty reached the top, he 
travelled along the southern and western sides, till the 
light of our fire directed him to our encampment. The 
extent of the crater, the unevenness of the path, the 
numerous fissures and rugged surface of the lava, and 
the darkness of the night, had prevented his earlier 
arrival. We now partook with cheerfulness of our 
evening repast, and afterwards, amidst the whistling 
of the winds around, and the roaring of the furnace be¬ 
neath, rendered our evening sacrifice of praise, and 
committed ourselves to the secure protection of our 
God. We then spread our mats on the ground, but as 
we were all wet through with the rain, against which 
our hut was but an indifferent shelter, we preferred to 
sit or stand round the fire, rather than lie down on the 
ground. Between nine and ten, the dark clouds and 
heavy fog, that since the setting of the sun had hung 
over the volcano, gradually cleared away, and the fires 
of Kirauea, darting their fierce light athwart the mid¬ 
night gloom, unfolded a sight terrible and sublime be¬ 
yond all we had yet seen. 
The agitated mass of liquid lava, like a flood of 
melted metal, raged with tumultuous whirl. The lively 
flame that danced over its undulating surface, tinged 
with sulphureous blue, or glowing with mineral red, 
cast a broad glare of dazzling light on the indented 
sides of the insulated craters, whose roaring mouths, 
amidst rising flames, and eddying streams of fire, 
shot up, at frequent intervals, with very loud detona- 
