THROUGH HA WAIT. 
241 
instantly followed the larger ones, and struck some of 
them, when the latter frequently burst with a report 
like thunder, accompanied by the most vivid flashes of 
lightning. Many of Keoua’s people were killed by the 
falling fragments of rocks, and many were actually 
buried beneath the overwhelming mass of ashes and 
lava. Some of the natives say, the warriors of two 
districts, about eighty men, perished on this occasion. 
Not intimidated by this event, which many considered 
as a premonition of his fate, Keoua continued his 
march, and the volcano continued its action, confining, 
however, its operation within the boundaries of Ki~ 
rauea.—We had heard the account several times be¬ 
fore, with some little variation as to the numbers killed, 
and the appearance of Pelē to Keoua, in the column of 
smoke as it rose from the crater, and, with the excep¬ 
tion of this last circumstance, believe it to be true. 
Frequently during the night the natives thought they 
saw some one or other of the deities, but immediately 
afterwards they doubted. At these times, if we asked 
them where they saw Pēlē, they would sometimes point 
to the red lava, at others to the variegated flame; and 
on our saying we could not perceive any distinct form, 
they generally answered by assuring us, that during the 
night some one or other of them would certainly be seen. 
We jocosely requested them to inform us as soon as 
any appeared; and even to awake us, should we hap¬ 
pen to be asleep. At the same time we told them, that 
when we considered their ignorance of the true God, 
and of the causes by which the action of volcanoes was 
sustained, we were not surprised at their supposing 
them to be the habitations of their deities, and their 
operations those of supernatural beings. As far as 
2 i 
