THROUGH HAWAII. 
257 
The leaves, woven together by their stalks, formed a 
short cloak, which the natives wore in their mountain¬ 
ous journeys ; they also make the most durable thatch 
for the sides and roofs of their best houses, are employed 
in constructing their tents in war, and temporary abodes 
during their inland excursions. 
About sunset we sent to the head man of the village 
for some refreshment, but he was intoxicated; and 
though we had walked upwards of twenty miles since 
morning, and had subsisted on but scanty fare since 
leaving Kapapala, we could only procure u few cold 
potatoes, and two or three pieces of raw salt fish. 
Multitudes crowded around our hut; and with those 
that were sober we entered into conversation. When 
they learned that we had been to Kirauea, they were 
unwilling to believe we had broken the sulphur banks, 
eaten the ohelo berries, descended to the craters, or 
broken any fragments of lava from them, as they said 
Pele mci, Pēlē and her associates, would certainly have 
revenged the insult. However, when our boys shewed 
them the ohelo berries, with the specimens of sulphur 
and lava that we had brought away, they were con¬ 
vinced that we had been there, but said we had escaped 
only because we were haore, foreigners. No Hawaiian, 
they added, would have done so with impunity, for 
P616 was a dreadful being. 
The apprehensions uniformly entertained by the na¬ 
tives, of the fearful consequences of P616’s anger, pre¬ 
vented their paying very frequent visits to the vicinity 
of her abode ; and when, on their inland journeys, they 
had occasion to approach Kirauea, they were scrupu¬ 
lously attentive to every injunction of her priests, and 
regarded with a degree of superstitious veneration and 
2 L 
