THROUGH HAWAII. 
289 
along the outer ridge forming its rim, and the opening 
towards the sea its mouth. But had tradition been 
silent, the volcanic nature of the rocks, which were 
basaltic, or of compact lava in some parts and cellular 
in others, the structure of the large basin in which we 
were standing, and the deep hollow in the centre 
which we were viewing, would have carried conviction 
to the mind of every beholder, that it had once been 
the seat of volcanic fires. We asked several natives 
of the place, if they had any account of the king in 
whose reign it had burned ; or if they knew any songs 
or traditions, in which it was stated how many kings 
had reigned in Hawaii, or how many chiefs had go¬ 
verned Puna, either since it first broke out, or since it 
became extinct; but they could give us no information 
on these subjects. They told us the name of the place 
was Kapoho (the sunken in,) and of the lake, Ka wai 
a Pele (the water of Pele.) The saltness of the water 
in this extinguished volcano proves the connexion of 
the lake with the sea, from which it is about a mile 
distant; but we could not learn that it was at aH 
affected by the rising or falling of the tides. The na¬ 
tives also told us that it was one of the places from 
which the volcanic goddess threw rocks and lava after 
Kahavari , for refusing his papa , or sledge, when play¬ 
ing at horua. 
The horua has for many generations been a popular 
amusement throughout the Sandwich Islands, and is 
still practised in several places. It consists in sliding- 
down a hill on a narrow sledge, and those who, by 
strength or skill in balancing themselves, slide farthest, 
are considered victorious. The papa , or sledge, is com¬ 
posed of two narrow runners, from seven to twelve or 
2 p 
