THROUGH HAWAII. 
389 
unrivalled acquaintance with all the warlike games and 
athletic exercises of his country. To these qualities of 
mind and body he is probably indebted for the exten¬ 
sive power and protracted dominion which he exercised 
over the Sandwich Islands. In early life he associated 
with himself a number of youthful chiefs of his own 
age and disposition, into whom he had the happy art 
of instilling, on all occasions, his own spirit, and inspir¬ 
ing them with his own resolution ; by these means he 
most effectually secured their attachment and co-opera¬ 
tion. Great undertakings appear to have been his de¬ 
light, and achievements deemed by others impracticable 
were those which he regarded as most suitable exer¬ 
cises of his prowess. Miomioi led the way to a spot, 
where, in a small bay, the original coast had been a 
perpendicular pile of rocks at least 100 feet high. Here 
Tamehameha and his companions, by digging through 
the rocks, had made a good road, with a regular and 
gradual descent from the high ground to the sea, up 
and down which their fishing canoes could be easily 
drawn. 
At another place, he had endeavoured to procure 
water by digging through the rocks, but after forcing his 
way through several strata, the lava was so hard that 
he was obliged to give up the undertaking. Probably 
he had no powder with which to blast the rocks, and 
not the best tools for working through them. A wide 
tract of country in the neighbourhood was divided into 
fields of considerable size, containing several acres 
each, which he used to keep in good order, and well 
stocked with potatoes and other vegetables. One of 
these was called by his name. He was accustomed to 
cultivate it with his own hands. There were several 
