224 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
dismissed the man who had shewed us the way, 
with a remuneration for his trouble. 
Between three and four o’clock in the afternoon 
of the 31st of July, a party of travellers, consisting 
of four men and a woman, entered the house in 
which we were stopping, and sat down to rest. 
We soon learned that they belonged to Keara- 
komo, in Puna, whither they were going, by a 
road that also led to the great volcano; and having 
before experienced the great inconvenience of tra¬ 
velling without a guide over a country of which we 
were entirely ignorant, it appeared desirable that 
some of us at least should go with them. We 
expressed our intention to accompany them. They 
were pleased, and told us they would wait till we 
were ready. 
No tidings had yet been received of Makoa, or 
our baggage, our biscuit was nearly expended, and 
being without even a change of linen, we did not 
think it expedient to leave this place altogether 
before our baggage should arrive, especially as we 
knew it would be several days before we should 
reach any of the villages on the shores of Puna. 
Messrs. Bishop and Goodrich, therefore, thought 
best to wait at least another day, while the rest 
proceeded with the travellers. r 
Having made this arrangement, we immediately 
packed up our provisions, which were but a scanty 
supply, and filled our canteens with water. The 
natives filled their calabashes ; and about five p. m. 
Messrs. Thurston, Harwood, and myself left Ka- 
papala, in company with the people of Puna. We 
proceeded a short distance to a place called Ka- 
puahi, (the hearth of fire,) where we stopped at 
the entrance of a large cave, arched over by a 
thick crust of ancient lava. Here two or three 
