DEPARTURE FOR THE VOLCANO. 
229 
CHAP. X. 
Departure for the volcano—Volcanic sand—Superstitions 
of the natives respecting the ohelo—Description of the 
great volcano—Pools of water—Banks of sulphur— 
Appearance of the volcano at midnight—Traditions and 
superstitions of the natives connected with it—Names of 
the gods by whom they suppose it inhabited—The little 
Kirauea—Ancient heiau on the summit of a precipice— 
Mouna Roa—Probable structure of the island. 
Refreshed by a comfortable night’s sleep, we 
arose before daylight on the morning of the first 
of August, and, after stirring up the embers of 
our fire, rendered, with grateful hearts, our morn¬ 
ing tribute of praise to our almighty Preserver. 
As the day began to dawn, we tied on our 
sandals, ascended from the subterraneous dor¬ 
mitory, and pursued our journey, directing our 
course towards the column of smoke, which bore 
e. n. e. from the cavern. 
The path for several miles lay through a most 
fertile tract of country, covered with bushes, or 
fall grass and fern, frequently from three to five 
feet high, and so heavily laden with dew, that, 
before we had passed it, we were as completely 
wet as if we had walked through a river. The 
morning air was cool, the singing of birds en¬ 
livened the woods, and we travelled along, in 
