TOILS OF THE JOURNEY. 233 
we chose to walk along on the ridge of a billow of 
lava, though considerably circuitous, rather than 
pass up and down its polished sides. Taking the 
trough, or hollow between the waves, was found 
safer, but much more fatiguing, as we sunk every 
step ankle-deep into the sand. The natives ran 
along the ridges, stepping like goats from one 
ridge to another. They, however, occasionally 
descended into the hollows, and made several 
marks with their feet in the sand, at short dis¬ 
tances, for the direction of two or three native boys 
with our provisions, and some of their companions, 
who had fallen behind early in the morning, not 
being able to keep up with the foremost party. 
Between eleven and twelve we passed a number 
of conical hills on our right, which the natives 
informed us were craters. A quantity of sand 
was collected round their base; but whether thrown 
out by them, or drifted thither by the wind, they 
could not inform us. In their vicinity we also 
passed several deep chasms, from which, in a 
number of places, small columns of vapour arose, 
at frequent and irregular intervals. They ap¬ 
peared to proceed from Kirauea, the great volcano, 
and extended towards the sea in a south-east 
direction. Probably they are connected with Pona- 
hohoa, and may mark the course of a vast subter¬ 
raneous channel leading from the volcano to the 
shore. The surface of the lava on both sides w^s 
heated, and the vapour had a strong sulphureous 
smell. 
We continued our way beneath the scorching 
rays of a vertical sun till about noon, when we 
reached a solitary tree growing in a bed of sand, 
spreading its roots among the crevices of the rocks, 
and casting its grateful shade on the barren lava. 
