Polynesian., 1845-02-22
COM NJ
Extracts from a Travellers Sketch Book.
A Trip to Mauna Loa from the east.side.
and Way.Side Scenes. "

Having delivered ourselves of our bristlv
friend, we made all haste, to reach a spot
suitable for a nights encampment. For
several hours we continued our course in
the same direction which we took in the
morning. The forest continued as dense.
and our progress was slow. The ground,
although gradually ascending from the first,
had become more broken. We frequently
came upon deep glens, and h%ollows, som of
which were a half mile or more in circum-
ference. Their sides were very precipitous,
although overgrown with shrubbery, and
the tall trees growing from their bottoms
were but just able to stretch their topmost
limbs upon a level with the surrounding for
est. The first glance showed US that it
would be folly to attempt to cross them, so
We took the longest and easiest course, and
went around. How were these singular
hollows formed? BY a fiery abscess which
consumed the earth beneath, and left the
superintendent soil to fall in and be alb
sorbed in the burning mass? had met with
them elsewhere, and found them all of one
character. However, we had but little time to
spare before dark, so we fastened on. In
about an hour we reached a clean spot,
where the ground beneath was overrun with
strawberry vines, but it was not the season
for the fruit. Fortunately for our purpose
we found some large trees which had been
Frustrated, apparently by the jar of an earth
quake. Their trunks were from four to
six feet in diameter, and two of them were
laying quite parallel with each other. BY
the aid Of a Ratchet, we soon hacked off
limbs enough to make a tolerable shelter
overhead, and gathered a large pile of
leaves for a bed. The dried branches served
for our fire, for by the time the shades of
evening had entirely closed in, it became
chilly and threatened rain. My appetite
for both food and sleep was excellent, and,
having done the first justice, l drew my
blanket over me, and in less time than it
has taken me to write it, was treating the
last with equal impartiality. We had a
brisk shower during the night, which barely
awoke me, and as it was not sufficient to
soak our sylvan arbor through, | again gave
all my attention to my slumbers.
At daylight we were all on foot. The
thermometer stood at 48o. Our morn
ing's meal was soon despatched, and we
were off. We were now almost to the
bounds Of Kaina's juvenile recollection.
Beside the woods we were nearly through,
he remembered only a dreary stretch of lava
rock, which he thought could not be. far
distant; and sure enough, we soon came
upon it, in all its grandeur of dcsolation.
1t appeared to be about ten miles wide, and
we could perceive tina: beyond lay a woody
belt of country. resembling that which we
had left, but considerably more elevated.
l took the bearings, f. by N, Of a point on
the other side, which thought advisable to
make. We then struck upon it. For some
distance the lava had cooled in wave-like
ridges, which make walking comparatively
easy. II was now ten, A. NJ, and we had
enough to do by night-faIl to get ourselves
we'll on the opposite side. For the smooth
lava soon became broken into the toughest
kind Of ciinkcrs, with here and there air.
holes, deep pits and huge piles Of sharp and
vitri6ed fragments. These compelled us
to make many deviations from our proper
course. The rough edges Of large rocks,