The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1866-12-29
strange Dream.


Al day long 1 have sat apart and Pondersi
over the mv--. ri3Es Occurrences 4 LAST night
There i TO Ink lacking IN -le chain OK IL
cii-n-s-my memory presents each n IL prof. =
order with perfect Li-JncrneSs. 1ut still
However, never mind theSe re-ec-loUs-I viii
drop them and proceed . make g simple state
H=Ut e ;ae facts.
Towards eleven o'clock. i was suggested 1tat
the character Of -he night was PECULIARLY suited
10 viewing the miZht!est active Volcano on
the e4r;hs surface IN is mo>- impressive sub
Unity There wls no light u moon ~ star IN
the inky heavens = mar the effect u the ~craterS
gorgeous pv-otecLnlcs-
In due time | stood. with my companion, On
The wall u the vast CaUl3r0a which the natives,
ages a-0. named Hal MAJ 9Th abyss where
IL they were wont % throw tae remains Of their
chiefs, . tie end that vulgar feet might never
tread above them. We stood there, ~ dead Of
nig--. = mile above the level Of tie sea. and
looked down u thousand feet upon a boiling,
surGiny. rJarin. Jc-an Of Ire shaded our eyes
from the binding glare. and -az-- tr away
over the crimson waves with = vague notion that
a supernatural feet. manned ~ demons and
sreiEA:ed with the damned, might presently sail
up our Of the remote distance; started when ire
meniOUs thuu5-r-0Ursts shook the earth, and
followed with fascinated eyes the grand jets of
molten lava that spraug high up toward The
zenith and exploded in q world OF fiery spray
that lit up tie =oubrc heavens with an internal
spiend0r.
What i your little bonfire Of Vesuvius -
this?''
My ejaculation reused my companion from MS
reyerie, and We fell into Q conversation appropri-
ate 70 the occasion and the surroundings. We
came at last - speak of the ancient custom Of
casting the bodies Of dead cLieftaius into this
fearful c~aulCron. and my c5mrade, who Is of the
blood rJval. mentioned that the founder Of his
race. old King kamehameha the First-that in
vinCiLle old pagan Alcxander-haG found other So
pulture than the burning depths Of the Hate MAJ
man. | grew Interested u once | knew that
the mystery of what became # the corpse OF the
warrior King had never been fAthomed | was
aware that there was a legend connected with
this matter, and | felt - if there could be no
more fitting time u listen 10 ii than the present.
The descendant Of the kamehameha said
The dead king vas brought in royal state
down the long. winding road that tescends from
the rim Of the crater TO the scJrched and chasm-
rjven plain that lies between the Hqle nau Diau
and those beetling walls yonder in the distance.
The guards were set and the troops OF mOurners
began the weird wall for the departed. In the
middle OF the night came q sound OF nnumera-
bic voices in the air, and the rush IF invisible
wings the funeral torches wayered, burned blue,
anu went OUT The moUrners and watchers fell
70 the ground p~aralyzed by fright, and many
minutes elapsed before any one dared 70 move or
speak, for they believed that the phantom mes
sengers Of the dread Goddess Of Fire had been in
their midst. When at last a torch was lighted.
the bier was vacant-the dead monarch had been
spirited away. CONSERVATION seized upon all,
and they fed out of the crater. When day
dawned. the multitude returned, and began tie
search for tue corpse. but not Il footprint, not
a sign, was ever found. Day after day the
search was continued. and every cave in the great
walls. and every caGsIn in the plain, for miles
around, was examined, but all 10 no purpose
and from that day 70 this the resting place of
the lion kings bones is an unsOlved mystery.
But wears afterward. when the grim prophecies
Y ., t.nr. ,,r.l 1a-n IN, hn- laarhtaN -l. Goddess
Peie appeared 10 her in a vision and told her
that eventually the .ecret would be revealed, and
in q remarkable manner, but not until the Treat
KQuhuhu the Shark God, should desert the sacred
cavern Ana PUN, in the Island of Molnkai, and
the waters Of the SEA should no more visit II, and
its floors should become dry. Ever since that
time, the simple, e~ynfding natives have watched
for the sign. And now, after many and many a
summer has come and gone, and they who were
in the flower Of youth then have waxed old and
died. the day is at hand The great Shark God
has deserted the Ana PUN q month ago, for the
first time within the records of the ancient le-
gends. the waters Ct the sea ceased 70 flow into
the cavern, and it; stony pavement Is become
dry As you may easily believe, the news Of
this event spread ike wild fire through the
islands. and now tue natives are looking every
hour for the miracle, which is 10 uuyeil the
and reveal the secret grave OF the dead
hero.
After 1 had gone to bed, I got to thinking of
the volcanic MAJ LlIEcuCc We NAA N4N!itScCu, anu
could not 20 10 sleep. hunted up a book and
to pass the time in reading. The FIRST
| came upon related several instances Of
remarkable revelations, made to men through
the agency Of drcaus-of roads and houses, trees,
fences and all manner Of ial- marks, shown in
visions and recognized afterwards in waking
and which served t point the way 10 some dark
mystery or other.
At length l fell asleep, and dreamed that I
abroad in the great plain that skirts the
Hale nGu HGdu. / stood in q sort of twilight
softened the outlines Of surrounding objects,
but still left them iolerahly distinct. y gaunt,
nufied figure stepped out from the shadow of a
rude column of lava, and moved away with a
slow and measured step, reckoning me 10 follow.
| did go. | marched down, down. down, hum
ireds Of feet, upon a narrow trail which wound
it, tOrtuous course through piles and pyramids
Of scanned and blackcncd lava, and under over
masses OF sulphur formed by the artist
hand OF Nature into an lntnitude OF tancIiuI
shapes. The thought crossed my mind that pos
.ibly my phantom guide might lead me down
imOng the bowels Of the crater. and then dis
appear and leave me to grope my way through
Il mazes. and work out my deliyerance as best
might, and so, with an eve 70 such a cOntin-
,ency. | picked up a stone. and blazed' my
,ourse by breaking III a projecting corner, oeca-
ionally, from lava walls ana festoJns OF sulphur.
Finally we turned into a cleft in the crater's
ide. and pursued our way through its intricate
for many a fathou down toward the
Of the subterranean fires, our course lighted
IL the while by 4 rudy glow which filtered up
trough innumerable cracks and creyices, and
which afforded ne occasional g~limpses of the flood
f molten FIRE boiling and Kissing in the profound
lepths beneath US. The heat was intense, and
Ire sulphurOus atmosphere suiOcatiug. but /
oiled on in the footsteps OF my stately guide, and
Uttered no complaint. At last we came to a sort
rugged chamber whose sombre and biistcred
walls spake with mute eloquencc Of some fiery I
that had spent its fury here in a bygoue J
The spectre pointed TO a great boulder at
he farther extremity-stood and pointed silent
nd motionIess. for a few feeting moments SID
hen disappeared, The grave Of the last Ka-
- The words swept mournfully by, ,
rom unknown source. and died away in the dis