Morning journal and courier., 1881-10-25

to Hilo and the Lava Flow-Some Habits and Manners of the Natives The View from HiIo Bay-The Lava FIOyy-HoSv 8 Princess Stopped it-kil- auea-A Descent into its Crater-The
 ssIzouse of Everlasting Fire''-Back to HiIO.
 MAHUKEoNA, Hawaii, Sept. 22, 1884,
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 When the last steamer for the coast left l was unable to write much or many letters, as I was then at Hilo, where I had gone to see the lava flow. As we found it had ceased moving I made up a party to visit the vol cano. I promised you description of this trip.
 As I wrote you. we had to ''shut down here, on account of the tools getting stuck in the wall, and had to send to Honolulu to get tool made to get them out with. When the '.La1teHke' (pronounced Leaky leaky-a Cali fornia paper says the next boat here ought to be named the ''dry rot'') got here, We'd nesday, Aug. 17th, expected Braden back, but when found he would have to stay another week in Honolulu, I thought would make use of the time in visiting Hilo and the lava flow, which had so long been threaten ing to destroy it. I had no money, but MT. Wilder said he would tell the purser to fur nish me with as much as thought necessary; so hurried to the house to change my clothes and get a few things. While doing this, Mir. Simpson, who had room next to me in Honolulu during my last visit there, came in and was glad to hear that he was bound to the same place. was ready long before the boat started and together we went on board found the Likelike loaded down with passengers, as it had been advertised that this would be an excursion trip, the boat to remain part of two days at Hilo to allow the passengers time to see the lava How. l afterwards found out that she had over five hundred passengers, greater number than she had ever carried before. The deck re- sembled a very crowded extemporary hos pital There was hardly foot of the deck aft which was not covered by mattresses. s. and I were lucky enough to secure two, which had just been vacated by passengers who had landed at Mahukeona. The narrow space each side of the deck-house was half filled with lumber and the few feet between this. and the upper deck was literally packed with natives who are said to be great traV- elers between the islands. They pay two dollars for space enough to be in and carry their own provisions, which consist usually of sspoi" and fish. had good chance to see one party who were aft, travelling first class. make their evening meal. The group souatted around calabash containing ''poi" and each dipped in his or her hand and brought out lot of the paste sticking to the first or first and second fingers, which was kept from falling by dextrous twists of the wrist The amount thus taken up was some times so great that l wondered how 1t could be got into the mouth, but fho 1oft nnAna6 for it's reception I ceased to wonder. Some fish, apparently raw, and crackers were also devoured with the s'poi." tin basin with some water in it stood by the calabash, in which from time to time the fingers were dipped, and from which occasionally hand fuls of water were scooped to the mouth, l thought, as looked at the proceedings before me, that I would have to be very hungry be- fore I would eat poi in @ similar manner, but five can't sometimes most always tell
 As it grew dark soon after, I stretched my self out on my mattress, and, notwithstand- ing the rolling of the vessel, or perhaps in consequence of it, was soon asleep. was awakened by some one asking the gentleman next to me what time it was he replied that he thought it was midnight, land then "Hallol my watch must have stopped, Pm only half past eight" Others looked at their watches by the dim light and were also surprised to find that they all indicated about the same. Everybody seemed to have been refreshed by the nap, and soon talk, jokes and laughter were heard on all sides. Our friend Hart, of the Astor House in Honolulu, invited Simp- son and myself to lunch with him. He had secured 8 tin pail of poi, some small smoked or sun-dried fish and half 8 loaf of bread. These were placed on a dish. We grouped ourselves around them and proceeded to pie nic in native fashion. Although it was by no means the first time we had eaten poi, I, for one had never attempted to eat it in this fashion, and none of us succeeded in getting the correct twist of the wrist. Still, we man. aged to get quite quantity of it into our mouths, which, together with the fish and bread, we quite relished. And just here I will express my. conviction that the native custom of eating poi with the fingers is less objectionable than certain table habits of certain ill-bred persons, too often seen in our own country, though by no means confined to it, and perhaps more common in some others. I refer to the disgusting habit of helping one's self from common dish with the knife or fork which but moment before