Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1882-09-23

hills make good land. marks. We steered
for the first. called " Pun Nianiau. The trail
passed to the nigh, Of this, then turned off in the
direction Of the other which has a monument
Of stones on top, this mus, be left a short dis
lance to the right; the res, Of the trail is
marked at intervals by small piles Of stones.
We continually expected to reach point
where vegetation would give way to utter des.
olation, naked lava and boulders, as is the case
on Mauna Loa, but were surprised to find so
much bunch-graSs and scrub ohelo, almost to
the very edge Of the crater.
When within a mile Of the top we passed
I" the cave" but having been warned that its
occupants were both too numerous and sociable
for comfort, we continued onward and upward
and had look into the crater jus, at sunset,
with only single glance however, for we had
to hurry and arrange our camp before dark,
and were, besides, both cold and hungry, and
the horses hot, hungry and tired.
Picking out place partially sheltered from
the wind about hundred yards lower down
We went to work lively, unpaeked our traps,
tethered out the horses, and got FIRE started
as it became dark, half an hour more of day.
light and we could have gathered a supply Of
hrewood which would have lasted through the
night, as it was, we were obliged to scramble
around among the rocks and feel for it.
A cold supper and then to bed, and hard
one, but we passed better nigh, than we had
been led to believe it possible under the cir
cumstances. However, three persons, are
most too many to lay comfortably under the
same blankets.
AT four o'clock next morning we We're up
gathering wood for the fire; everything we
touched was very cold.
Just before daybreak we started for the top
to see the sunrise, it was only short distance
but we were several times out Of breath before
getting there. 1t is, believe, common ex.
perience that the first sight of nearly all of Ma.
lures greatest works and wonders is dsap-
pointing. had found i, so many times before,
and again experienced it. The crater of HI.
lauea is more impressive at first, though it is
only a few hundred feet deep, while the bottom
here is two thousand below us. But If this
big, yawning, sepulehral hole was disappont.
ment, the cloud scenery as lit up by the rising
sun was indescribably grand and beautiful.
Oceans Of clouds, cebergs, foes, avalanches,
glaciers, surely this must be the long sough,
for North pole and around us is the ever frozen
sea. As the sun rose higher the clouds in adj
dition to their beautiful shapes and forms took
on new beauties of color. The view might
have been painfully long drawn out if the sea
had not risen up and formed limiting wall.
Returning to camp we waited for one OF our
party and breakfast. AT last the missing one
returned with bunch of silver swords which
he had had much trouble in finding and getting
He had seen two other punches growing in the
crater but had been unable to get them. Taking
a rope with us we secured these also by lower
ing and slipping moose over them from the
rocks above. 1t is said that this plant has
never been found except here and on Mauna
Loa. The descent into the crater can easily
be made, but we did not attempt it as we
dreaded the ascent. Toxic went down part
way after some sheep, but concluded he did not
care to make their acquaintance long before he
had got near them.
The longer we stayed, the larger and deeper
did the crater become. Instead of being round,
or cup shaped, it is very irregular, and has two
great arms branching at about an angle of sixty
degrees to each other, ending in gaps, or
breaches, in the crater wall through which the
clouds began to drift in and fill the crater
before we left. The bottom also is very irreg-
ular, with dozen or more regular cones, OF
miniature volcanoes, scattered about, which
| appear like sand hills, though some Of them
are said to be seven hundred fee, high. The
whole circumference is stated variously at from
nineteen to twentys Seven miles, and its appear
ance has been described as being "like a birds
eye view Of dead city half hid in ashes, and
carved in cold grey lava"
We amused ourselves for while rolling big
stones into it, they started on comparatively
smooth slope, gradually increasing in velocity
until rougher ground was reached when they
would make immense leaps, breaking off shrubs
every time they struck, and after they had dis
appeared we heard they were still striking out
for the bottom by the dust they kicked up at
every jump. Our return trip was little varied
by our getting into cloud and losing the trail.
We wandered around for a while and began to
think We might have to wait some time, when
the curtain lifted, and we discovered we were,
and had been for quite while, almost within a
stones throw Of the Majors house.
From there We returned to Spreckelsville
without any further trouble, tired, sun burnt
and hungry but well satisfied with our trip.
A. W. ID.