The morning call., 1893-04-09

| over 500 feet to the "Back LEDGE" where,
| In full view OF the boiling, raging crater, with
| lis many daiting tongues of fire, she ate OF
the sacred ohela berries, the luscious little
| RED fruit that grows up in the lava and sui
| phur beds, and were conseerated to Pele.
! and threw stones into the burning lake,
| saying, Jehovah is my God He kindled
| these fires. | fear not Peie If | perish by
her anger then you may fear Pele; but if /
| trust IN jehovah, and he preserve me when
| breaking her tabus, then you must fear and
| serve him alone" Then they sang hymn
| OF praise to God, and kneelng upon the
| Drink OF the everlasting fire" they. prayed
to him. In all tile annals of history oc-
ours no sublimer example of high moral
| courage.
| Now for an Other royal visit to the crater.
rms one occurred early in 1890. The
! Islands had enjoyed sixty-six years of
| culture, educational and civilizing influences
| since the great chiefess broke the tabu of
! Peie. Queen Liliuokalani, having assembled
| 10 the throne, was making tour of the
Islands. aud visited Hlo. going thence, as
| she herself has written in the record book
OF the Volcano House. ITO pay due worship
| TO Madame Pele." OF course she had no
! fear OF the dismantled goddess, for Liliuo-
| KalaDl is Tor was) Christian ruler. She is
| said. moreover, to be an enlightened and
cultivated woman, and of course as such
| could never be subject to the doubts and
| fears that must have preyed upon the un-
tutored mind of poor -benghted Kapio-
LAM. As might be expected, therefore. the
visits of these two great persOnages present
marked difference in detail.
The Queen sailed from Honolulu with
large retinue, including many of the court
ladies and gentlemen and varied assert.
ment of baggage. among which were
TWO small sucking pigs, who made the
journey, each in his own private convey
aDce-a wire birdcage. kahuna (SOr-
cerer) or two were also of the party. The
christian Queen, WHO is member in good
and .1ur o. Ji,,r, H. n
gatlonai Church, does not. of course. be-
lleve III kahunas, and doubtless these were
taken along. mot necessarily for publica-
ton, but as guarantee of good faith" and
to carry the blrdeages containing the little
pigs.
The party did not all go up to the volcano
Only the faithful made the pilgrimage, the
scoffcrs being left behind at Hilo. The
pilgrims proceeded by carriage and upon
horseback, perhaps Willing away the hours
OF the journey as aid Kapiolani in days
gone by, by the singing of piouS anthems
and songs of faith. Ii must have been an
impressive sight, the royal train en- route.
L was so fortunate as to secure the accom-
panYiDg photograph of the party just before
1t left HiIo. Arrived at the Volcano House
the weary pilgrims sought rest, but Liuo-
kalani rested not. Like Kap0ani, the
royal worshlper had preparations to
make for the morrOw's solemn occasion.
She slept not until she had sent for the pro-
prietor of the Volcano House and inquired
into the state OF his wine vaults. How
was he off for gin ?" was the first anxious
query. Unfortunatelysthe genial Peter Lee
was badly off for gin. In fact he had no
gin at all. not bottle, not drop. Her
Majesty's dusky countenance assumed an
additional shade, from anxiety. She ex-
pressed her sorrow in unmis tax able terms.
1T was too bad" she said. "Pele liked
GIN. Then happy thought occurred to
her. She would substitute brandy. Accord
lngly she at once bought all the "Three
Star" brandy on the premises, several cases
of HennesSy's best. and ordering it placed
with the rest of the cnntraptOns belonging
TO the party, she retired to rest secure in the
consciousness of having done her best. and
trusting devOutly that Madame Pele would
see the matter in that light.
Early next morning, having first issued
her royal command that no white people
were to be allowed to approach the crater
until her return, the Queen and her party
descended the hill, with a native guide, and
wended their way on foot across the black
abyss TO Halemaumau, the burning lake.
Not loud word was spoken from the time
the party left the Volcano House until they
returned. Slowly and devoutly the pious
thrUng of enlightened Hawalians per-
formed their pilgrimage, and reaching the
old shelter on the western side OF the black
ledge they halted. With appropriate prayers
and ceremonies red handkeTchiefs were
cast down upon the lava floor of the second
crater; they strewed the cliff for weeks
alter the party lett. Then all the Three
Star" Hennessy was poured forth upon the
Kissing black lava bottom as libation to
the great goddess, ana finally the little
black pigs were thrown over for a meat
Offering. The poor little wretches grunted
and squealed piteOusly in their dreadful
fright, but salt itself could not have saved
them; over they went. down the cliff, and
all their tiny legs were broken by the fall
at the bottom. There they lay upon the
hot lava until they were thoroughly
roasted. after which the goddess doubtless
ate them with keen relish.
Prayers were then offered up to Madame
Pele for the prosperity of the kingdem and
the security of LiliuOkalani's reign. Then
the party returned to the Volcano House in
like manner as they went, and over Liliuo-
kalanIs signature in the big record appears.
under date of March II, 1890, as | said be-
fore, chronicle of the fact that they visited
the volcano and paid due worship to
Madame Pele.
1t was a truly noble expedition to be
undertaken by an enlightened monarch in
the nineteenth century. How the noble
spirit OF the great chiefess must have re-
Joced to see that, plebeian though she is
the ruler of Hawaii yet had the roval
courage to undertake this perilous trip and
show herself worthy of the great woman
who went before her
The fact that the kingdom has not pros
pered and the reign of tho ex-Queen has
ended in disaster is unquestouably to be at
tributed to Liliuokalanis fatal mistake in
substituting brandy for gin in prnpitiatng
the goddess. ADELINE L. KNAPP,
"