After having secured a sufficient quantity of provision, we were allowed liberty on shore; this liberty to one who had been shut up within the confines of a ship, was indeed exhilarating.
In one of our rambles we fell in with a native, with whom we bargained for a dinner. He immediately sat himself about it. When cooked, it was served up in a calabash, or gourd; we seated ourselves upon the ground, around the dishes, and commenced operation; all were particularly fond of the meat which he had furnished, yet knew not what it was; on inquiry, we were told in broken English, "poy-poy," at the same time he gave a most knowing kind of a laugh. We then half suspected foul play, and again sternly interrogating him as to the kind of meat, received in reply, "cow, cow," which signified dog. Each looked at the other, scarce knowing what to do. Some began vomiting; as for myself, I relished it, while supposing it something else; and at that late hour thought it folly to make much ado about it. The joke was often referred to quite to the discomfiture of those upon whom it was forced.
We were next allowed liberty of forty-eight hours on shore, which we improved by visiting the volcano of Kilauea.
As this volcano was visited in the year 1825, by Lord Byron, S. C. Stewart, and other distinguished and scientific gentlemen, accompanied by the officers and crew of his majesty's ship Blonde, with an escort of one hundred natives, I would refer my readers to a description given by Stewart, believing it to be the most graphic ever given, which will be found in the following chapter.
CHAPTER V.
Description of the Volcano of Kilauea, at Hawaii.
Every preparation having been previously made, we left the harbor shortly after sunrise. The uncommon beauty of the morning proved a true omen of the delightful weather with which we were favored during the whole of our absence. The rich coloring of Mounakea in the early sun, never called forth higher or more general admiration. The brightness of the sky, the purity of the air, the freshness, sweetness, and cheerfulness of all nature, excited a buoyancy of spirit favorable to the accomplishment of the walk of forty miles, which lay between us and the object of our journey.