the
mountain that night, so our guides led us to a hut built to afford
accommodation for travellers. It stood overlooking the cones and the
lake of fire, and never shall I forget the extraordinary appearance of
that scene, as we watched it during the greater part of the night, or
the magnificent spectacle which gladdened our eyes when the glorious sun
rose from out of his ocean bed, and lighted up the distant snow-capped
peak of the lofty Mouna Roa, which is 14,000 feet above the level of the
sea.

We collected several specimens of sulphur and lava, and also a quantity
of what the natives call the hair of Pele. Every bush around was
covered with it. It is produced from the lava when first thrown up, and
borne along by the air till it is spun into fine filaments several
inches in length. It was of a dark olive colour, brittle, and
semi-transparent. In our descent of the mountain we entered long
galleries, the walls and roof hung with stalactites of lava of various
colours, the appearance being very beautiful. They are formed by the
lava hardening above, while it continues to flow away underneath--thus
leaving a hollow in the centre. We might have spent many days in
wandering about that strange, wild region, but we had seen enough to
talk about ever afterwards. We got back safe to the station; and when
there, we found that Mr Callard had resolved to remain some time on the
island. He begged us, consequently, to take back the schooner to
Honolulu, with directions for her to return for him in a fortnight. It
seemed quite strange to us to be at sea again after the wonderful scenes
we had witnessed, and Jerry declared that he was well content to find
himself afloat with a whole skin on his body. The wind came round to
the north-east, and we had to stretch away to the westward to lay a
course for Honolulu. We were about thirty miles off the land when the
wind fell light, and gradually a thick fog arose, in which we found
ourselves completely shrouded. We still stood on, keeping as good a
look-out as we could through the mist, lest we should run foul of any
other vessel--not that such an event was likely to happen just then in
the Pacific. When night, however, came on, the fog grew still thicker,
and the darkness became so great that we literally could not see our
hands held out at arm's-length before us. Mr Brand had kept the middle
watch, and then Jerry and I, with Ben Yool, went on deck, with some of
the nat