wave rolled in upon her and gave her quite
a wetting. When the man came back, and said, "Come, come," I started
immediately. The surf roared in the darkness, and I was afraid, but was
very soon set down safely on the shore. Dr. Wetmore met us on the beach,
and escorted us in the rain to Mrs. Coan's house. Mr. Coan was away upon
a tour; but they sent a messenger after him, and he returned home on
Saturday.

Hilo is celebrated for its heavy rains, and I should think also for its
gigantic spiders. I was afraid of them, though it is said they are
harmless unless molested.

Sabbath we passed in the usual manner. Grandpa addressed the native
congregation in the morning, and told them of his visit to the Holy
Land. They seemed delighted to see one who had looked upon Jerusalem,
and walked by the shores of Gennesaret.

There is the supper-bell; so we must wait until to-morrow for another
story.

IX.

The Volcano.

"Now, aunty, what are we to see to-day, and where are we to go?" asked
Willie, as we assembled in the sitting-room.

We'll go to the volcano to-day, Willie, I answered.

* * * * *

Tuesday morning, we started on our first real horseback journey. The
party numbered seven,--three elderly people and four younger ones. Two
of our friends escorted us a few miles on our way, and then, as it began
to rain, they turned back. I could think of nothing but a party of
gipsies, as we rode out of Mr. Coan's yard. You would have laughed to
see our fitting out. Grandpa had on rubber overalls, a long rubber coat,
and a drab felt hat tied upon his head. I doubt if you would have known
him. Grandma wore a dark riding-skirt, an oil-cloth cape over her
shoulders, and a felt hat, decidedly slouchy, trimmed with green ribbon.
I had on an old drab skirt, my water-proof cloak, and a venerable straw
hat trimmed with green, with a blue barege veil falling from its brim.
The rest were dressed in similar style. We rode in single file, and the
road was so bad, if road it could be called, that we advanced barely two
miles an hour. Every few minutes we had to go up or down some steep
place, or through mud nearly a foot deep. Swamps and streams alternated
with our short hills. At length we came to a wood of tropical
luxuriance, where the road was just a mule-path, the branches often
meeting before our faces, so that we had to raise our hands to part
them. It rained as it always does here. While we y