since six o'clock in the morning, and hoping to wake up in the night when the fires would be more brilliant, we rolled ourselves up in our blankets, and, with our guides near by, went to sleep a few rods from the crater. At nine o'clock I waked, and as the night air was quite cold, moved to the very edge of the crater to warm myself, and enjoy the magnificent fireworks. The moon was up and almost full, but her light was dull beside the fires of Pélé. Finding the place quite comfortable, I picked out a soft rock for a pillow, and went to sleep again. At twelve I awaked with a start and found myself in a shower of fiery drops, some of which were burning my blanket. I shook myself and jumped back, looking at my watch to note the time, and then stood gazing at the strange scene some time before I thought of my companions. The whole surface of the lake had risen several feet, and was violently boiling and dashing against the banks, throwing the white-hot spray some sixty feet over the upper banks, causing the providential rain that awakened me to see this grand display. There was no thundering or bellowing, only the splash of the waves as they fell back, or the rattling of the cooled drops on the upper banks. The light was so intense as to be almost painful, as the crust had wholly melted, and brilliant fountains of fire covered the surface.

When I could think of anything else, I called the others, but only succeeded in awakening the guides, and just then a drop of lava came plump into a greasy newspaper we brought our supper in, and it blazed up suddenly, to the dismay of our guides, who, thinking that the volcano had broken out at our feet, at once fled to a safe distance. Failing to arouse them with my voice, I threw several handfuls of gravel at the sleepers but without effect, and I had to climb down, almost blinded by gazing at the fire,

and shake them roughly. When they at last reached the edge the action had greatly diminished, and in a few minutes more the dark crust covered the central portion, extending rapidly to the sides, and after watching the last crack close, we all went to sleep again. I was glad to see such distinct flames, as their existence has been denied in volcanoes. They were bluish-green, and shot up in tongues or wide sheets a foot long.

In the morning we found it very misty, and the mist soon turned to rain. We went to the cone we had seen the night before, and climbing its spattered sides, looked into the hole in the top. We could see that it was white-hot within, but we were unable to excite it, although we threw in pieces of scoria, and poked it with our sticks. On the other side of the path was a cone, long and irregular, with many pinnacles from which much smoke issued. We got quite wet in climbing up the bank, and at seven o'clock were eating our breakfast in the grass house on the upper ledge.

A year afterwards I again went to Kilauca. Many changes had taken place. Lua Pélé was much larger, and two new pools had opened during the winter. The place where I slept last August had melted away, and I was obliged to camp in another place. The superstitions of the natives have always been greatly excited while in this crater, and I saw many reasons for it. As we walked towards the bright lake about dusk, I thought I saw two or three men walking to and fro on the brink, and asked my guide what strangers had been down into the crater. "Aole haole aka akua paha"! (It is no stranger but perhaps a spirit) said the old man, so solemnly that I was startled. As the steam moved in the wind, it opened and brought to view the black cliff's beyond, and this we had taken for

moving men, not reflecting that the forms must have been gigantic at such a distance from us. In ancient times the bodies of the chiefs who worshipped Pélé were committed to this pit.

As we were sitting on the brink, a shrill shriek broke through the night air. We could see the black walls of the crater all around us, and between us and the pathway leading out, a line of watchfires, and I was quite as much impressed as my natives with the direful stories they had been telling me. The shrick was repeated, and it was evidently the utterance of a human being in great agony. Lighting the lantern we had brought for any emergency, we went slowly towards the place, until the shriek was uttered at our very feet. We hastily examined the cracks and called, but there was no answer, and all was still. We looked everywhere, finding no one, and turned to go back, thinking some poor kanaka, venturing down in the dark, had fallen into some crack, and at last died.

We had gone but a few rods when the shriek was repeated. The natives clung to me in mortal terror, but I insisted on going back, and placing the lantern on a rock, we sat down to await developments; it seemed as though the question, "are there any spirits present?" was quite superfluous. We sat more than five minutes in silence, and I could feel the poor fellows tremble as they sat close up to me. Then the shrick was repeated, but we saw the spirit that made it,-a jet of steam-and my boys were encouraged.

The smaller lakes were close to the surface, and I could put my stick into the melted mass. It was strange to see how soon the lava cooled on the surface. As soon as it had ceased bubbling, I threw a small perfectly dry stick of wood into it, and it was more than fifteen minutes before it smoked much.