Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 6.djvu/441

435 JOURNAL AND LETTERS OF DAVID DOUGLAS. 435 and passed several deserted dwelling's, apparently only intended as the temporary abodes of bird-catchers, and sandal-wood-cutters. Cal- abashes and Pumpkins, with Tobacco, were the only plants that I observed growing near them. At eleven A. M. we came to a small pool of fresh water collected in the lava, the temperature of which was 55; here my people halted for a few minutes to smoke. The barometer stood at 26 inch., the air 62, and the dew-point at 58. The wind was from the South, with a gentle fanning breeze and a clear sky. Hence the path turns Northwest for a mile and a half, becoming a little steeper, till it leads to a beautiful circular well, three feet deep, flowing in the lava, its banks fringed with Strawberry Vines, and shaded by an Acacia Tree grove. Here we again rested for half an hour! We might be said here to have ascended above the woody country; the ground became more steep and broken, with a thinner soil and trees of humbler growth, leading towards the South-East ridge of Mouna Roa, which, judging from a distance, appeared the part to which there is the easiest access. I would recommend to any Naturalist who may in future visit this mountain, to have their can- teen filled at the well just mentioned, for my guide, trusting to one which existed in a cave further up, and which he was unable to find, declined to provide himself with this indispensable article at the lower well, and we were consequently put to the greatest inconven- ience. Among the brush-wood was a strong kind of Raspberry-bush, destitute of leaves; the fruit I am told is white. At four P. M. we arrived at a place where the lava suddenly became very rugged, and the brush-wood low, where we rested and chewed sugar-cane, of which we carried a large supply, and where the guides were anxious to re- main all night. As this was not very desirable, since we had no water, I proceeded for an hour longer, to what might be called the Line of Shrubs, a/ d at two miles and a half further on, encamped for the night. V 'e collected some small stems of a heath-like plant, which, with the dried stalks of the same species of Composite which I ob- served on Mouna Kuah, afforded a tolerably good fire. The man who carried the provisions did not make his appearance indeed, it is very difficult, except by literally driving them before you, to make the natives keep up with an active traveller. Thus I had to sup upon Taro-roots. Honori, as I expected, did not come up. I had no view of the surrounding country, for the region below, especially over the land, was covered with a thick layer of fleecy mist, and the cloud which always hovers above the great volcano, over-hung the horizon and rose into the air like a great tower. Sun-set gave a totally dif- ferent aspect to the whole, the fleecy clouds changed their hue to a vapoury tint, and the volume of mist above the volcano, which is silvery bright during the prevalence of sunshine, assumed a fiery aspect, and illumined the sky for many miles around. A strong North-