of Kilauea's rampart and look down on a lake of
white-hot, molten lava three miles long and half as wide. Every now and
then bubbles of gas or steam come to the surface and exploding send long
threads of viscous lava into the air. Some of the glassy threads are
fine as the finest silk and a blast of air carries them off to the
cliff; Pele's hair, they call it, and the sea-gulls gather it to make
their nests.

[Illustration: A lake of white-hot molten lava. The volcano of
Mauna-Loa, Hawaii]

The highest points of Hawaii island are nearly fourteen thousand feet
above sea level. Below the line of about ten thousand feet easterly
winds bring an abundance of rain; above that line westerly winds bring
occasional showers and snow squalls. As a result one may find places
only a few miles apart, one of which has almost daily rains while the
other gets none at all along the lowland coasts.

Oahu is the best-known island because of Honolulu, the capital of the
Territory. A most beautiful city it is; indeed, there is nothing
elsewhere to surpass it in attractiveness--wide streets, beautiful
parks, flower gardens of wonderful plants, fine dwellings, electric
street cars, good government, and schools that are famous. All these
things make Honolulu one of the most desirable and attractive cities of
homes anywhere in the world.

Just back of Honolulu is a volcanic peak with its great crater--the
"Punch Bowl," they call it, because of its shape. As one looks down from
the rim of the Punch Bowl the city is half hidden among its palms and
algeroba trees. Above the trees are the domes and turrets of the
National Palace, the government building, and the school-houses. In the
distance here and there are the great plantations--sugar, rice, and
banana.

In the city streets one will see the people of many lands--Germans,
English, Americans, native Hawaiians, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans,
Malays, and Hindoos. Many of the native Hawaiians are rich and
prosperous; some are in business, and others are in professional life.
Many of the Chinese are well-to-do merchants. The Hindoos, Malays, and
Japanese were brought to Hawaii to work in the great plantations.

In the native villages one will frequently find a little church building
and almost always the district school. Perhaps there may also be a
Chinese store. Black-eyed children are running about dressed in long
gowns, and some of them carry little bundles of school-books, each tied
with sto