Journey across the Island of Tahiti. 151 



fFyereede nheie we landed, and immediately commenced our journey 

 through a most fertile and magnificent valley, clothed with the luxuriance 

 which tropical countries so peculiarly present. ^Vhile yet upon the flat, 

 or mouth of the valley, and having determined to make our journey as 

 short and as straight as possible, and being provided with extra shoes, we 

 did not hesitate to pass through shallow pools of water, which would 

 otherwise have taken some distance to have gone round. I here first ob- 

 served the presence of hot springs, which in several places oozed through 

 the sands, and gave a temperature of 115° of Fahrenlieit, when the bulb 

 was thrust into the bubbling sand, while the body of water in the pool was 

 not higher than 7^°, the atmosphere being /jo. I may here mention, that 

 it is in this district that fresh water is very conveniently obtained, by taking 

 advantage of a conduit, placed about a quarter of a mile oft' shore, where 

 the natives have affixed a bamboo in the sand, through the sea water, from 

 which arises a beautiful stream of perfectly fresh water, at which boats can 

 have their casks filled by adding a small portion of hose to the top of the 

 bamboo. Our approach to the house of a friendly chief, named Onai, lay 

 through patches of taro, arum, this plant requiring marshy ground for its 

 growth ; in these patches are found two species of nielania. The vicinity 

 of his house v\as well marked by the beautiful and ample plantations of 

 native fruits, including many which have been naturalized, such as oranges, 

 custard apples, pine a|)ples, water melons, &c. We were here met by the 

 chief himself, one of the finest specimens of his race, standing at least six feet 

 ten inches high, stout, well-proportioned, and active. Upon reaching his 

 house, I was introduced to his wife, a fine handsome young woman, known 

 all over the island as the vahina na na, or "handsome woman," but who 

 at this time had only just been released from the heavy task of making forty 

 fathoms of cloth for the state, which she had been adjudged to do by a 

 jury, for absconding from her husband, and living with a chief belonging to 

 a neighbouring district in Tiarabu. I did not therefore see her with her best 

 looks J for during the performance of this task she had been exposed to the 

 sun's rays, and had become much darker than was natural j but still she 

 well deserved the title of vahina na na. In performing these tasks there 

 is no objection to the culprit being assisted ; and therefore, in the beating 

 process, she probably had the help of all her female acquaintances, while 

 the young men of the district etideavoured fo outvie each other in fetching 

 and strii)ping the bark, often headed by her husband, who had relented, 

 and sorrowed that he had carried his vindictive feeling so far. 



From these people I received great hospitality, and after breakfast the chief 

 accompanied us some distance on our journey; but upon my stating my in- 

 tention of crossing the island, he smiled at the idea, and prognosticated 

 that I should be knocked up upon or before reaching the lake. 



We now began to ascend the country, and, after having penetrated about 

 three miles, 1 first observed the scarcity of the cocoa nut; and a short 



