1S35.] OFF TO THE MOUNTAINS. 401 



on board, Mr. Wilson interpreted for me to tlie Tahitian 

 who had paid me so adroit an attention, that I wanted 

 him and another man to accompany me on a short 

 excursion to the mountains. 



November iSth. — In the morning I came on shore early, 

 bring^^ing witli me some provisions in a bag, and two 

 blankets for myself and servant. These were lashed to 

 each end of a long pole which was alternately carried 

 by my Tahitian companions on their shoulders. These 

 men are accustomed thus to carry, for a whole day, as 

 much as fifty pounds at each end of their poles. 1 told 

 my guides to provide themselves with food and clothing ; 

 but they said that there was plenty of food in the mountains, 

 and for clothing, that their skins were sufficient. Our 

 line of march was the valley of Tia-auru, down which a 

 river flows into the sea by Point Venus. This is one of 

 the principal streams in the island, and its source lies at 

 the base of the loftiest central pinnacles, which rise to a 

 height of about 7000 feet. The whole island is so moun- 

 tainous that the only way to penetrate into the interior 

 is to follow up the valleys. Our roaji, at first, lay through 

 woods which bordered each side of the river ; and the 

 glimpses of the lofty central peaks, seen as through an 

 avenue, with here and there a waving cocoa-nut tree on 

 one side, were extremely picturesque. The valley soon 

 began to narrow, and the sides to grow lofty and more 

 precipitous. After having walked between three and four 

 hours, we found the width of the ravine scarcely exceeded 

 that of the bed of the stream. On each hand the walls 

 were nearly vertical ; yet from the soft nature of the 

 volcanic strata, trees and rank vege^^ation sprung from 

 every projecting ledge. These precipices must have been 

 some thousand feet high ; and the whole formed a 

 mountain gorge far more magnificent than anything 

 which I had ever before beheld. Until the mid-day sun 

 stood vertically over the ravine, the air felt cool and 

 damp, but now it became very sultry. Shaded by a ledge 

 1 of rock, beneath a facade of colunmar lava, we ate our 

 , dinner. My guides had already procured a dish of small 

 fish and fresh-water prawns. They carried with them a 

 \ small net stretched on a hoop ; Jind where the water 

  was deep and in eddies, they dived, and like otters, with 

 their eyes open followed -the fish into hoks and corners, 

 id thus caught them. 



