402 A DANGEROUS CLIMB. [chap, xviit. 



The Tahltians have the dexterity of amphibious animals 

 in the water. An anecdote mentioned by Ellis shows 

 how much they feel at home in this element. When a 

 horse was landing for Pomare in 1817, the slings broke, 

 and it fell into the water: immediately the natives jumped 

 overboard, and by their cries and vain efforts at assistance 

 almost drowned it. As soon, however, as it reached the 

 shore, the whole population took to flight, and tried to 

 hide themselves from the man -carrying pig, as they 

 christened the horse. 



A little higher up the river divided itself into three little 

 streams. The two northern ones were impracticable, owing 

 to a succession of waterfalls which descended from the 

 jagged summit of the highest mountain ; the other to all 

 appearance was equally inaccessible, but we managed to 

 ascend it by a most extraordinary road. The sides of the 

 valley were here nearly precipitous ; but, as frequently 

 happens with stratified rocks, small ledges projected, 

 which were thickly covered by wild bananas, liliaceous 

 plants, and other luxuriant productions of the tropics. 

 The Tahitians, by climbing amongst these ledges, search- 

 ing for fruit, had discovered a tract by which the whole 

 precipice could be scaled. The first ascent from the 

 valley was very dangerous ; for it was necessary to pass 

 a steeply-inclined face of naked rock, by the aid of ropes 

 which we brought with us. How any person discovered 

 that this formidable spot was the only point where the 

 side of the mountain was practicable, I cannot imagine. 

 We then cautiously walked along one of the ledges till 

 we came to one of the three streams. This ledge formed 

 a flat spot, above which a beautiful cascade, some hundred 

 feet in height, poured down its waters, and beneath, 

 another high cascade fell into the main stream in the 

 valley below. From this cool and shady recess we made 

 a circuit to avoid the overhanging waterfall. As before, 

 we followed little projecting ledges, the danger being 

 partly concealed by the thickness of the vegetation. In 

 passing from one of the ledges to another there was a 

 vertical wall of rock. One of the Tahitians, a fine active 

 man, placed the trunk of a tree against this, climbed 

 up it, and then by the aid of crevices reached the summit. 

 He fixed the ropes to a projecting point, and lowered 

 them for our dog and luggage, and then we clambered 

 up ourselves. Beneath the ledge on which the dead tree 



