430 CHARLES DARWIN 



striking: it may aptly be compared to a framed engraving, 

 where the frame represents the breakers, the marginal paper 

 the smooth lagoon, and the drawing the island itself. When 

 in the evening I descended from the mountain, a man, whom 

 I had pleased with a trifling gift, met me, bringing with him 

 hot roasted bananas, a pine-apple, and cocoa-nuts. After 

 walking under a burning sun, I do not know anything more 

 delicious than the milk of a young cocoa-nut. Pine-apples 

 are here so abundant that the people eat them in the same 

 wasteful manner as we might turnips. They are of an excel- 

 lent flavor perhaps even better than those cultivated in 

 England; and this I believe is the highest compliment which 

 can be paid to any fruit. Before going on board, Mr. Wilson 

 interpreted for me to the Tahitian who had paid me so adroit 

 an attention, that I wanted him and another man to accom- 

 pany me on a short excursion into the mountains. 



i8th. In the morning I came on shore early, bringing 

 with me some provisions in a bag, and two blankets for my- 

 self and servant. These were lashed to each end of a long 

 pole, which was alternately carried by my Tahitian com- 

 panions 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. I 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 mountainous that the only way to penetrate into the 

 interior is to follow up the valleys. Our road, 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 ver- 



