50 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SEA. 



known, as its entrance even at low water is completely hidden 

 under the surface of the sea. Mariner, to whom we owe our 

 first knowledge of this wonderful play of nature, relates that 

 while he was one day rat-huntvng * in the island of Hunga with 

 king Finow, who at that time reigned over Tonga, the barbarian 

 monarch took a fancy to drink his Icawa f in the cave. Mariner, 

 who had absented himself for a few moments from the company, 

 was very much astonished when, returning to the strand, he saw 

 one chieftain after another dive and disappear. He had but 

 just time to ask the last of them what they were about. 

 " Follow me," answered the chieftain, " and I will show thee a 

 place where thou hast never been before, and where Finow and 

 his chieftains are at present assembled." Mariner immediately 

 guessed that this must be the celebrated cave of which he had 

 frequently heard, and, anxious to see it, he immediately followed 

 the diving chieftain, and swimming close after him under the 

 water, safely reached the opening in the rock through which he 

 emerged into the cave. On ascending to the surface, he imme- 

 diately heard the voices of the company, and still following his 

 guide, climbed upon a projecting ledge on which he sat down. 

 All the light of the cave was reflected from the sea beneath, 

 but yet it was sufficient, as soon as the eye had become accus- 

 tomed to the twilight, to distinguish the surrounding objects. 

 A clearer light being, however, desirable, Mariner once more 

 dived, swam to the strand, fetched his pistol, poured a good 

 quantity of powder on the pan, wrapped it carefully up in tapa- 

 cloth and leaves, and, providing himself with a torch, returned 

 as quickly as possible to the cave. Here he removed the cloth, 

 a great part of which was still quite dry, and igniting it by the 

 flame of the powder made use of it to light his torch. This 

 was probably the very first time since its creation that the cave 

 had ever been illumined by artificial light. Its chief compart- 

 ment, which on one side branched out into two smaller cavities, 

 seemed to be about forty feet wide and the mean height above 

 the water amounted to as much. The roof was ornamented in 

 a remarkable manner by stalactites resembling the arches and 

 fantastic ornaments of a Gothic hall. According to a popular 



* A favourite pastime of the Polynesian chiefs. 



t An intoxicating beverage extracted from the Piper methysticum, a species of 

 pepper plant. 



