1835.] EXCURSION IN THE MOUNTAINS. 407 
thing 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 excellent 
flavour—perhaps even better than those cultivated in England ; 
and this I believe 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 accompany me on a short 
excursion into the mountains, 
18zh.—In the morning I came on shore early, bringing with 
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. 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 vertical ; yet from the soft nature of 
the volcanic strata, trees and a rank vegetation 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 of rock, beneath a facade of columnar lava, we ate our 
