TAHITI. 31 



station for a botanist. It has a rich field around it, and is, besides, 

 within a short distance of the most elevated parts of the island. 



They did not stop at this place, but proceeding forwards reached a 

 spot called by the natives Opua, where, in a shelter of the same kind 

 as that which has been described as their previous bivouac, they 

 spent the night. The rain fell in torrents, and about midnight a 

 violent thundergust passed through the valley. 



The next morning they went on towards the lake, and on reaching 

 the crest of the intervening ridge, the weather moderated, and gave 

 them an opportunity of enjoying the extensive prospect it commands. 

 Besides the lake at their feet, as seen by the other detachment, they 

 had a view of the cleft peak of Orohena, at the distance of about seven 

 miles, rising from five thousand to six thousand feet above the spot 

 where they stood. Descending the steep sides of the basin of the 

 lake, they joined the other detachment about noon. 



It has been stated that the lake had been observed to rise five feet. 

 It was now evident that it had reached as high a level as its waters 

 ever attain. Many plants (such as the Polygonums) which could 

 not live long under such circumstances, were found entirely sub- 

 merged, and the water had reached the woody plants on the shores, • 

 and threatened their speedy destruction. 



The proposed line of descent lay on the opposite side of the lake, 

 and the shores are so precipitous as to prevent walking around it. It 

 became necessary, therefore, to cross it upon a raft, which was a slow 

 process. The natives swam over. After crossing the lake, the 

 journey was continued, but it became necessary to stop before night, 

 in order to build a shelter and make a fire. The latter was a difficult 

 operation, where every thing was dripping with water. A hut was 

 soon built of boughs of the banana, and thatched with its leaves. 

 This, although not perfectly water-tight, served their purpose. 



Their provisions fortunately held out. The natives after every meal 

 had been careful to gather up all the remnants of food, and to wrap 

 them in banana-leaves, by which all waste was avoided. They had 

 been disappointed in obtaining any game, or any fish from the lake, 

 both of which had been calculated upon. Mr. Peale saw nothing to 

 shoot except a few birds, which were limited to four or five species, 

 among which were swallows, tropic birds, and small herons. In the 

 lake, nothing was seen, although it had been represented as full of 

 huge eels. 



In the morning they rose early and began the descent, which was 



