292 SOCIETY ISLANDS. 
appeared the Crown. Beyond it extended the Punaavia Valley, the 
only level spot in sight; and far away, in the same direction, steep 
ridges, rising behind one another with jagged outline, stood against 
the western horizon. ‘To the north, deep valleys gorge the country, 
with narrow, precipitous ridges between; and these melt away into 
ridgy hills and valleys, and finally into the palm-covered plains bor- 
dering the sea. 
On our descent, we followed the western side of the Papaua Valley, 
along a narrow ridge such as we have described but two or three feet 
wide at top, and enclosed by precipices of not less than a thousand feet. 
Proceeding thus for two hours, holding to the bushes which served as 
a kind of balustrade, though occasionally startled by a slip of the foot 
one side or the other—our path suddenly narrowed to a mere edge of 
naked rock, and, moreover, the ridge was inclined a little to the east, 
like a tottering wall. ‘Taking the upper side of the sloping wall, and 
trusting our feet to the bushes while clinging to the rocks above, care- 
fully dividing our weight lest we should precipitate the rocks and 
ourselves to the depths below, we continued on till we came to an 
abrupt break in the ridge of twenty feet, half of which was perpen- 
dicular. By means of ropes doubled around the rocks above, we in 
turn let ourselves down, and soon reached again a width of three feet, 
where we could walk in safety. ‘Two hours more at last brought us 
to slopes and ridges where we could breathe freely. 
The peculiarities here described characterize all parts of the 
island. ‘Towards the high peaks of the interior, the ridges which 
radiate from, or connect with them, become mere mountain walls 
with inaccessible slopes, and the valleys are from one to three thou- 
sand feet in depth. The central peaks themselves have the same 
wall-like character. It is thus with Orohena and Pitohiti, as well as 
Aorai, and owing to the sharpness of the summit edge, rather than the 
steepness of the ascent, Orohena is said to be quite inaccessible. Dr. 
Pickering and Mr. Couthouy, in an excursion to a height of five 
thousand feet on this ridge, met with difficulties of the same character 
we have described. 
No traces of a crater have yet been distinguished in or about the 
mountains of Tahiti. ‘The only place which has been so considered 
is a depression, occupied by a small lake, situated among the moun- 
tains to the southwest of Orohena, and about fifteen hundred feet 
