486 



TAHITI. 



Nov. 1835. 



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 any thing which I had ever before beheld. 

 Until the mid-day sun stood vertically over the ravine, the 

 air had felt cool and damp, but now it became very sultry. 

 Shaded by a ledge of rock, beneath a fagade of columnar 

 lava, we ate our dinner. My guides had already procured 

 a dish of small fish and fresh-water prawns. They carried 

 with them a small net stretched on a hoop ; and where the 

 water was deep and in eddies, they dived, and like otters, 

 by their eyesight followed the fish into holes and corners, 

 and thus secured them. 



The Tahitians have the dexterity of amphibious animals 

 in the water. An anecdote mentioned by Ellis shows how 

 much they feel at home in that element. When a horse 

 was landing for Pomarre in 181 7^ the slings broke, and it 

 fell into the water: immediately the natives jumped over- 

 board, and by their cries and vain efforts at assistance, 

 almost drowned the animal. As soon, however, as it 

 reached the shore, the whole population took to flight, 

 and tried to hide themselves from the man-carrying-pig, as 

 they christened the horse. 



A little higher up, the river divided itself into three little 

 streams. The two northern ones were impracticable, owing 

 to a succession of waterfalls, which descended from the 

 jagged summit of the highest mountain; the other to all 

 appearance was equally inaccessible, but we managed to 

 ascend it by a most extraordinary road. The sides of 



