252 



CELEBES. 



[chap, xvii 



which give sucli a charming appearance to the villages ; 

 and to him is chiefly due the genuml neatness and good 

 order that everywhere prevail. 1 coosulttd him about a 

 fresh locality, as 1 I'ounti lluriikan too mucli in the clouds, 

 dreadfully damp and gloomy, and with a i^eneral stagnation 

 of bird and insect life. He recommended nie a village 

 some distance beyond tlie lake, near which was a large 

 forest, where he thonglxt I should find plenty of birds. As 

 he was going himself in a few days I decided to accompany 

 him. 



After dinner I asked him for a guide to the celebrated 

 waterfall on tlie outlet stream of the lake. It is situated 

 about a mile and half below the village, where a slight 

 rising ground closes in the basin, and evi<lently once 

 formed the shore of the lake. Here the river enters a 

 gorge, very narrow and tortuous, along whieh it rushers 

 furiously for a short distance and then plvmi^es into a 

 great chasm, forming the head of a lai-ge valley. Just 

 above the fall the channel h not more than ten feet wide, 

 and here a few phiiiks are thrown across, whence, half hid 

 by luxuriant vegetation, the mad waters may be seen 

 rushing beneath, and a few feet farther plunge into the 

 abyss. Both sight and sound are grand and impressive. 

 It was here that, four ycai's before iny visit, the Governor- 

 l leneral of the Netherland Indies committed suicide, by 

 leaping into the torrent. This at least is tlie general 

 opinion, as he suffered from a painlul disease which was 

 supposed to have made him weary of his life. His body 

 was found next day in the stream below. 



Unfortunately, no good view of the fall could now be 

 obtained, owing to the quantity of wood and high grass 

 tliat lined the mai^ins of the pi-eeipices. There are two 

 falls, the lower being the most lufty ; and it is possible, by 

 a long circuit, to descent] into the valley and see them 

 from below. Were the best points of view searched for 

 and rendered accessible, these falls would probably lie 

 found to be the finest in the Archipelago. The cliasni 

 seems to be of great depth, probably 600 or 600 feet. 

 Unfortunately 1 had no time to explore this valley, as 1 

 was anxious to devote every fine day to increasing my 

 hitherto scanty collections. 



