218 DESCRIPTION OF SCENERY. [1820. 
of a king from a remote nation who was killed in 
the vicinity, and whose head and hands were in- 
terred in that spot. 
From this eminence we enjoyed an extensive 
view over a mountainous country to the north, 
where hills and valleys appeared to be ornamented 
with trees. We were frequently obliged in our 
progress to remove projecting limbs of trees be- 
fore the waggons could pass, so that we literally 
had to cut our way into the Marootzee country. 
For an hour we were thus employed in passing 
between two hills, which fronted each other in 
the form of crescents, and were delightfully 
adorned with various kinds of trees, and the ex- 
posed parts were covered with grass of the 
greenest hue. The atmosphere was clear and 
the sun, shining with gentle rays, permitted us 
to enjoy the grateful prospect. Altogether the 
scenery had not been exceeded by any we had 
passed ; but our admiration of the surrounding 
objects was suddenly checked by our unexpect- 
edly reaching the river Lukoowhai, whose steep 
sides and deep muddy bottom presented a formid- 
able obstruction to our progress. These sides 
were from forty to fifty feet of perpendicular 
height, except at one place where it was evident 
the Marootzee oxen had often passed. The bed 
of the river was about twenty yards across, and, 
on sounding at the bottom, was found soft for 
