192 
CRULSE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 
the islands are built here. The harbour is well pro- 
tected by a reef, through which are several passages. 
Very little appears to be known of the coast, so 
an accurate survey is much needed, and on this 
we were partially engaged during our stay. 
A walk in the interior was very enjoyable, although 
requiring great exertion from the rough roads: the 
pedestrian having here, perhaps, to toil up an almost 
perpendicular rise of 15 or 20 feet, then to cross a 
narrow ridge, followed by a descent into a deep 
valley, all clothed with tangled vines and shrubs. 
Walking was occasionally all the more awkward 
from the number of roots and the slippery mud ; 
again, rivulets were met with, from which water 
continually bubbled across our path, and hurried 
headlong down the ravine. The scene that pre- 
sented itself was truly beautiful ; the picturesque 
valleys of the adjacent islands lay in full view 
beneath, exhibiting here and there spots of culti- 
vated ground, with groves of cocoa-nut and bread- 
fruit trees; while in all directions were native 
houses, perched on apparently inaccessible cliffs 
overlooking small domains, and the several peaks 
rising in sight all cut and broken in the most 
grotesque manner : in the distance the various 
islands in the group, and the fantastic needle-shaped 
peak of Vanua Levu were distinctly to be seen. 
The detached reefs could be traced for miles by 
the water breaking over them, until they were lost 
