640 
A GLANCE AT MINAHASSA. 
This fall in our opinion is much more imposing than that of To inte¬ 
nd, for it plunges at once perpendicularly down without meeting with 
any obstacle ; then twisting like a snake within its massive rock walls 
beneath, it forms a second fall, and disappears in an inaccessible 
forest. 
Besides this there are other two waterfalls in the vicinity of 
Sonder, 
An excursion to K&wauko&n made a great change in the plan of 
our journey. With the map of Minahassa before us, we saw that we 
could very well go along the volcano Seputan to Tombatu, the 
capital of the district of Tongsaw&u, and would save a great part 
of the journey yet to be accomplished, if we proceeded by Amur&ng. 
The inhabitants not only opposed this, but declared that it was im¬ 
possible, particularly as we intended to make the journey with horses 
which to their certainty had never been brought there. But, 
acquainted with their difficulties, we stood fast to our determination. 
On the 12th. of September we proceede dacross the negory Tom- 
pftssa, and from thence to the foot of the mountain Sempo where 
we were obliged to dismount, as the horses could not pursue the 
path further. 
Hitherto our course had lain higher and higher through a thick 
wood. Different species of trees raised their heads magnificently, 
for the greedy hand of man had not reached here. The great 
age to which these trees must have attained is not to be reckoned. 
Climbing on, we entered at last into a cold mist which made our teeth 
chatter, and came near enough to a new year’s fog in Europe ; ar¬ 
rived on the summit of the mountain Sempo we could not distin¬ 
guish objects at 10 paces off. We took refuge in a small hut erect¬ 
ed for us which was very open; a bambu table and stools and a si¬ 
milar couch formed our furniture. 
The Major of Kaw&nko&n told us that during the earthquake 
which had formerly happened, all the people who were working here 
lied below from fear that the mountain might begin to labour. 
To keep ourselves in motion we walked to the right and left on 
a dry flat, while the dense mist prevented us seeing to any distances 
But what an impressive image of desolation and force met the eye 
when it cleared up. As far as vision could reach nothing was to be 
seen but a dry sandy desert, the ground being formed of lava and hav¬ 
ing much resemblance to the ashes of burnt coal, and on which only 
small bushes of kusu-kusu or kftno kano (two kinds af grass) grew 
