PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
99 
ing guards we laid down on our arms. I had fallen into a dose 
when an Indian came to inform me that it was coming on to rain 
very heavy, and as he expressed himself would matteei matteel 
bouhie. This appearance of rain caused loud shouts of joy in the 
Typee valley and drums were beating in every quarter. I cau¬ 
tioned my men about taking care of their arms and ammunition; 
but from the violence of the rain, which soon poured down in tor¬ 
rents, I had little hopes that a musket would be kept dry or a 
cartridge saved. Never, in the course of my life, did I spend a 
more anxious or disagreeable night, and I believe there were few 
with me who had ever seen its equal. A cold and piercing wind 
accompanied the deluge, for I can call it nothing else, and chilled 
us to the heart; without room to keep ourselves warm by mov¬ 
ing about, fearful of stirring, lest we might be percipitated into 
eternity down the steep sides of the mountains, for the ridge had 
now become so slippery we could scarcely keep our feet-—we 
all anxiously looked for morning, and the first dawn of day, al¬ 
though the wind and rain still continued, was a cheering sight to 
us, notwithstanding our apprehensions for the fate of the ammu¬ 
nition and the conditions of our muskets. We were ail as per¬ 
fectly wet as though we had been under water the whole time, and 
we scarcely entertained a hope that a single cartridge or musket 
had escaped. The Indians kept exclaiming that our muskets 
were spoilt, and anxiously wished us to retreat in time; but not¬ 
withstanding my fears on the subject, I endeavoured to impress 
them with a belief that water could do them no injury. As soon 
as it was light enough I went among my men and inquired into 
the state of their arms and ammunition. The first had escaped 
better than I had any reason to hope; but of the latter more than 
one half was wet and unfit for service. 
The Happah village lay on one side of the mountain, as I be¬ 
fore observed, the Typee on the other, and when it was light 
enough to see down into the valley of the latter we were astonish¬ 
ed at the greatness of the height we were elevated above them, 
and the steepness of the mountain by which we should have to 
descend to get to them. A narrow path-way pointed out the track, 
but it was soon lost among the cliffs. The Indians informed me 
that in the present slippery state of the mountain no one could de 
VQL. II. o 
