§0 ADVENTtJKE IN NEW ZEALAND. Chap. IV. 
wards the sea at the rate of ten miles an hour, you ap- 
pear to be going up hill at this particular spot. Add 
to this, that out of a dark cavern in either clifif, near the 
water's edge, a large stream comes roaring, and echoing, 
and foaming into the river ; that an augmenting dark- 
ness is produced, as you advance, by the height of the 
cliffs and the comparative narrowness of the cleft in 
which the river flows ; and that some old legend or 
superstition makes the natives speak in whispers and 
compose their features to seriousness ; and the sublimity 
of the whole scene may be imagined. Such was the in- 
tense excitement produced on me by this burst of na- 
ture's majesty, when I first went through the pass, that 
I relieved myself involuntarily by a deep sigh and a 
rushing of tears to my eyes, when we had passed on 
into the comparatively tame and reposing scenery which 
immediately follows. 
Just before we arrived at Tata^ we gave notice of our 
approach by a rattling salute. The reports reverbe- 
rated far along the steep walls of the river s channel 
and rolled up the wooded hills above, mingled with the 
sharper tones of the answering salute from the settle- 
ment. At length we reached the foot of one of the 
sky-scraping ladders which I have before described, 
leading to the top of the cliff, here about 200 feet hi<rhi 
while the river is not more than 40 yards broad'. 
The natives clambered carelessly up, with heavy chests, 
and guns, and paddles, and my great dog in their arms,' 
while I was ascending cautiously, step by step, with 
uncertain footing, and hands aching with the efforts 
which I made to clench hard the vibrating rounds of 
the ladder. At the bottom they had shown me the 
spot where " two or three foolish old women," they 
said, " had been smashed quite flat, having missed a 
" step while going down in the dark to the canoes." 
