line, outside which the heaving waters of the ocean were dark-coloured.
The view was striking: it may aptly be compared to a framed engraving,
where the frame represents the breakers, the marginal paper the smooth
lagoon, and the drawing the island itself. When in the evening I
descended from the mountain, a man, whom I had pleased with a trifling
gift, met me, bringing with him hot roasted bananas, a pine-apple, and
cocoa-nuts. After walking under a burning sun, I do not know anything
more delicious than the milk of a young cocoa-nut. Pine-apples are
here so abundant that the people eat them in the same wasteful manner
as we might turnips. They are of an excellent flavor--perhaps even
better than those cultivated in England; and this I believe is the
highest compliment which can be paid to any fruit. Before going on
board, Mr. Wilson interpreted for me to the Tahitian who had paid me so
adroit an attention, that I wanted him and another man to accompany me
on a short excursion into the mountains.
18th.--In the morning I came on shore early, bringing with me some
provisions in a bag, and two blankets for myself and servant. These
were lashed to each end of a long pole, which was alternately carried
by my Tahitian companions on their shoulders. These men are accustomed
thus to carry, for a whole day, as much as fifty pounds at each end of
their poles. I told my guides to provide themselves with food and
clothing; but they said that there was plenty of food in the mountains,
and for clothing, that their skins were sufficient. Our line of march
was the valley of Tiaauru, down which a river flows into the sea by
Point Venus. This is one of the principal streams in the island, and
its source lies at the base of the loftiest central pinnacles, which
rise to a height of about 7000 feet. The whole island is so
mountainous that the only way to penetrate into the interior is to
follow up the valleys. Our road, at first, lay through woods which
bordered each side of the river; and the glimpses of the lofty central
peaks, seen as through an avenue, with here and there a waving
cocoa-nut tree on one side, were extremely picturesque. The valley
soon began to narrow, and the sides to grow lofty and more precipitous.
After having walked between three and four hours, we found the width of
the ravine scarcely exceeded that of the bed of the stream. On each
hand the walls were nearly vertical, yet from the soft nature of the
volcanic strata, trees and a rank vegetation sprung from every
projecting ledge. These precipices must have been some thousand feet
high; and the whole formed a mountain gorge far more magnificent than
383