At length the day dawned upon us, and rising from our miserable
pallet, we stretched our stiffened joints, and after eating all
that remained of our bread, prepared for the last stage of our
journey. I will not recount every hair-breadth escape, and
every fearful difficulty that occurred before we succeeded in
reaching the bosom of the valley. As I have already described
similar scenes, it will be sufficient to say that at length,
after great toil and great dangers, we both stood with no limbs
broken at the head of that magnificent vale which five days
before had so suddenly burst upon my sight, and almost beneath
the shadow of those very cliffs from whose summits we had gazed
upon the prospect.



CHAPTER TEN

THE HEAD OF THE VALLEY--CAUTIOUS ADVANCE--A
PATH--FRUIT--DISCOVERY OF TWO OF THE NATIVES--THEIR SINGULAR
CONDUCT--APPROACH TOWARDS THE INHABITED PARTS OF THE
VALE--SENSATION PRODUCED BY OUR APPEARANCE--RECEPTION AT THE
HOUSE OF ONE OF THE NATIVES

HOW to obtain the fruit which we felt convinced must grow near at
hand was our first thought.

Typee or Happar? A frightful death at the hands of the fiercest
of cannibals, or a kindly reception from a gentler race of
savages? Which? But it was too late now to discuss a question