which, from the appearance of the heavens, promised to be a dark
and tempestuous one.

There was no place near us which would in any way answer our
purpose, so turning our backs upon Nukuheva, we commenced
exploring the unknown regions which lay upon the other side of
the mountain.

In this direction, as far as our vision extended, not a sign of
life, nor anything that denoted even the transient residence of
man, could be seen. The whole landscape seemed one unbroken
solitude, the interior of the island having apparently been
untenanted since the morning of the creation; and as we advanced
through this wilderness, our voices sounded strangely in our
ears, as though human accents had never before disturbed the
fearful silence of the place, interrupted only by the low
murmurings of distant waterfalls.

Our disappointment, however, in not finding the various fruits
with which we had intended to regale ourselves during our stay in
these wilds, was a good deal lessened by the consideration that
from this very circumstance we should be much less exposed to a
casual meeting with the savage tribes about us, who we knew
always dwelt beneath the shadows of those trees which supplied
them with food.

We wandered along, casting eager glances into every bush we
passed, until just as we had succeeded in mounting one of the
many ridges that intersected the ground, I saw in the grass
before me something like an indistinctly traced footpath, which