extremely insubordinate and mutinous, owing to not being used
to go into the bush, and being half-broken anyway - and that
the wrong half. The route indicated for my party was up the
bed of the so-called river Vaea, which I accordingly followed
to a distance of perhaps two or three furlongs eastward from
the house of Vailima, where the stream being quite dry, the
bush thick, and the ground very difficult, I decided to leave
the main body of the force under my command tied to a tree,
and push on myself with the point of the advance guard,
consisting of one man. The valley had become very narrow and
airless; foliage close shut above; dry bed of the stream much
excavated, so that I passed under fallen trees without
stooping. Suddenly it turned sharply to the north, at right
angles to its former direction; I heard living water, and
came in view of a tall face of rock and the stream spraying
down it; it might have been climbed, but it would have been
dangerous, and I had to make my way up the steep earth banks,
where there is nowhere any footing for man, only fallen
trees, which made the rounds of my ladder. I was near the
top of this climb, which was very hot and steep, and the
pulses were buzzing all over my body, when I made sure there
was one external sound in my ears, and paused to listen. No
mistake; a sound of a mill-wheel thundering, I thought, close
by, yet below me, a huge mill-wheel, yet not going steadily,
but with a SCHOTTISCHE movement, and at each fresh impetus
shaking the mountain. There, where I was, I just put down
the sound to the mystery of the bush; where no sound now
surprises me - and any sound alarms; I only thought it would
give Jack a fine fright, down where he stood tied to a tree
by himself, and he was badly enough scared when I left him.