I
could hardly hold my horse at all, and down hills as steep as the
east side of Arthur's Seat, over knife-like ridges too narrow for
two to ride abreast, and along side-tracks only a foot wide, we rode
at full gallop, till we pulled up at the top of a descent of 2,000
feet with a broad, rapid river at its feet, emerging from between
colossal walls of rock to girdle a natural lawn of the bright
manienie grass. There had been a "drive" of horses, and numbers of
these, with their picturesque saddles, were picketed there, while
their yet more picturesque, scarlet-shirted riders lounged in the
sun.
It was a difficult two hours' ride from thence to the Falls, worthy
of Hawaii, and since my adventures in the Hilo gulches I cannot
cross running water without feeling an amount of nervousness which I
can conceal, but cannot reason myself out of. In going and
returning, we forded the broad, rugged river twenty-six times,
always in water up to my horse's girths, and the bottom was so rocky
and full of holes, and the torrent so impetuous, that the animals
floundered badly and evidently disliked the whole affair. Once it
had been possible to ride along the edge, but the river had torn
away what there was of margin in a freshet, so that we had to cross
perpetually, to attain the rough, boulder-strewn strips which lay
between the cliffs and itself.
Pages:
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368