Before we reached the top of the
ravine, the last redness of twilight had died from off the
melancholy ocean, the black forms of mountains looked huge in the
darkness, and the wind sighed so eerily through the creaking
lauhalas, as to add much to the effect. It became so very dark that
I could only just see my horse's ears, and we found ourselves
occasionally in odd predicaments, such as getting into crevices, or
dipping off from steep banks; and it was in dense darkness that we
arrived above what appeared to be a valley with twinkling lights,
lying at the foot of a precipice, and walled in on all sides but one
by lofty mountains. It was rather queer, diving over the wooded
pali on a narrow track, with nothing in sight but the white jacket
of the native, who had already indicated that he was at the end of
his resources regarding the way, but just as a river gleamed
alarmingly through the gloom, a horseman on a powerful horse brushed
through the wood, and on being challenged in Hawaiian replied in
educated English, and very politely turned with me, and escorted me
over a disagreeable ferry in a scow without rails, and to my
destination, two miles beyond.
Yesterday, when I left, the morning was brilliant, and after
ascending the pali, I stayed for some time on an eminence which
commands the valley, presented by Mr.
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