r by their fire, and
determined to go in the afternoon to the falls, although it had
already begun to rain. We started off accordingly under the guidance
of Hans, the Indian. The rain gradually increased, with snow, and did
not hold up the whole day. After we had travelled good three hours
over high hills, we came to a high rocky one, where we could hear the
noise of the water, and clambering up to the top, saw the falls below
us, a sight to be seen in order to observe the power and wonder of
God.[305] Behind this hill the land is much higher than on the other
side, and continues so as far as is known. A kill or river runs
through this high land between the hills, formed by several branches
coming down from still higher land. This river, running along the
valley to seek the sea, comes to this hill where it runs over a large
blue rock, which is broken in two, obliquely with the river. One part
is dry, which is the hill before mentioned; the other is where the
river, running over a crevice or fissure between both, appears to be
eight or ten feet wide, having on either side smooth precipices like
walls, but some parts broken between them. The river finding this
chasm pours all its water into it headlong from a height, according to
guess, of about eighty feet; and all this pouring water must break
upon the undermost piece of stone lying in the crevice, which causes a
great roaring and foaming, so that persons standing there, side by
side, have to call out loud before they can understand each other. By
reason of the breaking of the water, and the wind which the falling
water carries with it, there is constantly spray ascending like smoke,
which scatters itself like rain. In this spray, when the sun shines,
the figure of a rainbow is constantly to be seen trembling and
shaking, and even appearing to move the rock. The water in this
fissure runs out on the south; and there at the end of the rock or
point it finds a basin, which is the beginning of the lower kill.
This point is, I judge, about one hundred feet above the water, and is
steep like an upright wall. When the fish come up the river, this
basin is so full of all kinds of them, that you can catch them with
your hands, because they are stopped there, and collect together,
refreshing themselves, and sporting in and under the falling fresh
water, which brings with it, from above, bushes, green leaves, earth,
and mire, in which they find food. The water runs hence east and