To enjoy mangoes thoroughly
you ought not to eat them in company, but leaning over the side of the
ship, in the early morning, with your sleeves tucked up to your
elbows, using no knife and fork, but tearing off the skin with your
teeth, and sucking the abundant juice.
We breakfasted at half-past six, and, at a little before eight, went
ashore, where we were met by a sort of _char-a-bancs_, or American
wagon, with three seats, one behind the other, all facing the horses,
and roomy and comfortable enough for two persons. Our Transatlantic
cousins certainly understand thoroughly, and do their best to improve
everything connected with, the locomotion they love so well. A Chinese
coachman and a thin but active pair of little horses completed the
turn-out. Mabelle sat beside the coachman, and we four packed into,
the other two seats, with all our belongings.
The sun was certainly _very_ powerful when we emerged from the shady
groves of Papeete, but there was a nice breeze, and sometimes we got
under the shade of cocoa-nut trees. We reached Punauia at about
half-past nine, and changed horses there. While waiting, hot and
thirsty, under the shelter of some trees, we asked for a cocoa-nut,
whereupon a man standing by immediately tied a withy of banana leaves
round his feet and proceeded to climb, or rather hop, up the nearest
tree, raising himself with his two hands and his feet alternately,
with an exactly similar action to that of our old friend the monkey on
the stick.
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