Mr. Conway
sent a man off at once on horseback to warn the people at the
'Half-way House' and at 'Volcano House' to make preparations to
receive our party--a necessary precaution, as visitors to the island
are not numerous, and can only arrive by the monthly steamer from
Honolulu.
Having arranged this matter, we went for a stroll, among neat houses
and pretty gardens, to the suspension-bridge over the river, followed
by a crowd of girls, all decorated with wreaths and garlands, and
wearing almost the same dress that we had seen at Tahiti--a coloured
long-sleeved loose gown reaching to the feet. The natives here appear
to affect duller colours than those we have lately been accustomed to,
lilac, drab, brown, and other dark prints being the favourite tints.
Whenever I stopped to look at a view, one of the girls would come
behind me and throw a _lei_ of flowers over my head, fasten it round
my neck, and then run away laughing, to a distance, to judge of
effect. The consequence was that, before the end of our walk, I had
about a dozen wreaths, of various colours and lengths, hanging round
me, till I felt almost as if I had a fur tippet on, they made me so
hot; and yet I did not like to take them off for fear of hurting the
poor girls' feelings.
We walked along the river bank, and crossed to the other side just
below the rapids, jumping over the narrow channels through which the
water hurried and rushed.
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