The first lieutenant of H.M.S. 'Fantome' came on board to pay
us a visit during the evening, and told us all the latest English and
American news, lending us some files of English papers--a great treat,
but no compensation for our disappointment about the letters.
_Thursday, December 28th_.--Tom and I went ashore at seven o'clock to
make arrangements for repairing our mizen-sail. We soon found a
sailmaker, who promised to set all hands to work and complete the job
as quickly as possible. Being detained by a heavy shower of rain, we
occupied the time in a gossip about Honolulu and its sayings and
doings. When the shower was over, we walked through the town, which is
clean and tidy, being laid out in squares, after the American style.
The houses are all of wood, and generally have verandahs overhanging
the street. They are seldom more than one story high, and nearly all
have a little greenery about them.
We returned to the yacht for breakfast, and, having heard that no
sharks ever came into the long, narrow bay, were able to enjoy, in
perfect peace of mind, the luxury of a bath overboard. It is a great
pity that in the tropics, where bathing is such a delightful
occupation, and where one might swim and paddle about for hours
without fear of getting cold, it is often impossible even to enter the
water for fear of the sharks.
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