f Island girls;
their stiffness, formality, and affectation contrasted with the artless
vivacity and unconcealed natural graces of these savage maidens. It would
be the Venus de Medici placed beside a milliner's doll.

It was not long before Kory-Kory and myself were left alone in the house,
the rest of its inmates having departed for the Taboo Groves. My valet was
all impatience to follow them; and was as fidgety about my dilatory
movements as a diner out waiting hat in hand at the bottom of the stairs
for some lagging companion. At last, yielding to his importunities, I set
out for the Ti. As we passed the houses peeping out from the groves
through which our route lay, I noticed that they were entirely deserted by
their inhabitants.

When we reached the rock that abruptly terminated the path, and concealed
from us the festive scene, wild shouts and a confused blending of voices
assured me that the occasion, whatever it might be, had drawn together a
great multitude. Kory-Kory, previous to mounting the elevation, paused for
a moment, like a dandy at a ball-room door, to put a hasty finish to his
toilet. During this short interval, the thought struck me that I ought
myself perhaps to be taking some little pains with my appearance. But as I
had no holiday raiment, I was not a little puzzled to devise some means of
decorating myself. However, as I felt desirous to create a sensation, I
determined to do all that lay in my power; and knowing that I could not
delight the savages more than by conforming to their style of dress, I
removed from my person the large robe of tappa which I was accustomed to
wear over my shoulders whenever I sallied into the open air, and remained
merely girt about with a short tunic descending from my waist to my knees.

My quick-witted attendant fully appreciated the compliment I was paying to
the costume of his race, and began more sedulously to arrange the folds of
the one only garment which remained to me. Whilst he was doing this, I
caught sight of a knot of young girls, who were sitting near us on the
grass surrounded by heaps of flowers, which they were forming into
garlands. I motioned to them to bring some of their handy-work to me; and
in an instant a dozen wreaths were at my disposal. One of them I put round
the apology for a hat which I had been forced to construct for myself out
of palmetto-leaves, and some of the others I converted into a splendid
girdle. These operations finished, w