All lights were ordered extinguished, and even the beacon of Point Venus was dark.  The enlisted natives were sent to watch on every headland, a cabinet meeting was held,—­the apothecary, and the governor, and the secretaries, and the doctor,—­and it was determined to save the money of the city and the archives of the Government.  The valuables and the papers were put in strong boxes and the governor and all of them made a mad race for this fort.”

The princess covered her mouth with her hand to still her laughter.

“Was it not funny?  They arrived here at daybreak, and buried the boxes.  They were still at it when an officer of marines came hurrying to notify them that the frigates were French schooners from the Paumotus.  The whole population had hidden itself away in the meantime.  Well, they had many jokes about it and many songs, but the governor built this house on the steps of which we sit as a permanent depository for archives in case of war, and here he used to come for picnics until a few years ago.  There was a post-office, with a guard of sailors, here.  They planted the garden, the flowers, and strawberries that now run wild.  You know our chiefs were always being secretly warned that England, which owns most of the islands in these seas, wanted to seize our island.”

Over the Diadem the dark shadows were lengthening.  The daring pinnacles of Maiauo were thrust up like the mangled fingers of a black hand against the blue sky.

Noanoa Tiare pointed to them.

“The ahiahi comes.  Night is not far off,” she said warningly.  “If we lingered here much longer, we might have to stay all the night.”

“How memorable to me would be a sunrise from here,” I replied.  “I would never forget it.”

She looked at me archly over her shoulder.

“I would like it myself.  It would be magnificent, and I have never spent the night just here.”

She considered a moment, and my mind took up the matter of arrangements.  We could cook feis, and there was plenty of other fruit, with shelter in the house, if we needed that.  We could start down early and be at Lovaina’s for the first dejeuner.  Zeus! to pass the night in such a solitude!  To hear in the pitch darkness the mysterious voices of po, the tenebrae of the Tahitian gods; the boom of the cascade in the abyss; the deep bass of the river in the rocky chute; the sigh of the wind in the trees; the murmur of the stream near by; the fantasia and dirge of the lofty night in the tropics.  What a setting for her telling some old legend or fairy-tale of Tahiti!

Fragrance of the Jasmine ended my reverie.  She slapped her thigh.

“I dine and dance to-night at eight o’clock,” she said.  “A rohi!  We must go!  Besides, Maru, it would be too cold without blankets.  The mercury here goes to sixty of your thermometer.”