Friday, December 8th.—­I persuaded Tom to make another excursion to the coral reef this morning, and at five o’clock he and Mabelle and I set off in the ‘Flash,’ just as the sun was rising.  We had a delightful row, past the Quarantine Island[11], to the portion of the reef on the other side of the harbour, where we had not yet been, and where I think the coral plants and flowers and bushes showed to greater advantage than ever, as they were less crowded, and the occasional patches of sandy bottom enabled one to see them better.  We were so engrossed in our examination of these marvels of the deep, and of the fish with which the water abounded, that we found ourselves aground several times, and our return to the yacht was consequently delayed.

[Footnote 11:  The native name is ‘Motu-iti,’ i.e. little island.]

After breakfast I had another visit from a man with war-cloaks, shell-belts, tapa, and reva reva, which he brought on board for my inspection.  It was a difficult task to make him understand what I meant, but at last I thought I had succeeded in impressing on his mind the fact that I wished to buy them, and that they would be paid for at the store.  The sequel unfortunately proved that I was mistaken.  At nine o’clock we set out for the shore, and after landing drove along the same road by which we had returned from our excursion round the island.[12] After seeing as much of the place as our limited time would allow, we drove over to Faataua, where we found the children and maids.  The grand piano, every table, and the drawing-room floor, were spread with the presents we were expected to take away with us.  There were bunches of scarlet feathers, two or three hundred in number, from the tail of the tropic bird, which are only allowed to be possessed and worn by chiefs, and which are of great value, as each bird produces only two feathers; pearl shells, with corals growing on them, red coral from the islands on the Equator, curious sponges and sea-weed, tapa cloth and reva-reva fringe, arrowroot and palm-leaf hats, cocoa-nut drinking vessels, fine mats plaited in many patterns, and other specimens of the products of the island.

[Footnote 12:  We paid a brief visit to Point Venus, whence Captain Cook observed the transit of Venus on November 9th, 1769, and we saw the lighthouse and tamarind tree, which now mark the spot.  The latter, from which we brought away some seed, was undoubtedly planted by Captain Cook with his own hand.]

[Illustration:  Tropic Feathers]

All the members of the royal family at present in Tahiti had been invited to meet us, and arrived in due course, including the heir-apparent and his brother and sister.  All the guests were dressed in the native costume, with wreaths on their heads and necks, and even the servants—­including our own, whom I hardly recognised—­were similarly decorated.  Wreaths had also been prepared for us, three of fragrant yellow flowers for Mabelle, Muriel, and myself, and others of a different kind for the gentlemen.