The Society Islands are most beautiful, Tahiti probably the gem of them all, but on arriving Stevenson was in no condition to appreciate their loveliness.  A cold contracted on the trip made him quite ill.  The trip had proved very dangerous even with the aid of a pilot, and twice they gave themselves up for lost when they were becalmed and drifted in toward the shore.  “The reefs were close in,” wrote Stevenson, “with my eye!  What a surf!  The pilot thought we were gone and the captain had a boat cleared, when a lucky squall came to our rescue.”

After landing his condition became so much worse his wife grew desperate and determined to find a comfortable spot for him.  After much trouble a Chinaman with a team was secured, who agreed to drive the entire family to Tautira, the largest village, sixteen miles away over a road crossed by no less than twenty-one streams.  On this uncertain venture they started, with the head of the family in a state of collapse, knowing nothing of the village they were going to or the living it would afford them.

None of them ever regretted the perseverance which led them on, however, for in all their wanderings in the South Seas before or after no place ever charmed them more, or were they received with greater hospitality than in Tautira.

The day after their arrival, Moe, an island princess and an ex-queen, visited them.  When she found Stevenson ill she insisted he and his family be moved to her own house where they could have more comforts.  The house at the time was occupied by Ori, a subchief, a subject and relative of the princess.  But he and his family gladly turned out to make room for the visitors and lived in a tiny house near by.

“Ori is the very finest specimen of native we have seen yet,” wrote Mrs. Stevenson.  “He is several inches over six feet, of perfect though almost gigantic proportions.”

As soon as her husband was strong enough to be about again he and Ori became great friends.  Finally, according to an island custom, Stevenson was adopted into Ori’s clan and became his brother.  This likewise meant exchanging names and Ori became Rui, the nearest possible approach to Louis since there is no L or S in the Tahitian language.  Louis in turn became Teriitera (pronounced Ter_ee_terah), which was Ori’s Christian name, Ori standing merely for his clan title.

To show their gratitude for the hospitality shown them by Ori and the people of the village, Stevenson decided to give a public feast.

The feast day was set for Wednesday, and the previous Sunday a chief issued the invitations from the Farehau, a house resembling an enormous bird-cage in the centre of the village, from which all the news was read aloud to the people once a week.

A feast of such size necessitated much preparation.