The bride, who is a few years older than the prince, is being educated at the court of Queen Pomare, and instructed in the Christian religion, and the English and Tahitian languages.
The arrangements of the queen's residence are exceedingly simple.
For the present, until the stone house which is being built for her by the French government is completed, she lives in a wooden one containing four rooms, and partly furnished with European furniture.
As peace was now declared in Tahiti, there was no obstacle to my making a journey through the whole island.

I had obtained a fortnight's leave of absence from the captain, and was desirous of devoting this time to a trip.

I imagined that I should have been able to join one or other of the officers, who are often obliged to journey through the island on affairs connected with the government.
To my great surprise I found, however, that they had all some extraordinary reason why it was impossible for me to accompany them at that particular time.

I was at a loss to account for this incivility, until one of the officers themselves told me the answer to the riddle, which was this: every gentleman always travelled with his mistress.
Monsieur -- -, {78} who let me into the secret, offered to take me with him to Papara, where he resided; but even he did not travel alone, as, besides his mistress, Tati, the principal chief of the island, and his family, accompanied him.

This chief had come to Papeiti to be present at the fete of the 1st of May.
On the 4th of May we put off to sea in a boat, for the purpose of coasting round to Papara, forty-two miles distant.