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.
