the winter months. Still, with good ground-tackle, there is not much
to be feared, and there is one particular spot, sheltered by the
Blonde reef, which is almost always safe. Here, accordingly, we have
taken up our station, though it is rather far from the town. Sometimes
it is impossible to land at Hilo itself for days together, but there
is fortunately a little creek behind Cocoa-nut Island which is always
accessible.

This afternoon the weather was all that could be desired, and at three
o'clock we landed and went straight to Mr. Conway's store to make
arrangements for going to the volcano of Kilauea to-morrow. Mr. Conway
sent a man off at once on horseback to warn the people at the
'Half-way House' and at 'Volcano House' to make preparations to
receive our party--a necessary precaution, as visitors to the island
are not numerous, and can only arrive by the monthly steamer from
Honolulu.

Having arranged this matter, we went for a stroll, among neat houses
and pretty gardens, to the suspension-bridge over the river, followed
by a crowd of girls, all decorated with wreaths and garlands, and
wearing almost the same dress that we had seen at Tahiti--a coloured
long-sleeved loose gown reaching to the feet. The natives here appear
to affect duller colours than those we have lately been accustomed to,
lilac, drab, brown, and other dark prints being the favourite tints.
Whenever I stopped to look at a view, one of the girls would come
behind me and throw a _lei_ of flowers over my head, fasten it round
my neck, and then run away laughing, to a distance, to judge of
effect. The consequence was that, before the end of our walk, I had
about a dozen wreaths, of various colours and lengths, hanging round
me, till I felt almost as if I had a fur tippet on, they made me so