“That’s a native horse,” explained Mr. Wales. “See, he’s blindfolded. Most of them are only half-broken and are driven that way. Be careful that you don’t any of you get run over while you’re here.”
“They don’t go up on the sidewalks, do they?” inquired Babbie, anxiously.
Mr. Wales laughed. “I guess not often, but most of the streets haven’t any sidewalks. You have to walk in the road most of the time here. And remember that you must pass to the left instead of to the right.”
“How lovely!” exclaimed Babbie. “Need we ride up to the hotel, Mr. Wales? I think we ought to get some practice right away in passing to the left.”
Everybody preferred to walk, and the party set out forthwith. Mr. Wales had already told the girls that the main hotel down on the water-front had filled up unexpectedly, and that in order to give them all rooms near together the manager had offered to open the “annex” up on the hill. This was really another hotel that the owners of the Colonial had recently bought. “The Merry Hearts” would have it and its beautiful grounds practically to themselves, and would be driven down to the main hotel three times a day for their meals.
“The annex is really much prettier and cooler than the Colonial,” explained Mrs. Wales. “We wanted to move up there with you, but we decided that it would be foolish for so short a time. Besides, all the sail-boats leave from our wharf, and our piazzas overlook the bay. So it’s really pleasanter to have some of us in one place, where there’s more breeze, and some in the other, where the water is.”
“Isn’t the sun hot, though?” sighed Babe, as they climbed one of the steep streets that lead up to the crest of the hill.
“Oh, you’ll soon get used to that,” said Mr. Wales cheerfully.
“I’m not so sure,” laughed Mrs. Wales. “It takes more than a week or two to get used to tropical sunshine, I think. But there’s one comfort; you don’t need to do anything while you’re here but sit on a shady piazza and look at the bay and the flowers.”
“Nonsense, mother,” laughed Mr. Wales. “Do you think these girls have come down here to sit still and twirl their thumbs? There’s a cricket match this afternoon, girls, up at the golf-club. Want to go?”