“What a delightful custom,” cried Mabel, smiling.
As they entered the village, all still remained quiet. Ahleka led them to one of the largest and most beautiful of the houses. After offering them seats on the comfortable rugs under the trellis that was a mass of fragrant bloom. “This,” said he, “was my house. Now it is yours. I will leave you now while I go to speak to my father, of you. I will soon return. These boys,” pointing to the one who had been in the canoe with the sailors, and another, who had been lying asleep on a mat, but had gotten up as they came in, “will wait upon you while I am gone.” Speaking a few words to the boys in his native tongue, he departed.
“That fellow looks like a prince, doesn’t he,” said Allen, “in spite of his dark skin and lack of clothing.”
“Indeed he does,” asserted Mabel, “and acts like one, too. I have never seen a prince, but he comes very near my ideal of one.”
“Look out Mabel,” laughed Etta, “and don’t let him play the part of Prince Charming.”
Allen cast a quick, keen glance at Mabel, who colored angrily and answered quickly: “There is no excuse for that remark.”
“Why, Mabel, you know I did not mean to annoy you,” said Etta, really sorry she had made so hasty a speech. “Do forgive me, it was only a joke.”
“That may be, but not a pleasant one. I do admire him very much as a savage, but the idea of putting myself on a level with a brown skinned heathen is not agreeable.
“Come, come, girls, don’t get to quarreling over our dusky friend,” exclaimed Captain Gray, “this sort of thing won’t do at all.” In a moment’s time, the girls had forgotten the little occurrence and all went on pleasantly.
The two boys now came out of the house, one of them carrying two peculiar looking water vessels. They consisted of large gourds covered with a curiously wrought net work of fine cord, the cords being gathered around the top into half a dozen handles by which to carry them conveniently. These calabashes had been filled with cool water from a little stream near by; into one of them a number of very fragrant ginger flowers had been thrown, giving to the water a delicate perfume. The water from this calabash, the boy emptied into a number of shallow gourds they had brought with them. One of the calabashes of perfumed water he sat before each of the party, putting beside each, a piece of something that looked like the finest cloth, but was in reality the bark of a tree, beaten to extreme thinness. It was so evident what was intended by these attentions that the travellers were not slow to avail themselves of this provision for their comfort, and found themselves much refreshed.