More cheering and enthusiasm, and then the natives came through the
gate across the lawn, and up to the verandah where the king stood,
in one continuous procession, till 2400 Hawaiians had enjoyed one
moment of infinite and ever to be remembered satisfaction in the
royal presence. Every now and then the white, pale-eyed,
unpicturesque face of a foreigner passed by, but these were few, and
the foreign school children were received by themselves after Mr.
Lyman's boys. The Americans have introduced the villanous custom of
shaking hands at these receptions, borrowing it, I suppose, from a
presidential reception at Washington; and after the king had gone
through this ceremony with each native, the present was deposited in
front of the verandah, and the gratified giver took his place on the
grass. Not a man, woman, or child came empty handed. Every face
beamed with pride, wonder, and complacency, for here was a sovereign
for whom cannon roared, and yards were manned, of their own colour,
who called them his brethren.
The variety of costume was infinite. All the women wore the native
dress, the sack or holuku, many of which were black, blue, green, or
bright rose colour, some were bright yellow, a few were pure white,
and others were a mixture of orange and scarlet.
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