Was worse again this morning with biliousness. Had a lovely bathe in our cove. Miss O’Brien and I had a swimming race, and I won. After dinner it began to drizzle so we sat in the cave and read. Tide was too far out for a swim. Read in ‘Lands and Peoples’ a very interesting chapter about life in the South Sea Islands, of huge crabs 2 ft all around which climb coconut trees, eating the fruit, and how the natives ingeniously trap them by climbing after them and pasting mud thickly around the trunk high up. The crabs descending backwards, thinking they have reached terra firma leave go, fall and are killed. Tapu, ((The Polynesian word rendered in English as ‘taboo’.)) or certain prohibitions, is also prevalent, for the women cannot eat pig, bananas, wear anything dark-blue or scarlet or enter a canoe. But lately suffragettes have arrived who secured liberty for their sex. – After tea we stayed in, I was beaten by a gentleman in billiards by 100-60, and after 10 games of Coon Can with Miss O’Brien was also licked. Went to bed at 12.
