It occupied two sides of a pretty little bay, the third side being flat land given over to the cultivation of an enormous species of gourd whose characteristic yellow flowers and green, succulent leaves were discernible even at this distance.
I branched off along the edge of the surf and down a dainty little flowery path, noticing meanwhile how the whole bay was filled by hundreds of empty canoes, while scores of others were drawn up on the strand, and then the first thing I chanced upon was a group of people--youthful, of course, with the eternal Martian bloom--and in the splendid simplicity of almost complete nakedness.

My first idea was that they were bathing, and fixing my eyes on the tree-tops with great propriety, I gave a warning cough.

At that sound instead of getting to cover, or clothes, all started up and stood staring for a time like a herd of startled cattle.

It was highly embarrassing; they were right in the path, a round dozen of them, naked and so little ashamed that when I edged away modestly they began to run after me.

And the farther they came forward the more I retired, till we were playing a kind of game of hide-and-seek round the tree-stems.