Island Nights' Entertainments

house was like a mechanics' debating society: Uma was so made up that I shouldn't go into the bush by night, or that, if I did, I was never to come back

ing my pearls before her? I thought; some of her ow

fish out your Bible, and I'll take that

a Bible

ka ignorance," said I.

on: Printed for the British and Foreign Bible Society, Blackfriars,' and the date, which I can't read, owing to its being in these X's. There's no devil in

," said she. "White man

"Why would these islands all be ch

got breadfru

dry up, for I'm tired of you. I'll take the Bible, which'll put me

and woods were all clean gone. I suppose it might be eight o'clock when I took the road, laden like a donkey. First there was that Bible, a book as big as your head, which I had let myself in for by my own tomfoolery. Then there was my gun, and knife, and lantern, and patent matches, all necessary. And then there was the real plant of the affair in hand, a mortal weight

an looking for the matches in his bed-room. I knew it was risky to light up, for my lantern would be visible all the way to the point of the cape, and as no one went there after dark, it would be talk

o climb the path I took it easier. The fearsomeness of the wood had been a good bit rubbed off for me by Master Case's banjo-strings and graven images, yet I thought it was a dreary walk, and guessed, when the disciples went up there, they must be badly scared. The light of the lantern, striking among all these trunks and forked branches and twisted rope-ends of lianas, made the whole place, or all that you could see of it, a kind of a puzzle of turning shadows.

shell eyes, and their clothes and their hair hanging. One after another I pulled them all up and piled them in a bundle on the cellar roof, so as they might go to glory with the rest. Then I chose a place

says I. "You

epped out of the cellar and argued it fore and back. There was a sound of the sea far down below me on the coast; nearer hand not a leaf stirred; I might have been the only living creature this side of Cape Horn. Well, as I stood there thinking, it seemed the bush woke and became full of little noises. Little noises they were, and nothing to hurt-a bit of a crackle, a bit of a rush-but the breath jumpe

here, coming right up out of the desert and the bad bush-there, sure enough, was a devil-woman, just as the way I had figured she would

in a kind of a high whisper. "Why you tal

ty, Uma, is th

he. "I come quick

e?" I asked. "

she whispered, clutch

the one to laugh at you, Mrs. Wiltshire, for I'm ab

my heels that the lantern was her guide across the beach, and afterwards, by the glimmer of it in the trees, she got her line up hill. It was only when I had got to the top or was in the cellar that she wandered Lord knows where! and lost a sight of precious time, afraid to

out the paint, and perhaps some chatter of Maea's, had got us all in a clove hitch. One thing was clear: Uma and I were here for the night; we daren't try to go home before day, and even then it would be safe

urn, and thinking we were going aloft with Tiapolo, which was none of my views. The second took to a better rate, though faster than I cared about; and at that I got my wits again,

get this night. You're a trump,

on her but her kilt; and she was all wet with the dews and the sea on the black

raid," was a

have left lighted, so that I could have had a crack at Case when he stepped into the shine of it. And even if I hadn't had the wit to do that, it seemed a senseless thing to leave the good lantern to blow up with the graven images. The thing belonged to me, after all, and was worth money, and might come in handy. If I could have trusted the match,

the nasty bogy glimmer of the dead wood, and that showed you nothing but itself; and as for sounds, I stretched my ears till I thought I could have heard the match burn in the tunnel, and that bush was as silent as

d lighted up so that you could see to read. And then the trouble began. Uma and I were half buried under a wagonful of earth, and glad it was no worse, for one of the rocks at the entrance of the tunnel was fired clean into the air, fe

round me on the flat; some had fallen below in the valley, and some stuck and flared in the tree-tops. I had no fear of fire, for these forests are too wet to kindle. But the trouble was that the place was all lit up-not very bright, but good enough to get a shot by; and the

and body, not four yards away from me. I cast a mighty noticing glance all round; there was still no Case, an

brute had a Winchester, and before I could as much as see him his second shot knocked me over like a nine-pin. I seemed to fly in the air, then came down by the run and lay half a minute, silly; and then I found my hands empty, and my gun had flown over my head as I fell. It makes a man mighty

her tree like a sensible woman, knowing she would be only in the way; but as soon as

t before. No more of that for me. He had knocked over my girl, I had got to fix him for it; and I lay there and gritted my teeth, and footed up the chances. My leg was broke,

low glow in it like a fire on its last legs. It was by this that I made out Case's head looking at me over a big tuft of ferns, and at the same time the brute saw me and shouldered his Winchester. I lay quite still, and as good as lo

d miss you by a hair. But I did, and lucky too. A while Case stood with the Winchester

you had the wit of a lou

chester had gone the same road as my shot-gun; it was nothing to me-I defied him now. I'm a pretty strong man anyway, but I never knew what strength was till I got hold of Case. He was knocked out of time by the rattle he came down with, and threw up his hands t

feel the point of that? That's for Underhill! And there's for Adams! And now

rth. His body kicked under me like a spring sofa; he

his own example too close before me for that; and I tried to draw the knife out to give it him again. The blood cam

ldn't remember where I was nor why I was in such pain nor what I was all wetted with. Then it came back, and the first thing I attended to

now," I said, and t

ve to go and grope for her, foule

I got over to her the best way I was able, and when I got there she was broad awake, and crying and sobbing to herself with no more noise than an insect. It appears she was afraid to cry out loud, because of the aitus. Altogether she was not much hurt, but scared beyond belief; she had come to her senses a long while ago, cried out to me, heard nothing in reply, made out we were both dead, and had lain there ever since, afraid to budge a finger. The ball had ploughed up her shoulder, and she had lost a main quantity of blood; but I soon had that tied up the way it ought to be w

n to change, the east came orange, the whole wood began to whi

light, I heard sticks smashing and a lot of Kanakas laughing, and singing out to keep their courage up. Uma sat up quite brisk at the first word of it; and presently we saw a party come stringing out

f hell. I had it out with him afterwards, told him he had scamped his duty, and what he had ought to have done was to up like a man and tell the Kanakas plainly Case was damned, and a good riddance; but I never could get him to see it my way. Then they made me a litter of poles and carried me down

a station on the Papa-malulu side; did very bad business, for the truth is neither of the pair was fit for it, and lived mostly on fish, which was the means of Randall's death. It seems there was a nice shoal in one day, and papa went after them with the dynamite; either the match burned too fast, or papa was full, or both, but the shell went off (in the usual way) before he threw it, and where was papa's hand? Well, there's nothing to hurt in that; the islands up north

d I filled her up, and gave her a deck-cargo half as high as the house. I must sa

asn't difficult to do, Case being gone; but I have done it, and given my pledge b

it, and water their copra in a proportion so that it's fair all round; but the truth is, it did use to bother me, and, though I did well in Fal

e away the roof off the station. Well, it seems it's natural in Kanakas. She's turned a powerful big woman now, and could thr

ry I ever struck, and now, it seems, he's parsonising down Somerset way.

's country, though Ben took the eldest up to Auckland, where he's being schooled with the best. But what bothers me is the girls. They're only half-castes, of course; I know that as well as you do, and

OTTLE

idea of a piece once rendered popular by the redoubtable O. Smith. The root idea is there and identical, and yet I hope I have made it a new th

bones of Keawe the Great lie hidden in a cave. This man was poor, brave, and active; he could read and write like a schoolmaster; he was a first-rate mariner besides, sailed for some time in the isl

take no care for the morrow!" The thought was in his mind when he came abreast of a house that was smaller than some others, but all finished and beautified like a toy; the steps of that house shone like silver, and the borders of the garden bloomed like garlands, and the windows were bright like diamond; and Keawe stopped and wondered at the excellence of all he saw. So stoppin

nodded, and beckoned Keawe to enter,

the man, and bitterly sighed. "Woul

the roof, and there was nothing there that was n

lived in the like of it, I should be laughing all day

not have a house in all points similar to this, and

awe; "but a house like this wil

more," said he, "for it may raise you trouble in t

se?" ask

hough I appear to you so rich and fortunate, all my fortune, and this house itse

ng neck; the glass of it was white like milk, with changing rainbow colours i

we laughed, "You do not believe me?" he added. "T

e floor till he was weary; but it jumped on the

"For by the touch of it, as well as by

is command; all that he desires-love, fame, money, houses like this house, ay, or a city like this city-all are his at the word uttered. Napoleon had this bottle, and by it he grew to be the king of the world; but he sold it at the last, and fell. Ca

of selling it your

cannot do-he cannot prolong life; and, it would not be fair to conceal from you, there is

meddle with the thing. I can do without a house, thank God; but there is

u have to do is to use the power of the imp in moderation, and then sel

me you keep sighing like a maid in love, that is one;

any millions of dollars; but it cannot be sold at all, unless sold at a loss. If you sell it for as much as you paid for it, back it comes to you again like a homing pigeon. It follows that the price has kept falling in these centuries, and the bottle is now remarkably cheap. I bought it myself from one of my great neighbours on this hill, and the price I paid was only ninety dollars. I could

that this is all t

ke the bottle, and wish your fifty dollars back into your pocket. If that does not

deceiving me?

himself with

that can do no harm." And he paid over his mon

dollars back." And sure enough he had scarce sai

is a wonderful bo

y fine fellow, and the devil go

't want any more of this fun.

s. "It is yours now; and, for my part, I am only concerned to see the back of you."

de a losing bargain," thinks he. "But perhaps the man was only fooling me." The first thing he did was to count his money; the sum wa

away. Twice he looked back, and there was the milky, round-bellied bottle where he left it. A third time he looked back, and turned a corner; but he had scarce done

s like the tru

secret place in the fields. And there he tried to draw the cork, but as oft

we, and all at once he began to shake and

ad an idea. So he went in and offered the bottle for a hundred dollars. The man of the shop laughed at him at the first, and offered him five; but, indeed, it was a curious bottle-such glass was never blown in any human glassworks, so prettily the colou

r fifty-or, to say truth, a little less, because one of my dolla

hest, there was the bottle, and had come more quickly than h

d Lopaka, "that you

forecastle, and Keawe bound

u are sure of the trouble, and you had better have the profit in the bargain. Make up your mind what you want with it; give the order, and if

s in the garden, glass in the windows, pictures on the walls, and toys and fine carpets on the tables, for all the world like the house I was in this da

to Hawaii; and if all comes true, as you suppose, I

olulu, carrying Keawe and Lopaka, and the bottle. They were scarce come ashore

I am to be condole

end, "your uncle-that good old man-is dead, and y

But Lopaka was thinking to himself, and presently, when Keawe's grief was a little abated, "I

they are on the mountain-side

ll now be yours

Keawe, and began again to

thought in my mind. How if this should be the doing of

e by killing my relatives. But it may be, indeed; for it was i

er, is not yet bu

e coffee and ava and bananas, it will not be more than will ke

" said Lopaka; "I have st

red Keawe's uncle had grown monstrous rich in

money for the hou

the lawyer, "here is the card of a new ar

. "Here is all made plain for us.

itect, and he had drawin

aid the architect. "How do you like th

ng, he cried out aloud, for it was th

like the way it comes to me, I am in for it now, an

urnished, and about the pictures on the wall and the knick-knacks on the tables

pen and made a computation; and when he had don

looked at one a

and I fear I will get little good by that; and of one thing I am sure, I will make no more wishes as long a

gain and sailed to Australia; for it was concluded between them they should not interfere at all,

e favours from the devil. The time was up when they got back. The architect told them that the house was ready, and Keawe and Lopaka took a pass

water and as bright as day. All manner of furniture adorned the chambers. Pictures hung upon the wall in golden frames: pictures of ships, and men fighting, and of the most beautiful women, and of singular places; nowhere in the world are there pictures of so bright a colour as those Keawe found hanging in his house. As for the knick-knacks, they were extraordinary fine; chiming clocks and musical boxes, little men with nodding heads, books filled with pictures, weapons of price from all quarters of the world, and the most elegant puzzles to entertain the leisure of a solit

all, Keawe and Lopa

paka, "is it all

we. "It is better than I dreamed,

ing whatever to say to it. If I were to buy the bottle, and got no schooner after all, I should have put my han

more favours," said Keawe. "I

gained by that, and so nothing to be ashamed of; and yet, if I once saw him, I should be sure of the whole matter

The imp may be very ugly to view; and if you once set e

said Lopaka. "And here

e a curiosity myself. So come, let

and there sat Keawe and Lopaka turned to stone. The night had quite come, before either found a t

y foot. Well, I shall get my schooner and a dollar or two for my pocket; and then I will be rid o

o go by so late, but I declare since I have seen that little face, I cannot eat or sleep or pray till it is gone from me. I will give you a lantern and a

he way by the tombs, must be all tenfold more dangerous to a man with such a sin upon his conscience, and such a bottle under his arm. But for my part, I am so extremely terrified myself, I have

tched the lantern go shining down the path, and along the cliff of caves where the old dead are buried; and all the time he tr

ulu newspapers; but when anyone came by they would go in and view the chambers and the pictures. And the fame of the house went far and wide; it was called Ka-Hale Nui-the Great House-in all Kona; and sometimes the Bright House, for Keawe kept a Chinaman, who was all day dusting and f

ys go abroad in the sides of Kona; and having already meddled with the devil, he was the more chary of meeting with the dead. A little beyond Honaunau, looking far ahead, he was aware of a woman bathing in the edge of the sea; and she seemed a well-grown girl, but he thought no more of it. Then he saw her white shift f

this country," said he. "How c

said the girl, "and I have just

w. For I have a thought in my mind, and if you knew who I was, you might have heard of me,

"It is you who ask questions," sh

ur eyes, which are like the stars, and my heart went to you as swift as a bird. And so now, if you want none of me, say so, and I will go on to my own place; but

rd, but she looked at

I will take that for the good answer; so

y sometimes she glanced back and glanced away again

f the great house had come to her ears; and, to be sure, it was a great temptation. All that evening they were very merry together; and the girl was as bol

you who I was, because I have so fine a house, and I feared you would think too much of that house and too lit

time she did not laugh, n

young man that she had seen but twice she would have left father and mother and her native islands. As for Keawe himself, his horse flew up the path of the mountain under the cliff of tombs, and the sound of the hoofs, and the sound of Keawe singing to himself for pleasure, echoed in the caverns of the dead. He came to the Bri

op; and all shelves about me toward the worse. For the first time I will light up the chambers, and ba

is master; and Keawe went into the bathroom; and the Chinaman heard him sing as he filled the marble basin; and heard him sing, and the singing broken, as he undressed; until of a sudden, the song ceased. The Chinaman listened, and listened; he called up

a patch like a patch of lichen on a rock, and it was then that he stopped singing. For

s, and depart from all his friends to the north coast of Molokai between the mighty cliff and the sea-breakers. But what was that to the case of the

ng, with a cry, and ran outside; and to and fro, t

papa by the cliffs, to live with the smitten and to sleep there, far from my fathers. But what wrong have I done, what sin lies upon my soul, that I should have encountered Kokua coming cool from the sea-water in the evening?

of his sickness; but he reckoned nothing of that, if he must lose Kokua. And again, he might have wed Kokua even as he was; and so many woul

on of that bottle. He went round to the back porch, and called to memory the

to risk the flames of hell. But what other hope have I to cure my sickness or to wed Kokua? What!" h

to Honolulu. "There must I go first," he thought, "and see Lopaka. For the best

caves, and he envied the dead that slept there and were done with trouble; and called to mind how he had galloped by the day before, and was astonished. So he came down to Hookena, and there was all the country gathered for the steamer as usual. In the shed b

spirits," said one to another. Inde

and the forepart with wild bulls from Hilo and horses from Kau; but Keawe sat apart from all in his sorrow, and watched for the house of Kiano. There it sat, low upon the shore in the black rocks, and sh

ank whiskey as their custom is; but Keawe walked the deck all night; and all the next day, as they steam

he islands-and was gone upon an adventure as far as Pola-Pola or Kahiki; so there was no help to be looked for from Lopaka. Keawe called to mind a friend of his, a lawyer in the town (I must not tell his

arden no greater than walking-sticks, and the lawye

to serve you?"

nd Lopaka purchased from me a certain piece of go

he, "though this is an ugly business to be stirring in. You may be sure I know nothing, but

from one to another, finding everywhere new clothes and carriages, and fine new houses and men everywher

little imp, and these glad faces are the faces of men who have taken their profit and got rid of the ac

e new house, and the young garden, and the electric light shining in the windows; but when the owner came, a shock of hope and fear ran through Keawe; for here was a young

d so with this man he noways veiled his err

aole of Beritania Street

seemed to choke, and seizing Keawe by the arm carrie

about with Haoles in his time. "Yes," he added, "I

glass slip through his fingers, a

; "the price! You do

Keawe. "But why are you so much concerned

value since your time, Mr. Keawe

less to pay for it," says Keaw

white as a sheet. "

words died upon Keawe's tongue; he who bought it could never sell it again, the bottle and the bo

ied. "You can have all my fortune in the bargain. I was mad when I bought it at that

the proper punishment of your own disgrace; and you think I could hesitate with love in front of me.

pped himself before a glass, his flesh was whole like an infant's. And here was the strange thing: he had no sooner seen this miracle, than his mind was changed within him, and he cared naught for the Chinese Evil, and little enough for Kokua; and had but the one

ng happy faces, walked to and fro, and heard the tunes go up and down, and saw Berger beat the measure, and all the while he heard the flames crackle, and saw the r

"and once more let me take t

r, and as soon as it could be managed he was wedded to Koku

d clung to his; and she was so fashioned from the hair upon her head to the nails upon her toes that none could see her without joy. She was pleasant in her nature. She had the good word always. Full of song she was, and went to and fro in the Bright House, the brightest thing in its three storeys, carolling like the b

dth of the Bright House betwixt. Keawe was so sunk in his despair, he scarce observed the change, and was only glad he had more hours to sit alone and brood upon his destiny, and was not so frequently condemned

said. "And yet I would give the head off my b

ur mouth, and your face was as bright as the sunrise. Then you wedded poor Kokua; and the good God knows what is amiss in her-but from that day you

And I had thought all this while to spare you! Well, you shall know all. Then, at least, you will pity poor Keawe; then you will understand how much he loved you

d her all, even f

ied "Ah, well, then what do I care!

yet, when I consider of the fi

t. I tell you, Keawe, I shall save you with these hands, or perish in your company. What

t difference would that make?" he cried, "except to

!" she cried, "that makes it scarcely better, for the buyer must be lost, and we shall find none so brave as my Keawe! But, then, there is France; they have a small coin there which they call a centime, and these go five to the cent or there-about. We could not do better. Come, Keawe, let

e for desiring aught so good! Be it as you will, then; take me

rich folks, or who will believe in the bottle?" All the time of her preparation she was as gay as a bird; only when she looked upon Keawe, the tears would spring in her eye, and she must run and kiss him. As for Keawe, a weight was off his soul; now that he had his secret shared, and

isco with a crowd of Haoles, and at San Francisco took their passage by the mail brigantine, the Tropic Bird, for Papeete, the chief place of the French in the south islands. Thither they came, after a pleasant voyage, on a fair day of the Trade Wind,

s it was very easy to do, so long as they had the bottle in their possession; for Kokua was more bold than Keawe, and, whenever she had a mind, called on the imp for twenty or a hundred dollars.

you offered to sell them for four centimes the spring of health and riches inexhaustible. It was necessary besides to explain the dangers of the bottle; and either people disbelieved the whole thing and laughed, or they thought the more of the darker part, became overcast with gravity, and drew away from Keawe and Kokua, as fr

es they would have the bottle out upon the floor, and sit all evening watching how the shadow hovered in the midst. At such times they would be afraid to go to rest. It was long ere slumber came to them, and, if either dozed off, it would be to

spy the bottle on the floor. Outside it blew high, the great trees of the avenue cried aloud, and the fallen leaves rattled in the verandah. In the midst of this Kokua was aware of another sound; whether of a beast or of a man she

her. Keawe had borne himself before his wife like a brave man; it became her little in the

that he now beholds so close to him the flames of hell-ay, and smells the smoke of it, lying without there in the wind and moonlight. Am I so dull of spirit that never till now I have surmised my duty, or have I seen it before and turned aside? But no

r side; for this coin is little used, and they had made provision at a Government office. When she was forth in the avenue clouds came on t

"what do you here abr

or coughing, but she made out that he was

stranger to another, and as an old man to a yo

eight islands, and even my old soul you seek to entan

tell you a tale." And she told him the st

him myself and offered to buy it, he would refuse. But if you go, he will sell it eagerly; I will await you he

id the old man, "I think G

he would. I could not be so trea

times and await me he

s tossed in the light of the street lamp, and they seemed to her the snatching hands of evil ones. If she had had the strength, she must have run away, and

n returning, and he had

our husband weeping like a child; to-night he

ed, "take the good with the evil-as

te of the grave to take a favour from the devil. But what

me a moment. It is my hand resists, my flesh shri

u fear; your soul misgives you. Well, let me keep it. I am old,

is your money. Do you think I am so

u, child," sa

same to her, and led equally to hell. Sometimes she walked, and sometimes ran; sometimes she screamed out loud in the night, and sometimes lay by the wayside

he house. It was even as the old man said-Keawe slumbe

our turn to sing and laugh. But for poor Kokua, alas! that meant no evil-for poor

s side, and her misery was so extreme t

words stuck in her mouth, it mattered not; Keawe did the speaking. She ate not a bite, but who was to observe it? for Keawe cleared the dish. Kokua saw and heard him, like som

, and thanking her for saving him, and fondling her, and calling her the true hel

But no one can judge by appearances. For wh

ua, humbly, "his purpo

hed like a

quite impossible. The margin is not broad enough, the thing begins to smell of scorching-brrr!" said he, and shuddered. "It is true I bought it myself at a cent,

the eternal ruin of another? It seems to me I could not laugh. I would be h

ighty-teighty!" cried he. "You may be filled with melancholy if you please. It i

ent out, and K

any, here was her husband hurrying her away to a country where there was nothing lower than

t in the house, and now had the bottle out and viewed it with

e back, and would ha

aid. "I am out of heart. Excu

she was brooding over the case of the old man; and with himself,

d is just saved from eternal ruin, which he encountered for the love

drove into the country, and there drank again. All the time Keawe was ill at ease, because he was taking this pastime while hi

, a digger in gold mines, a convict in prisons. He had a low mind and a foul mouth; he loved to drink and

are rich, you have been always saying.

I will go back and get some mon

Never you trust a petticoat with dollars. They'r

e's mind; for he was muddled

y else should she be so cast down at my release? But I will show

aboose, and went forward up the avenue alone to the door of his house. The night had come again; there was a

re her was a milk-white bottle, with a round belly and a

miss, and the bottle had come back to him as it came at San Francisco; and at that his knees were loosened, and the fumes of the wine departed

sure of this,

as though he were but now returned. And, lo! by the time he opened the front door no bott

"I have been with good companions, and now I only come back

as stern as judgment, but Kok

own, my husband," said sh

to the chest and took out money. But he looked besides in the c

n about him like a wreath of smoke, for he saw he was lost now, and there wa

up; but the sweat streamed on his face as th

urn to carouse with my jolly companions," and at that he laughed a li

a moment; she kissed his

, "I asked but

y of the other," said Keawe,

aid in at their arrival. It was very sure he had no mind to be drinking. His wife had given

ld calaboose, there was

unless you help me to recover it, there can

u are serious about that b

said Keawe. "Do I loo

boatswain. "You look

am not much mistaken) she will give you instantly. Bring it to me here, and I will buy it back from you for one; for that is the law wi

u making a fool of me?

no harm if I am,

mate," said t

r of the house, wish to have your pocket full of money, or a bottle of th

try; but if you are having your fun out of me, I

ar the same spot where Kokua had waited the night before; but Keawe was more re

ng in the darkness of the avenue. He knew the voice to be the boat

ad the devil's bottle buttoned in his coat; another bottle was in his

" said Keawe.

ake a step near me, and I'll smash your mouth. You

ou mean?"

this is; that's what I mean. How I got it for two centimes

won't sell?"

in. "But I'll give you a dri

e, "the man who has tha

's the best thing to go with I've struck yet. No, sir!" he cried a

cried. "For your own sake,

a flat; now you see I'm not; and there's an end. If you won't have a swallow

e towards town, and there goe

was their joy that night; and great, since then, has

LE OF

n more cunning than that prophet; he read the stars, he could divine by the bodies of the dead, and by the means of evil creatures: he could go al

was any man more feared: of his enemies, some had dwindled in sickness by the virtue of his incantations, and some had been spirited away, the life and the clay both, so that folk looked in vain for so much as a bone of their bodies. It w

; and yet he was more white to look upon than any foreigner: his hair the colour of dry grass, and his eyes

m. Kalamake was a man that spared for nothing, whether to eat or to drink, or to wear; and for all he paid in bright new dollars. "Bright as Kalamake's dollars," was anothe

be wondering why they were so many, and when he woke at morn he would be wondering why they were all new; and the thing was never absent from his mind. But this day of all days he made sure in his heart of some discovery. For it seems he had observed the place where Kalamake kept his treasure, which was a lock-fast desk against the parlour wall, under the print of Kamehameh

ght, "I shall know for certain that the man is a war

there was his father-in-la

he steamer

s but to call at Pelekunu,

and I must take you in my confidence, Keola, for the

ing-chair, and a table and a sofa in the European style. There was a shelf of books besides, and a family Bible in the midst o

d set open the lid of the desk. From this he brought forth a pair of necklaces hung with charms

ht marvels, and this among the rest; but that was at night, in the dark, under the fit star

the same place a mat of a wonderfully fine texture, and heaped the herbs and leaves on sand in a tin pa

said the warlock

swim and his eyes darken, and the sound of Kalamake muttering ran in his ears. And suddenly, to the mat on which they were standing came a snatch or twitch, that seemed to be more swift than lightning. In the same wink the room was gone and the house, the breath all beaten from Keola's body.

o himself the first, because he was the

panted Kalamake.

of God, where ar

the borders of the wood, and bring me the leaves of such and such a herb, and such and such a tree, which you will find to grow there plentifully-three hand

hining sand and coral, strewn with sing

beach? I will come here

of the Eight Islands, but tall and fresh and beautiful, and hanging ou

enly!" For it was winter in Hawaii, and the day had been chill. And he thought also, "Where are the grey mountains? And where is the high cliff wi

, but the tree further back. Now, as Keola went toward the tree, he was

rve him and escape; and seeing that she still looked before her, stood and hummed aloud. Up she leaped at the sound. Her face was ashen; she

d; I will not eat you." And he had scarce opened h

thought Keola. And, not think

calling and warning others. And presently he saw more people running-men, women and children, one with another, all running and crying like

"All this is like a dream and shadows

one saw me,"

broad sun invisible by reason of these charms. Yet they h

und the mat with stones, and

but for a little moment) I must do my errand; and before the ashes blacken, the same power that brought us carri

en bathing. As he ran, he kept stooping to snatch shells; and it seemed to Keola that they glittered as he took them. The leaves blazed wit

a. "Back! The leav

n the mat. The wind of his leaping blew it out; and with that the beach was gone, and the sun and the sea, and they stood once more in the dimness of the shuttered parlour, and

his son-in-law apart, and gav

nk you slept this afternoon on the verandah, and dreamed as you were sleeping.

to that affair. But it ran all the while in Keola's

, "when I have a father-in-law

. He spent it all upon fine c

ncertina, with which I might have entertained myself all

and he leaves me to pine for a concertina! Let him beware: I am no child, I am as cunning as he,

e," said Lehua. "He is a

is fingers. "I have him by the nose. I can make h

shook

was a noble of the House of Representatives, and went to Honolulu every year; and not a bone or a hair of him was found. Remember Kamau, and how he wasted to a t

make, but he was vain too; and the

will show how much you are deceived." And he went straig

id he, "I want

ndeed?" sa

ly, I mean to have it. A man who picks up dollars

much pleased I am to find I was mistaken. Now I begin to think I may have found an assistant and successor in my difficult busin

rn to the beac

crets. Last time I taught you to pick shells; this time I shall te

"But why should we not take yo

s the better suited for my purpose. So, if you please, let us meet there as soon as it is dark; and in

he voice of Kalamake, and Keola co

o," thought he, "and there is nothing ne

a weeping, and was half in a

na; we shall see what the chit will do then. Perhaps she will under

nd skimmed the waves. The wizard had a lantern, which he lit and held with his finger through the ring; and the two sat in the stern and smoked cigars, of which Kalamake had always a prov

and back at the island, which was already three parts sunk

place extraordinarily deep, and the floor is all covered with the bones of men, and in the holes of this part gods and goblins keep their habitation. The flow of the sea is to the north, stronger than a shark can swim, a

ooked, and by the light of the stars and

" cried Keola,

," said the wizard; "but t

s he drew his finger from the ring, the finger stuck and the rin

ola screamed and

ad was huge as a barrel; and still he grew and grew as a cloud grows on a moun

says he; "that is well, for I do not like my family to be changeable of purpose. But I begin to think I had better get out of t

head and shoulders rose like a high isle, and the swell beat and burst upon his bosom, as it beats and breaks against a cliff. The boat ran still to the north, but he reached out his hand, and took the gunwal

long wade before me, and the land is far, and the botto

could see him no longer; but as often as he was heaved upon the crest, there he was striding and

rown, and knew not wherefore. He could but think of the hugeness of the swelling of the warlock, of that face which was great as a mountain, of those shoulders that were br

of men. He cried out aloud and a voice answered; and in a twinkling the bows of a ship hung above him on a wave like a thing balanced, and swooped

ey had seen was the lighthouse, Lae o Ka Laau. But Keola knew white men are like children and only believe their own stories;

talking. Keola durst not stay in the Eight Islands. Word goes so quickly, and all men are so fond to talk and carry news, that if he hid in the north end of Kauai or in the south end

other whites. The trouble was the mate, who was the most difficult man to please Keola had ever met with, and beat and cursed him daily, both for what he did and what he did not. The blows that he dealt were very sore, for he was strong; and the words he used were very un

land on their weather bow, a ribbon of palm trees lying flat along the sea. The captain and the mate looked at it with the night glass, and named the name of it, and talked of it, bes

e night in the schooner Eugenie; it was just such a night as this; they w

outlying dangers by the chart, so we'll just hug the lee side of it. Keep her romping ful

no use in the world, and if he got started after him

y down on the house together,

traders deal there, the mate will never come. And as for Ka

ld never be sure of them; they would all be sleeping sound, or else pretending, and if a sail shook, they would jump to their feet and fall on you with a rope's e

te sat up suddenl

" he roars. "You'll

of the island; it was warm besides, and Keola had his sailor's knife, so he had no fear of sharks. A little way before him the trees stopped; there was a break in the line of the land like the mouth of a harbour; and the tide, which was then flowing, took him up and carried him t

e winds had blown, and some of the huts were overthrown. It was here he took his dwelling, and he made a fire drill, and a shell hook, and fished and cooked his fish, and climbed after green cocoanuts, the juice of which he drank, for in all the isle there was no water. The days were long to him, and the nights terrify

the lagoon itself abounded with good fish. And to the outer slide he went once only, and he looked but the once at the beach of the ocean, a

know where they are sailing, must take their chance like other people. So that after all we may have sailed in a ci

as prudent, and ke

fferent from the tongue of Hawaii, but so many of the words were the same that it was not difficult to understand. The men besides were very courteous, and the women

sad, and then he had a period when he was pretty merry. Last of all c

ere was no mistake conceivable, for she was the same girl that ran from him crying in the wood. So he had sailed all this way, and might as well have stayed in Molokai; and had left home and wife and all his friends for no other cause but to e

acco. It was there the schooner had gone after Keola deserted; there, too, the mate had died, like the fool of a white man as he was. It seems, when the ship came, it was the beginning of the sickly season in that isle, when the fish of the lagoon are poisonous, and all who eat of them swell up and die. The mate was told of it; he saw the boats preparing, because in that season the people leave that island and sail to the Isle of Voices; but he was a fool of a white man, who would believe no stories but his own, and he caught one of these fish, cooked it and ate it, and swelled up and died, which was good news to Keola. As for the Isle of Voices, it lay solitary the most part of the year; only now and then a boat's crew came for copra, and in the bad season, when the fish at the main isle were poisonous, the tribe dwelt there in a body. It had its name from a marvel, for it seemed the seasi

t enough where he was, if he kept by the lagoon, yet he had a mind to make things righter if he could. So he told the hi

these devils came to get the leaves of it. So the people of the isle

ea tickled them. Night after night the old men debated it in their councils, but the high chief (though he was a brave man) was afraid of the mat

to look about him and take pleasure in his days; and, among other things, he was the kinder to his wife,

a, "what is wron

red it wa

lamp burned very low, but he sa

he sea-side of the isle and lie in a thicket. We shall choose that place before-hand, you and I; and hide food; and every night I shall come near by t

Keola died

among devils. I will not be left behind

and ships come, and Donat-Kimaran comes and talks for the French, and there is a white trader there in a house with a verandah, and a catechist. Oh, that is a fine place indeed! The trader has barrels filled with flour

s, by travellers, of their practices, and how when they are in a mind to eat a man, they cherish and fondle him like a mother with a favourite baby. And he saw this must be his own case; and that was why he had been hou

ted at meals, so that a missionary must have died laughing. It was little enough Keola cared for their fine ways; all he saw was the white

the same, and then h

l be killed and cooked to-morrow. Some of the old chiefs are murm

to his feet, and a

ust, let me die the quickest way; and since I must be eaten at the best of it, let me rather be eaten by hob

, the Tamil, the Chinese. Whatever land knew sorcery, there were some of its people whispering in Keola's ear. That beach was thick as a cried fair, yet no man seen; and as he walked he saw the shells vanish before him, and no man to pick them up. I think the devil would have b

here," he thought, "or I must

his hands. The business before his eyes continued: the beach babbled with voices, and the f

here before," he thought,

of dollars, and all these hundreds and hundreds of persons culling th

that money was made there, when it is clear that all the new coin in all the wo

or when, sleep feel on Keola, and he

ad caught him napping: but it was no such matter. Only, on the beach in front of him, the bodiless voices call

fires were not lighted nor the shells taken, but the bodiless voices kept posting up the beach, and

ngry at," thought Keola,

all men join and follow after, so it was now with Keola; and he knew not what he

here began to mingle with the outcry the crash of many axes. And at this a thought came at last into his mind that the high chief had consented; that the men of the tribe had set-to cutting down these trees; that word had gone about the isle from sorcerer to sorcerer, and these were all now assembling to defend their trees. Desire of strange things swept him o

back, and heaved up their axes, and laid on, and screamed as they laid on, and behold! no man to contend with them! only here and there Keola saw an axe swin

h, that he should behold such doings. Even in that same flash the high chief of the clan espied him standing, and po

and ran further out of the wood and

voice close by up

asped, and looked in vain for her; bu

d: "but you would not hear me. Quick! get

e with the ma

her arms about him. "Quick! the leaves and

, the viewless ones, roaring out aloud like bulls upon a mountain, and the men of the tribe replying shrill and savage out of the terror of their souls. And all the time of the burning, Keola stood there and listened, and shook, and watched how the unseen hands of Leh

nd Lehua and Keola talked of it all night and were troubled. There was Kalamake left upon the isle. If, by the blessing of God, he could but stick there, all were well; but should he escape and return to Molokai, it would be an ill day for his daughter and her husband. They spoke of his gift of swelling, and whether he could wade that distance in the seas. But Keola knew by

nary was very sharp on him for taking the second wife in the low island;

to you would be, give some of it to the lepers and some to the missionary fund. And

could make out, Kalamake and Keola had been coining

st have been good, for from that day to this, Kalamake has never more been heard of. But whether he was slain

tno

ronounce pap

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