What followed was not made clear to me until two weeks later. The run to Honolulu was finished without further incident, and once we had landed I was taken by Dr. Barton and my two companions to the Queen's Hospital, a commodious institution, set in a garden of tropical trees and shrubbery. Here I was given a delightful room, opening upon a wide veranda, where the trade winds from the north made all as cool as could be expected.
The doctor who attended me here was an Englishman, but the nurse was a native, a dark-eyed girl of sixteen, who put me strongly in mind of the sisters of my old Cuban chum, Alano. No nurse could have been more attentive than was Kookoo, and to her I think I owe my speedy restoration to health.
It was while sitting among the date palms of the hospital grounds, getting back my strength, that I told my two chums my story for the first time.
"I cannot keep it to myself any longer," I said. "It weighs too heavily on my mind." Then I told them all, and asked them if they thought I was responsible for Caleb Merkin's death.
"No, you are not to blame," said Oliver promptly. "He brought it on himself."
"Of course you are not to blame," put in Dan. "But I suppose it's an awful thing to have on one's mind," he added reflectively.
"It is, Dan. I would much rather see him alive, wretch that he was, than have his—his——" I could not finish.
"As you haven't seen fit to take Dr. Barton into your confidence I presume you don't want to tell the authorities," said Oliver.
"No, no! What good would it do? They cannot bring him back to life, and it may only cause me endless trouble."
"No, I wouldn't say anything more. He brought it on himself and had to pay the penalty of his rashness," said Dan. "Let the matter drop and try to think of something else."
"I'll never forget it," I shuddered. "But you are right; it was his life or mine——"
"And Providence aided you," finished Oliver. "That's the way you must look at it, Mark." He mused for a moment. "Now we are clear of this sailor, I presume we'll have this search for the Cave of Pearls all to ourselves."
"Where is Dr. Barton?"
"He has gone to another island, knowing you were out of danger. He expects to meet us somewhere around the volcano later on. He said we might leave word at the Volcano House when we arrived."
"I—I'm afraid I can't move just yet," I answered, with a sickly smile. "My legs are mighty shaky when I stand on them."
"We'll stay here for a week longer, at least," returned Dan. "I've ordered a carriage for to-morrow morning and we'll drive out every day to the different places of interest."
And drive we did, to the wonderful Pali, or precipice, some miles back of Honolulu, and to the beautiful beach at Waikiki, where Dan and Oliver took a bath, while I laid back in a swinging seat under an awning and watched the goings and comings of the people at this Coney Island of Hawaii. "This doesn't look much like a savage country," I thought.
The drives around the city, to the museum, churches, colleges, and other public buildings, were equally interesting. I had expected to behold a city "behind the times," but here was something thoroughly up-to-date, with electric lights, telephones, and street cars and stages running in all directions.
And yet it was vastly different from anything I had yet seen; different from Santiago, Cuba, and different from New York and San Francisco. It was the jumble of population as much as anything, and the variety of costumes worn. The shops, big and little, were kept by all sorts of people, and a good deal of trading was done in the open air.
"It's a patch-quilt from the whole world," said Dan. "I believe you can go out and in a day meet a man from nearly every nationality under the sun, including South Sea Islanders, South Americans, and all the rest."
"For dress everything seems to be the fashion," laughed Oliver. "I just saw two natives go by. One had on a regular dress-suit and the other, well, he didn't have on much of anything at all."
"It's a go-as-you-please mode of living," I said. "But the Kanakas don't seem to keep many stores or shops."
"No, the natives prefer working outdoors, if they work at all," said Dan. "I got that from the doctor. A good many of them would rather spend their time in fishing, hunting small game, or in lying in the sun sleeping or day-dreaming."
"Well, it's certainly an ideal spot for day-dreaming," I concluded. "No wonder some folks call the islands the Paradise of the Pacific."
CHAPTER VII.
AN ADVENTURE ON THE PALI.
We soon learned that everybody who comes to Honolulu visits the Pali, or great precipice located some distance from the city, at the extremity of Nuuanu Valley. This great precipice is over a thousand feet above sea-level, and from its top a beautiful panorama of land and sea is stretched out for miles in all directions.
"We will drive up the valley to-day," announced Oliver, when I was much stronger. "It will test Mark's condition and tell us if he is fit to undertake the journey to the volcano."
"I think I am fit," I smiled. "Still I would like the trip to the Pali first-rate."
A two-seated carriage was procured, driven by a jolly sort of a Kanaka, and we all got in, Oliver on the front sea with the native, and Dan and I behind. It was a perfect day overhead, but even down in the town the wind was blowing freely.
"I'll wager it's blowing a gale up at the top of the mountain," said Dan, as with a crack of the whip the Kanaka started the turnout. "I heard them telling at the hotel what awful trade winds they have through the valley."
"Yes; great wind up dare," put in the native, with a grin. "Wind so strong sometime lif' horse off his feet."
"Great Cæsar! don't scare us before we start!" ejaculated Oliver. "If it will lift up a horse, what will it do to the carriage and with us?"
"Naini very careful driver," returned the Kanaka. "If wind too strong we get behind big trees maybe, or in hollow. Wind don't blow all the time."
"All right, Naini, we'll trust ourselves in your hands," said Dan." Bring us back safe and sound and we'll pay you well."
"Got a good road now, so not much danger," went on the Kanaka. "When had the old road it werry bad, and trip a long, long one. We go dare and back all right."
The distance from Honolulu to the Pali is less than five miles, but as it is a constant climb uphill, we soon found that the journey would take longer than expected. The horses moved at a walk, excepting where they struck a level stretch. In the meantime, as we entered the valley, we found the wind blowing more fresh than ever, until it closely resembled a gale. As the Kanaka had said, it came and went in fitful gusts.
We soon reached the made part of the road. It was along the side of a mountain which was hundreds of feet high to the left, hundreds of feet in depth to the right. The right wall was of stone, put down with a nicety which could not have been excelled.
"Convicts work de roads," explained the Kanaka. "Build miles and miles of drives all around."
"It's a good thing to set them to work," I answered. "Better than keeping them locked up in a hot prison."
Before noon the top of the Pali was gained, and as the end of the journey had to be made on foot I was glad enough to sit down and rest, in the meantime feasting my eyes on the grand view before me. As far as eye could reach