Page:Off For Hawaii.djvu/232

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214
OFF FOR HAWAII.

effect that whosoever drinks kokomana seven times, each time when the moon is full, will never fall in war."

"Excuse me, but once was enough for me," shuddered Dan.

"And enough for me," murmured Oliver. "I don't want to go to the lunatic asylum just yet."

As anxious as all of us were to follow up Delverez, Caleb Merkin, and Joe Koloa, it was deemed both advisable and necessary to remain in Hilo several days, to rest up and to settle matters with the authorities concerning Captain Marcale.

The Spaniard broke down utterly on an examination in court, but said the whole fault was Ramon Delverez's, that his relative had totally misrepresented matters to him. He was given his option of going to prison or paying a fine of three hundred dollars for kidnaping, and he chose to pay the fine. When the Viscount sailed, Sam Gumbert was not on board, having reshipped on an English vessel bound for Hong Kong, China, after Oliver and I had presented him with twenty dollars in gold. Gumbert thus escaped a terrible fate, for the Viscount, while yet three days out from Sydney, took fire, and neither captain nor crew were ever heard of afterward.