The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1883-08-16
EVENING.
" At ~ a
.HIDD EN- TREASURE
HIGH PRICED RUM.

Away back III 1918 when the South
American Republics were about to
begin their struggle for independence
and everything there was in an un.
settled state of seething, tumultuous
anarchy gang of men stole, in the
harbour of Callao, little full-rigged
ship called the Victory. The real
leader of the party was an English
man but the nominal leader was a
man who had been in the naval
service of the Buenos Ayrean Re- .
public. They ran down the coast of
South America landing at unpro-
tected ports and robbing, pillaging,
and plundering everything of value
they could lay their hands on. Even
the sacred vessels of the churches
were seized and carried off by their
profane and piratical hands. Gradu-
ally they accumulated much treasure
i. the shape of golden and silver in
gots, crucifiXes, patens, chalices,
etc., and many pillared dollar and
necklace of gems were in their
Golfers stolen from the strong box of
some wealthy Spaniard. But the
tale of their depredations was soon
noised abroad and the governments of
those parts fitted out cruisers in
search of them and they had to fly.
Spreading their white-winged sails
to the mild breezes of the Pacific
Ocean they fled, northward and
westward, till they deserted the tall
mountains of Hawaii in the distance.
Finally they came to an anchor in
Kealakekua Bay and anchored off
the spot where Captain Cook was
slain thirty odd years before.
Kamehameha the Conqueror was
then at Kailua whittier he had gone
after the return of Adams from
China with his cargo of red broad
cloth and rum in exchange for sand
atwood. He heard of the arrival of
these strangers and he soon formed
his opinion of them. Their lavish
generosity in the matter of gold
ornaments to his people showed him
that they had not come by them
honestly but he bided his time. They
soon found out that he had rum
East Indian rum or arrack. So they
treated for it's purchase and he sold
them cask for $1,000 in silver.
Carouse after carouse followed till
that was exhausted. Then they
wanted to buy another cask. ''No,"
said the willy mouarch. "You buy
it by the bottle now, 81 a bottle" ;"
And they continued buying in this
way till their dollars were done.
Then they brought out their bars of
silver, each bar being worth about
$3.50 and proposed to exchange these
for rum, cutting off so much for so
many bottles. But Kamehameha
rose equal to the occasion ''No,"
said he, "One bar, one bottle"
And so it was. They had to pay the
price or get no rum. Very soon
their silver ingots had run out and
they started in on their gold bars at
the same rate, bar for a bottle.
Zach gold bar was worth about
$4,000, pretty steep price for q
bottle of rum.) But about this time
y northwest captain, Davis by name,
came along from China and he had
about 5000 in silver dollars with
him. So the buccaneers proposed
to buy his dollars for gold bars but
the old captain, shrewd down
custer, saw how the land lay and
refused to part except at profit.
A stcelyard was produced and the
dollars placed on one side, the bar
6 I'D on the other. First they offered
him gold for 10 times its weight in
silver and then five times. Finally
he agreed to sell them dollars for an
equal weight of gold. When the
scales were even, he said, "Down
weight, boys, 1 have had great