The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-04

Kamehameha become their most ardent
and familiar friend.
And now "the good time coming" which
they had looked forward to with such
eager desire, was about to be realized:
Brannan, with his accustomed liberal
methods, had previously bought the finest
and most desirable bungalow that could
then be found in Honolulu, for which he
had paid Theodore Shillaber $4,000, and
here, for some weeks, the Game Cock" fel.
lows held high carnival with devoted
band of Kanaka men and women
ever ready to minister to their wants and
add to the Injuries of the situation.
Kamehameha III, at that time the ruler
of the Hawaiian Kingdom, was soon a
frequent guest at the bungalow, and was
not long in becoming initiated in the mys.
teries of monte and the intricacies of the
purely American diversion of draw-poker.
The Kanaka King unbended from his dig
nifty as sovereign and soon came to be rec
cgnized as ga jolly good fellow" while his
court hobnobbed with the boys with the
freedom and non-reserve worthy of ten
year-old youngsters, who, on the shortest
possible acquaintance, became playmates
together.
1t will be recalled as historical fact
that, short time previous to this, the
French Government had taken temporary
possession of the Hawaiian Islands through
some international complication that had
occurred, although they had made early
abandonment of their forcibly acquired
possession. Prior to the time of this COM
plication the Hawaiian Government had
prepared and executed documents duly
ceding the islands to the United States,
with the intention of producing the same
should it become necessary to do so as a
means of thwarting the French in their
efforts to acquire these island possessions.
So completely captivated was Kane
hameha by the good fellowship into which
he had thus been initiated that he then
and there in all seriousness proposed to
sell out his kingdom, bag and baggage, by
handing over these papers to Brannan and
his associates for guaranteed annual
income of $4,000; and proposed, If this ex-
tensive real estate transaction was closed,
to sail away with his genial friends on
their return to California to seek good
time" for himself there, even as they had
sought it in his island kingdom. Brannan
stood ready then and there to close bar
gain with Kamehameha and pay him his
first installment down and guarantee their
future payments-whatever might have
been the international effect of the transac-
tion-had not circumstances interviewed to
prevent its consummatlon.
The intimacy thus established between
the King and the Game Cock party aroused
the jealousy of the duSky monarch's min
listers Judd and Wiley, who saw in its con-
tinuance their own downfall and depriva-
ton of the fat pickings from Hawaiian
abundance which they had enjoyed SO
long. Accordingly one night Kamehameha
was quietly struggled away to Lahaina and
was kept there during all the remainder OF
the time of the stay of the Game Cock
company, while all means of conveyance
between the islands were carefully taken
away and further communication with the
King thus effectually barred.
Left to their own resources the party con-
tinued seeking enjoyment through every
medium in which they could find it until
satiated with all the pleasures which Hon
olulu and its surroundings could afford,
they embarked on their return trip to San
Francisco, landing here on the first day of
January, 1852.
The ''good time" had been fully real
lied. Every one was satisfied with his ex-
perience and adventures, and each went
to the fate that awaited him. Not more
than two or three of the party are left
alive to-day to relate the circumstances
which then led up so near to the organiza-
ton and annexation of Hawaii through
title in fee simple from Kamehameha III,
sanctioned by his Minister and executed
with all the form and ceremonies which
such an important cession demanded.
w. B. FARWELL.