Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1900-01-27
CHAPTER IL

Z, thc time that he had reached this
part Of hi1 narrative we were alas
You nay understand much reused to
curiosity The marines and the minnie.
man had even let their drink get cold in
the bowl v h,Ie thcy listened to the story
he was telling in rude language. but
certainly most graphically The priva.
teer y mon were regarding him with
look of admiration as though proud Of
one who was of their own class Of sail
or. and. us for me, was staring at
him more open mouthed than ever. and
the work in the kitchen being now done
for the night. my dear and honored
mother had opeLed the little window
through which the dishes were handed
from that rlace to those partaking Of
food in the parlor. and was herself lis.
tening with all ears to the seafarer's
story, and behind her could be seen the
red head of Belinda-our kitchen wench
who was gaping over my mothers
shoulder with wide staring eyes.
Again he took great draft Of his
rum. which by this time was as cold as
the punch in the bowl. and again he lit
his pipe and smoked few whitfs doing
so silently. and as though thinking
deeply. and then. when he saw that we
were all waiting most eagerly the con.
tinuance of his story, he began again.
"Mates all. and you, too. mistress,
with duck of his head to my mother,
ms he resumed. lyon may well believe
that that there drop of blood afallipg
from the tree nearly froze all the blood
in our own veins with horror For in
no way could we conceive how he who
had so nysteriously disappeared should
have left his blood-for we never doubt-
ed that it was his-upon that tree,
For. first of all as we debated among
ourselves, he was not wounded man.
but ore who was sick, and sick. rs
thought. of the calenture, so that why
ne should bleed we knew not And. sec
ondly. he had been so i'll and fevered
and Frustrated that he could not rise
from the ground, so how could 1t have
come about that he could ever have got
up into that tree, whose lowest branch
was good eight feet from the earth
And, thirdly, even allowing that he
could have got there. what had become
of him. for that he was up in the tree
there could be no possibility We could
see up into it and through 1t. and most
certainly he was not there So again
We asked ourselves. Where was her
We are in Gods hands. our skip
per said. and he alone directs our
course And in his goodness he has seen
fit to land rs upon this terrible island
We must bow to him,
'Bnt capen. says our mate, what
Is to be doner Since he is not there he
must be somewhere--unless 1t be that
he has cast himself into the sea.
He had no strength for that.
said. Last night he could neither
move hand nor foot
yet, says the mate, he could get
mp there, and he pointed to the
branch of the tree of which the blood
had dropped Meanwhile our captain
had been examining Of that tree most
careful and was scratching at the
bark On its trunk and, as he scratched,
forth from II there oozed dark red
liquid that itself looked like blood. but
was little paler, looking indeed more
like blood mixed with water
Sand now upon the captains face
there come look of relief. and. Men,
says he. this here amt quite as terri.
bic as we Thought That weren't no
blood Of poor Will Winters what drop,