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

but sand and seashells--not u blade OF
grass nor herb nor bush nor flower
no, not so much as a place where "a rab.
bit could have hid, let alone wild
beast or u savage man. Well. when we
see all this and found ont us how there
wern't nothing to fear on this little
island, we turns back to the ship and
passes by the tree, and. naturally, we
stops to inspect it,
at was Il tree. mateys, of most pecoo.
lar appearance. and what struck us all
as the remarkablest thing was that in
island where there weren't not an.
other stick of growth there should he
such vast tree as this. For vast it
was. As big, may say, rs one Of our
old English oaks was it. with huge
trunk and with great branches growing
out straight from that trunk begin
ming ut about tie height Of nine feet
from the ground. The leaves was not,
however, leaves like the oak leaves, but
long and thin and looking more like
fingers than arsht else, and of dry
brown color And they grew not thick
Il together, but very sparse and scant,
90 that easy could cue see the top and
the heavens above and perceive that in
its branches were neither fowl of the
iir nor bats nor nothing.
"And now. matpys, the sun was high
In the heavens and the storm was past
md the heat was terrible so terrible
indeed and fierce that the men who
were still aboard the Loving Friend
petitions the captain to he allowed to
come ashore and sleep beneath. the
branches Of that tree. whore they would
get air and shade both And the cap.
tain, seeing no call for 10 refuse. grants
instantly their request, and, setting
only the watch necessary, all on us
comes sshCre-includiDg the captan's
wife. a sweet and delicate young thing
he had lately married ana we spreads
ourselves ont mt full lrnH'h on the
sands, and there we sleeps AMI hozGs all
the day until the quick NJ ,hts of these
parts falls upon us.
"But with the night there seemed to
come but little less GOODNESS than had
previously been in the day, and some
was for remaining all night on shore
under the tree. and the good skipper
gave his permission free enough for
them to do it. Some however. who pre-
ferred tier brrths in the fo'castle to
the sand and sbingc Of the island went
back to the ship. lat | was ono who
staid ashore.
"Well. the night fell swift upon us.
and, having slept much and refreshed
ourselves during the dny. we was not
oversleepy ut night, and 50 we snt talk
ing and EARNING, and sometimes giving
a friendly halluo to the men on the ship.
and asking them how they did. and we
fetched out rations ashore, with our
rum and some tobacco, and We're as com.
Portable as with the heat we well might
r be, and. gradually. one by one. the men
, dropped off to sleep, me and seaman
> named Coils being the last to keeI
q awake. and now strange thing hap
I pened. ... ... H.l -...
"Collis and I was a-sitting side by
u. eide. not lying down like the rest, and
n was idly tossing the stones beneath u,
, about--aiminy at whittier one than thu
rest that was some feet away-wher
= Coils turns fierce upon me and says
: What makes you touch my hair like
: thatf' and moves Off bit away from
q me. rs though offended like. ...
"'Touch your hair, mater says /
Why have l got three arms and hands
| am a-chuckipg stones. amt II
"Collis looked at me moment, unbe
a lieving like, and then he says, All thu
same, you touched my hair-lifted l
}. mp like. Don't do 1t no more
q snow. Coils was the man what hat
4 been aboard to fetch the food and rum
a and thinks to myself that when a
u the stores he had taken u drop extr
+ for himself So ! says no more, bu
@ only laughs. But blow me. shipmate
all in this here room in Portsmouth
|. town. il there weren't echo to tina
q laugh close by into my ear. But it wer
It kind Of gurgling, cruel laugh. whic
didn't sound like mine. At least,
|, hoped not. Then Coils gets up, afte
n staring ut me again for a moment, an
D says. says he: 'Bos'n, good night
I've changed my humor; I'm a-goin
70 aboard. and with that he starts o.
70 down the sand to the ship. II bein
h now low tide and l see him a-clambel
n ing mp her side by aid of n rope chucke
Is him by the watch. ..
It "Well, was a-pondering deep upo
d that laugh heerd, when, bust me.
% I didn't feel something a-dragsing {
3 $SNEA14
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