Chapter II: Farewell to Hawaii

Jeems Howell was the only one of the hardy Frontier group who was unable to be present at breakfast that fine morning.

"How are you feeling, Jeems," inquired Jo, looking in upon the sufferer a little later. "Don't you think that you could eat a little something if you were propped up with pillows?"

"No, no, lad," said Jeems sadly. "I feel that I ain't long for this world."

"I don't know what you call it then," remarked the incorrigible Jo, "you are six feet four and that seems to me to be pretty long for this world or any other."

Jeems laughed so heartily at this that he too began forthwith to recuperate. Then he got out on the land side of the deck and, though the sun was of a sufficient warmth to satisfy the most exacting, he kept a heavy shawl wrapped around his shoulders.

"Durned old woman," growled the captain when he caught sight of the figure seated between the cabin and the rail. "He ought to be for'ard scrubbing deck."

However, Skipper Jim was more lenient, and only laughed at the captain's severity, for he knew that the old fellow's bark was much worse than his bite. In fact, no work was being done aboard ship that morning, for all hands were given a chance for a long last look at Hawaii. Never again were they to behold a more beautiful scene than the panorama that traveled steadily along with the _Sea Eagle_ that morning.

The soft radiance flooded the deeply azure sea, and the tropic island of vivid and varied green. The four boys stood leaning lazily on the ship's rail, gazing in silence at the view that was passing before them. Their sombreros shaded their eyes, but the glare from the water shone upon their faces of healthy bronze, and they did not seem to mind it in the least. The old captain sat upon the bridge in his old armchair, with his old comrade, the tortoise-shell cat, dozing and blinking at his feet, a true picture of furry felicity.

So the crew of the _Sea Eagle_ passed in review this coast of Hawaii, with black precipices, that rose in a continuous line of palisades from out the sea, with no white beach shelving down. The great green surges, with the force of the Pacific behind them, rolled against the perpendicular walls, the dark surfaces of which were veined at frequent intervals by the silvery lines of the waterfalls, or graced by the vines which fell in straight lines, or were looped in varied shapes.

Beyond these cliffs there rose the splendid slopes, with here and there groves of royal palms and slender cocoa trees, fit temples for the gods of ancient Hawaii who were supposed to dwell in streams and groves and mountains. Still higher up the mountain side grew the forests of creamy koa, inlaid among the dark-leaved kukui.

At times the skirts of the clouds, heavy with moisture, dragged along the lower slopes, and a soft gloom would diffuse itself over the landscape. Then the sun would roll the mists aside for the moment, and the light would fall upon tropical vales, hills and mountain slopes, with all the vividness of the early spring and yet with the full, rich splendor of summer.

No wonder the Frontier Boys were silent as they gazed upon this scene of varied and unusual beauty, so different from the wild and barren grandeur of the mountain ranges in their own country, and the arid deserts they had traveled over.

"I'd hate to fall overboard here," exclaimed Tom, "it looks all-fired deep."

"The captain says that along these island coasts," remarked Juarez, "is some of the deepest seas in the world."

"Say, Jeems," cried Juarez to the invalid, "wade out here and see how deep it is."

"If you really want to know I'll tell you," responded Jeems, the philosopher. "Off this coast it's between five and seven thousand feet."

"Whew!" whistled Jim, "over a mile, how is that for down?"

"It makes me shiver to think of it," exclaimed Tom.

"Hello, boys!" cried Jeems, "there is a big fire over on the other side of the Island."

"I should say!" commented Jim earnestly. "Look at that smoke rolling up."

"It must be a forest fire," put in Jo. "Reminds me of our Colorado experiences."

"I tell you what, boys, let's make a landing and take a look at it," cried Juarez. "There's a fine harbor ahead of us!"

Old Captain Kerns was taking a deep interest in the conversation, as was evident, as he looked down from the quarter deck at the boys.

"What's that you lads were saying, about a big fire somewheres?" he inquired. "I hope it hain't aboard ship."

"No, no, Captain," replied Jim reassuringly, "we meant that big smoke over on the other side of the island. Juarez wants to make a landing, so as we can see it to better advantage. We don't want to miss any excitement."

"You lads are always so eager," replied the captain. "Why don't you wait until you get back here sometime?"

"It will be burned out long before we get back," said Jo.

"Well," said the captain slowly, "that smoke has been there for nigh onto a thousand years, and is liable to be there for some time yet. That's the volcano of Kiluaea."

How the captain roared then; for an instant the boys were dumfounded, then they gave themselves up to hilarious mirth.

"That's certainly one on us boys," cried Jim. "We can't tell a volcano when we see it. We ought to have stayed on the old farm and dug potatoes."

After the ship had turned northward from the coast of Hawaii the boys set to work about their usual tasks aboard ship. Jim took the wheel; Juarez went below to work with the engineer, with whom he was quite chummy; Jeems and Jo scrubbed decks, while Tom was busy in the galley preparing the dinner. All the boys were pretty fair cooks, but Tom's cooking probably had more style to it, though he was not quite a French chef.

The old captain had turned into his cabin on the quarter deck to take a good nap in his bunk, while the cat, whom he named Ulysses, both on account of his wisdom and because he had been a great traveler, was curled up in the chair beside him. So the day went quickly and cheerfully by,--the first day at sea.

In the late afternoon all hands were on deck to take their last look at Hawaii, that was fast becoming a mythical island on the enchanted border of the horizon. The bulk of the Island of Hawaii was encompassed with an atmosphere of wonderful blue, rising from out the dusk, which shrouded the distant sea, and its two great volcanic cones, that rose to the glow of the sunset, were touched with a delicate pink.

"We have had a fine time down there in Hawaii, boys," said Jim, "but I'm glad we are headed for home."

"I suppose you will try to locate that lost mine in the Sierras?" said Tom, "that Jeems spoke about the other day."

"If there is anything lost we are the ones to locate it," said Jo. "There is no doubt about that."

"We must get Jeems to tell us more about it," said Jim. "Perhaps we can get him to tune up this evening after supper."

"Time to put up the lights, Captain?" inquired Juarez.

"Yes, Juarez," replied Jim. "You may attend to it."

"I don't see what's the use," remarked Tom. "We won't probably see a ship until we get near the coast of California."

"Don't make any difference," replied Jim. "That's the law of the sea and you can't ever tell what you will run against."

Juarez did not wait to hear the discussion, but went after the red and the green lanterns. He placed the red on the starboard side for'ard in a wooden bracket well up, and the green was placed on the port side, or the left, and they shone through the bronze dusk that obscured the rolling sea, like separate jewels, the emerald and the ruby.

It was a happy group that gathered around the supper table in the cabin that evening, for the boys were homeward bound. The windows of the skylight were wide open, because it was a typical tropical night--warm and balmy--and the great lamp that swung over the table with its brass reflector served to make it warmer still.

"Tell us something more about that lost mine you were telling about the other day, Jeems," piped up Tom.

"Don't tell Tom first," warned Jim, "because if you do, he will have all the shares sold before we arrive." There was a general laugh at this because Tom was strictly business when it came to money.

"Wait till we get on deck, then I'll spout," said Jeems.