peared at daybreak and anchored near the west entrance
of the lagoon, and very soon after her captain came to our
landing-place in a whaleboat. I recognized in him an old Honolulu
friend,--Captain Thomas Long, a retired whaling captain, and as he
stepped from his boat, we gave him three rousing cheers while we stood
at attention near the fringe of bushes around the camp. Captain Sicard
went down the beach alone to receive him, and after a cordial
greeting, they conferred together for a few minutes. Together they
came towards us apparently in sober thought, and Captain Sicard held
up his hand as a signal for silence. He uncovered his head and said,
in a tremulous voice, "Men, I have the great sorrow to announce to you
that we have been saved at a great sacrifice. Lieutenant Talbot and
three of the gig's crew are dead. The particulars you will learn
later; at present, Captain Long is anxious for us to remove to the
Kilauea as quickly as possible." He bowed his head and a low murmur of
grief passed along our line. From a cheering, happy crowd we were as
in an instant changed to one of mourning. All the dreary waiting days
we have passed seemed to fade into insignificance in the face of this
great sorrow.
Captain Long inquired if anything was needed immediately, stating that
a generous supply of food and clothing had been rushed on board the
Kilauea in Honolulu, and that she had started to sea eight hours after
he had been notified of her mission. One of the officers told him that
the thing that would best supply a long-felt want was tobacco; so the
Kilauea's boat was at once dispatched to the steamer for a box of it,
which when opened on the beach was greedily appropriated.
I went off to the Kilauea in the first of the embarking boats, taking
the ship's safe and papers that had been stored at the head of my
mattress in the tent; therefore did not see the final disposition of
articles left on the island; but they suddenly lost all interest to me
and, beyond the fact that our water supply was labeled with a sign for
future unfortunates, I know but little. The captain tells me that
Captain Long demurred at the length of time it would take to bring off
most of the government property, saying that his duty to us and to his
vessel made it necessary to get away from this dangerous neighborhood
at the earliest possible moment; the rescue of life and not property
was his object in coming to us. So our food supply and many articl
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