“Are there savages down there?” inquired Herc.
“No; not in the Hawaiian group,” responded a ship-mate. “There are more Chinese and Japs on the islands, on Oahu anyhow, than there are Kanakas.”
“Crackers!” exclaimed Herc. “Is that what they call the natives?”
“I said Kanakas, Red Head,” laughed the sailor; “that’s the name given the natives.”
“Wonder if we’ll make port in Honolulu?” spoke Ned.
“The old man hasn’t taken me into his confidence concerning that yet,” grinned Herc.
“Well, you can’t blame him for that,” laughed a sailor, and there was a general laugh at Herc’s expense.
“I heard a rumor before we left ’Frisco that there was plague on Oahu and that the port was quarantined,” interjected a bos’un’s-mate, who was in the group.
“In that case, we won’t land there?” asked Ned.
“No. We may go on to some other port. I imagine that after the banging about we had in that storm, the old man will want to hitch up to some post or other and give the ship a currying down.”