The surprise of the little group can be better imagined than described, at hearing very fair English spoken by this stalwart young native, whose skin was a rich nut-brown, and whose only clothing consisted of a strip of braided grass wound about his waist and hanging in a deep fringe half way to the knees. The rest of his body was totally devoid of covering or ornament, except a necklace of claws that encircled his throat. He was a splendid specimen of manhood; tall and straight as a young tree, broad shouldered, muscular and supple.
The strangeness of hearing words they could understand, flow from his lips, in a full musical tone, when they had expected to hear only sounds unintelligible to them, was so great as to make the little party stare at the natives with open-eyed wonder, as Ahleka continued:
“My people will do you no harm. We war not with the children of the lands beyond the seas. But, how came you here? We have found your large waa (canoe) close under the rocks. Did you come from lands beyond the rising of Ka La (pointing to the sun) and, how did so few warriors bring so large a waa so far?”
The natives were regarding curiously the group before them.
Captain Gray answered, “No, we did not come in so small a boat from our land, but our big ship was burned at sea, and nine days have we drifted, until we came upon your island.”
Mabel now broke in with: “Are there white people on your island?”
“White people, daughter of mahina (the moon), what are white people?”
“Why, do you not know? and yet you speak English; we are white people, not brown like yourself and your friends.”
“Are all your people like you, daughter of mahina, as if the light of Ka La shone forever on bright pearls?”
Mabel was a little confused at his admiring glance, but answered: “Yes, do you not see, all my friends are white, also?”