Page:Off For Hawaii.djvu/231

Rh "Dan, it is I—Mark," I answered. "Where are you?"

"Mark! Thank God, you have come! I am here, where they first put me, on the floor."

"And Lola?"

"He went away last night. I believe he was going to leave me here to starve."

By this time I had struck a match and now I lit a torch which had been used by the Kanaka, and stuck it in a crack in the floor. With my knife I liberated Dan and at the same time called upon Oliver and the others to come in.

It was a joyous re-union for us three chums, especially so since Dan was now once more himself. But he was hungry and thirsty, and it was found necessary to assist him down to the boat. He had little to tell that we did not know, excepting that Lola had let drop during a talk that he expected Dan's parents to pay handsomely for the youth's liberty. "He was going to do the brigand act, you see," said Dan, with a faint smile. "But it didn't work," and he squeezed my hand and that of Oliver.

Upon reaching Hilo we went directly to the hotel, and a doctor was summoned, to give us all a tonic to counteract the ill effects of the drug which had been administered. "I know that drug well," said the physician. "The natives call it kokomana, and they have a story to the