Page:Under Dewey at Manila.djvu/90

68 his expense if they finished up one day before the time set for sailing.

On a Tuesday night the work came to an end, and hatches were closed with a will. The Columbia was to sail at nine o'clock Thursday morning, so the crew would have all day Wednesday to themselves. What to do was solved by Captain Ponsberry, who hired a big stage and took all hands down to the dazzling white beach at Waikiki, but a few miles outside of Honolulu. Here there is the best of surf bathing, just inside of the reefs, with all the proper accommodations, and there is likewise a beautiful park, where the society of the seaport city takes its afternoon drives. Larry enjoyed a dip in the surf very much, having Striker with him, and the bath gave both a tremendous appetite for the seashore dinner, which Captain Ponsberry kind-heartedly provided at the casino nearby.

"Good-by to Honolulu," cried Larry, as the party started on its return. "Take it all in all, it's a pretty place, and one might do much worse than to settle here for the remainder of one's life. It won't be a bad job done if the United States annexes the islands."

"Just what I say," said Tom Grandon, who sat