109.
   A truly gorgeous group of islands had appeared on the horizon. Conrad put his arm around my waist. “May I tell you about Hawaii? Politely? She was a nation that the United States had recognized as sovereign and had treaties with, but in 1897, James Kaulia, the president of the Hawaiian Patriotic League saw clearly that America was abandoning its founding principles to its lust for empire: ‘Is it the Island’s wealth that America desires?’, he asked. ‘If so, then America will desire to annex the earth.’ The descendants of Protestant missionaries had changed the communal concept of all the land for all Hawaiians to that of private ownership. The land was being bought up by wealthy Americans. As with Guatemala and bananas, so went Hawaii and sugar cane. The Hawaiians were outnumbered and out gunned. King Kamehameha was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution in 1887. It reduced him to a figurehead, gave voting rights to only those who owned land and imposed literacy conditions that disenfranchised many Hawaiians. Queen Lileuokalani fought to the end. She drew up her own constitution in 1893. The Americans answered her with the Marines. Some Americans, including Mark Twain and President Grover Cleveland himself knew that empire was the devil’s game but the American sugar barons on the islands lobbied congress and in 1898, with McKinley in the White House, the independent nation of Hawaii was no more.”

   As we stared at the islands, captain Beatrice came up behind us and put her arms on our shoulders. “Come on, guys, enough of this dreary talk. There’s going to be a special party in the mess tonight and I want you to join us. Dress up in your finest. We’re going to have a ball!”