All of our friends were so exhausted that they had to be carried to the cabin and here Dora and Grace fainted away completely, while Nellie was little better off.  Tom had had his left arm bruised and Dick was suffering from an ugly scratch on the forehead.  It was fully an hour before any of them felt like moving around.

In the meantime the two vessels had separated, and though red fire was burned twice, after that, and rockets sent up, nothing more was seen or heard of the Tacoma or those left on board.

“But I don’t think she went down,” said Captain Jerry.  “She was too well built for that.”  And he was right, as events proved.  Much crippled the steamer two days later entered Honolulu harbor, where she was laid up for repairs.

Worn out completely by what they had passed through, the boys slept heavily for the rest of the night, not caring what ship they were on or where they were going.  Everybody was busy with the wreckage, so they were left almost entirely to themselves.

Tom was the first to get up, and going on deck found that the storm had cleared away and that the sun was shining brightly.  Without delay he halted a sailor who happened to be passing.

“What ship is this?” he questioned.

“Dis ship da Golden Wave,” replied the sailor, who was a Norwegian.

“And where are you bound?”

“Da ship sail for Australia.”

“Great Scott!  Australia!” gasped Tom.  “This is the worst yet.”

“What’s up, Tom?” asked Sam, who had followed his brother.

“This sailor tells me this ship is bound for Australia.”

“Why, that is thousands of miles away!”

“I know it.”

“If we go to Australia, we’ll never get back.”

“Not quite as bad as that, Sam.  But we certainly don’t want to go to Australia.”

“Who is the captain?”

“Captain Blossom,” replied the sailor.  “Where is he?”

The sailor said he would take them to the captain and did so.  He proved to be a burly fellow with rather a sober-looking face.

“Got around at last, eh?” he said, eying Tom and Sam shrewdly.

“We have, and we must thank you for rescuing us,” replied Tom.

“That’s all right.”

“One of your sailors tells me you are bound for Australia,” put in Sam.

“He told you the truth.”

“Won’t you stop at some port in the Hawaiian Islands?”

“No.”

“But you might put us off.”

“Can’t spare the time.  As it is, this storm blew me away out of my course,” answered Captain Blossom.

He had a twofold reason for not putting them ashore at or near Honolulu.  It would not only take time, but it might also lead to questioning concerning the fate of the steamer, and he was afraid he would be hauled into some marine court for running into the Tacoma, for that was what he had done.

“Do you know anything about the steamer?” asked Sam.