Hawaii - James Michener [382]
The two men fell into silence, as Micah, a leader on whom all the glories and perquisites available to the kings of Hawaii had been visited, considered what he must do. He was caught in wild currents of confusion, and any antagonist other than Wild Whip Hoxworth would have retired at this moment and allowed his uncle to study the matter through the remainder of the night, but now the mark of Whip's character stood out. He rose from his chair, went to the door, stretched as if he were leaving, looked out at the stars dancing over Diamond Head and turned back toward his uncle. Lifting a chair and placing it so that its back faced Micah, he sat with his arms folded across the top of the back and his legs straddling the seat. This brought his scarred face close to his uncle's, and he said coldly, "Uncle Micah, so far we've been sparring. Now we've got to get down to the bedrock base of this revolution. There's no escape. You've got to stand before the public."
Micah replied: "I cannot betray the Hawaiians who have befriended me."
Whip said: "But you're ready to betray the Americans who own these islands."
Micah replied: "When I took my oath of allegiance to Hawaii, I believed what I was doing. I became a Hawaiian."
Whip said: "I didn't. I remained an American. I'm going to call on American warships to protect my property for me."
Micah replied: "You can act that way. I can't."
Whip said: "That is not the action we're talking about, Uncle Micah. I'm saying that I am determined to lead a revolution against a weak and corrupt form of government. I'm going to win my part of the revolution. But only you can carry it to its logical conclusion: union with America."
Micah replied: "And that I refuse to do."
Whip said: "If you shared your stubborn conclusion with the silly queen, she'd applaud. But if you told Aunt Malama how you were wasting the tides of history and allowing them to slip away from you, even though she's a Hawaiian she'd say you were stupid."
Micah replied: "I cannot betray these good people."
Whip said: "Then you will allow the forces of history to betray them to Japan."
Micah replied: "That's a risk we'll have to take."
Whip said: "It's not a risk, Uncle Micah. It's a certainty. These islands are doomed. There is only one way to save them. Pick up our revolution and lead it to a good end."
Micah replied: "I will not prostitute myself to protect a gang of sugar robbers."
Whip said: "Unless you protect us, every good thing you have ever wanted for Hawaii will be lost."
Micah replied: "I would relinquish even Union with America rather than attain it as a result of unchristian acts."
Whip said: "I am surprised you speak of Christianity. Are you willing to abandon these islands to opium, lotteries, debauchery, with streets unsafe for women?"
Micah replied: "These are problems we must solve within the framework of established government, not by revolution."
Whip said: "Where was the framework of your established government when the late king used to convene his Ball of String Society?"
Micah replied: "That was an aberration. God has surely punished him for that."
Whip said: "It was the mark of the monarchy. The old fool stood facing a crowd of beautiful women and threw a ball of string at them. He held one end and the girl who caught the ball followed him obediently to bed."
Micah replied: "I hardly expected you to preach morality."
Whip said: "I'll preach anything that will end the monarchy."
Micah replied: "The one evil thing I did in my life was to ally myself with your grandfather against my own father. God has never forgiven me for this, and I often wake at night in dreadful sweat and lie there for hours reflecting upon the devilish compact I made with Captain Hoxworth. Now you ask me to make a worse with his grandson. I can't risk any more sleepless nights, Whipple."
Whip said: "The alliance between you and old Rafer Hoxworth may have been unholy in