by Karen Badger
Spencer’s chin quivered and she tried hard to hold it together. All she could manage without breaking down was a nod of the head.
“All right then. I’ll be back soon.” Bear picked up the two bags he had laid at his feet and descended to shore level where the skiff was waiting.
***
Spencer woke up the next morning with a stiff back. She rolled onto her back and opened her eyes, and to her surprise, all she saw was blue sky. She sat up abruptly and looked around. Damn! I must have fallen asleep!
After rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Spencer slowly climbed to her feet. She stretched the kinks out of her back and then immediately went in search of the commode that was located near her room.
The next stop was her quarters, where she washed and dressed in the new shirt and trousers she had purchased two days earlier, topped by her vest and leather coat. Feeling refreshed, she strapped on her sword and gun, and decided to get a bite to eat, after which she would make her normally scheduled rounds of the docks, despite Bear’s insistence that she not return to work until Tuesday.
After her second set of rounds, Spencer returned to the end of the docks and sat to watch the ship through her looking glass. As usual, everything on the ship was dark. She could feel an odd sense of foreboding in the December air as the sun began its early descent in the western sky. Within a couple of hours, the sky would be dark, save the illumination from the moon. A great wave of sadness came over her as she watched the ship. Everyone who was important to her life at that moment was on that ship, yet, she was there on the dock, alone, and facing an uncertain future.
Spencer was suddenly startled by the sound of multiple conches sounding off. Within moments, men ran past her carrying buckets. “What’s happening?” she asked.
“Fire! Either help or get out of the way!” one man yelled back.
Spencer was nearly knocked off the dock by several more men running toward the shore with buckets. She wisely decided to get out of the way and ran down the length of the dock to see where the fire was coming from. She reached the area of the dock containing the bunk houses and then turned the corner to the cargo landing. It was there that she noticed a large wooden cargo ship on fire.
She attempted to get closer for a better look, but was pushed back against one of the buildings by one of the dock workers.
“You need to get away from here,” Bear said.
Spencer looked directly into Bear’s eyes, and suddenly understood the silent message. This is the diversion! She nodded and ran the rest of the way down the dock and away from the shore until she reached the passenger launch. From there, she pulled her looking glass from her coat and scanned the ship once more. Expecting to see total darkness, this time, she saw lights emanating from every port hole.
It’s happening. Think, Spencer! Think. Remember the plan. Spencer found a place near the dock to seclude herself without being viewed as suspicious, and then she waited. It would be two more hours before she would be needed. She waited and watched as countless dock workers and firemen ran back and forth between the ocean and the burning ship to pour ineffective buckets of water on ship that was now a raging inferno. Despite their efforts, the entire ship became engulfed in flames, and at one point, the heat from the fire was too much for those fighting, and they were forced to retreat and abandon it.
It was at this point...at ten p.m. on December first, eighteen eighty-four—when most of the town folk and nearly all of the law enforcement personnel in Honolulu were engaged in fighting the fire—that Spencer watched five boats loaded with armed men push off from the ship in the harbor and row directly toward the Oceanic Steamship Company’s wharf.
From her strategic position, Spencer watched as natives fishing at the wharf ran into town to warn of the invasion. She scanned the first boat that landed for Makenna, but was sorely disappointed when it contained only men armed with the new Winchester repeating rifles, plus revolvers and cutlasses.
Spencer watched a man approach the first boat. He was unarmed, except for a notebook and writing implement.
“Aloha. My name is Thomas Brown, and I am a reporter for the Pacific Commercial Advertiser.”
Before the man could say another word, the commander of the armed men stepped forward. “Grab him!” he bellowed. Immediately, the reporter was bound hand and foot. “Bring him to Nolte’s coffee salon and hold him there, along with anyone else you encounter along the way,” the commander instructed. “And remember—no casualties unless you are fired upon. Is that clear?”
From her hiding place, Spencer watched as each boat landed and the passengers disembarked. She counted no fewer than seventy men. It wasn’t until the final boat that she saw the one person she hoped she wouldn’t see—Makenna. Leilani was right. She lied about staying on the ship.
Chapter 26
Makenna jumped out of the boat and walked to the front of the gathering. She walked back and forth as she addressed the men.
“Gentlemen. We are here today as soldiers and as patriots. We are patriots for the Kingdom of Hawai’i and we are patriots for the United States of America. Unless provoked, anyone who kills or harms will suffer the same fate as their victim. This is not a coup. This is not a conquest. We leave here tonight with the spoils, but not at the expense of human life. Am I making myself clear?”
A chorus of “Yes, Commander,” rang out.
“All right, then. Fall in.”
Spencer watched as the armed men formed a single column and proceeded to march up Fort Street, led by Makenna and the commanding officer of the troops. Spencer followed closely behind, being careful not to expose her presence.
The streets of Honolulu were all but deserted on this night, partly because of the fire at the docks, and partly because of the late hour, so they were able to march forward relatively unimpeded.
The men marched up Fort Street directly to the Royal Hawai’ian Hotel. When they arrived, Makenna addressed the men. “The manager of this hotel, Mr. George Fassett, is a powerful citizen. We need to be ensured that he is unable to notify anyone of this raid. I want him silenced, but not harmed.”
The commanding officer sent a half-dozen men into the hotel where they rounded up the guests and the manager and locked them in a room. One of the men was left to guard their prisoners while the rest of the unit moved on.
Spencer had the impression that the commanding officer was familiar with Honolulu as he ordered and led the troops to the next destination. She followed close behind by moving in and out of the shadows.
Just before they reached their next destination, Spencer made a dash from one alley to the next. She darted into the dark alley and was immediately taken off her feet by a blow to the stomach.
“Oh, my God,” she moaned.
“What the hell are you doing here? Didn’t I make it clear that I didn’t want you involved in this? You could ruin everything. Damn you, Spencer!”
Spencer laid on the ground and held her stomach until the pain subsided. Then, she slowly climbed to her knees and sat back on her heels. “I can help,” she said.
“You can help by going back to the docks!”
“You need my sword, Mak. I can help.”
Makenna paced back and forth. “Do I have a choice now? Other than to kill you, that is?”
“I promise not to get in the way. Let me help.”
“Ahh!” Makenna screamed quietly in frustration. She grabbed a handful of Spencer’s jacket and pulled her to her feet. “One wrong move and I’ll let the men loose on you. Do you understand?”
“Perfectly.”
“You are to do what I tell you to do, when I tell you to do it. Nothing more...and nothing less.”
“Got it.”
It took a few minutes for them to catch up with the column of armed men. When they had made their way to the front, Makenna pushed Spencer in front of her and introduced her to the commanding officer. “John, this is Spencer. She’s an extraordinary swordswoman. She will provide personal pro
tection for you and me in the event we need it. She is to be unharmed. Do you have any questions?”
John eyed her warily through narrowed eyes. He leaned in close to Spencer. “I don’t need a woman to protect me, but Makenna is the boss. Just stay out of the way of me and my men.”
The troop of armed men continued to march directly from the hotel to the King’s Palace.
Spencer walked beside Makenna. “Are you kidding me? You are going to invade the King’s Palace?”
“He is having a dinner party tonight. He’ll never suspect a thing,” Makenna explained.
“Won’t there be guards at the gate?”
“King Kalakaua has his own company of about forty soldiers called The King’s Own; however, they generally do not guard the palace. They are most often used when the King travels, or in circumstances like this when the palace is under attack. There will be sentries at the gate, but no guard to speak of.”
“Ah, hello? The palace is under attack, so shouldn’t The King’s Own be on guard?” Spencer asked.
“But the King doesn’t know about the palace being under attack, so we are betting the guard will not be on duty.”
“If they’re not guarding the palace, then where will they be?”
“Probably in their barracks. There’s the palace. Don’t do anything stupid, Spencer, okay?”
The company of armed men marched directly up to the palace gates and overtook the sentries easily. Again, the sentries were bound hand and foot, and left with an armed guard. The rest of the troops marched directly to the palace doors.
“Kick the doors in,” Makenna commanded.
John stepped up to the doors and with one hard kick, the doors flew open and slammed into the walls inside the room. Everyone in the room froze in place.
Makenna rushed into the room. “We are here as patriots of the Kingdom of Hawai’i,” she proclaimed loudly. “Cooperate, and no one will be harmed. We are here to free the people of this island nation from monarchical rule. We are here to set the people and the government of Hawai’i on a path to greater prosperity and security. We have no intention of harming anyone unless provoked, or in self-defense. Commander, secure the room.”
Spencer stood by and watched as the men gathered the guests together. Spencer also observed that a general had slipped past them through a rear exit. She immediately approached the commanding officer. “Sir, I just saw a general slip out that door.” She pointed to the door on the far side of the room.”
John quickly sent two men after him.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs stepped forward.”Please, before anyone gets hurt, let’s discuss this.”
“Out of the way, Gibson.” King Kalakaua pushed his way to the front. “I demand to know the meaning of this!”
Makenna stepped forward. “With all due respect, King Kalakaua, we have taken possession of the kingdom.”
“For what reason?” he demanded.
“For foolhardy governing, Sir.” Makenna said. “For putting the Hawai’ian people in danger of invasion by a hostile government, Sir. For not taking steps to secure the economic security of the Hawai’ian economy, Sir. Would you like me to continue, Sir?”
Out of the corner of her eye, Spencer saw Attorney General Neumann make a sudden movement toward Makenna. “How dare you speak to the king in that manner?” he yelled.
Spencer drew her sword and slipped the tip of it into the trigger guard of the gun Attorney General Neumann was pointing at Makenna, and with one smooth movement, flicked it out of his hand and sent it flying across the room. She then tripped him up so that he was lying on his back on the floor, and held him there by the point of her sword. “Don’t move, and you won’t get hurt,” Spencer warned.
Makenna immediately ordered him bound. “Tie him up. Tie them all up!” she ordered.
“Including the king?” one of the men asked.
“Including the king. Lock them in the dining room and place an armed guard.”
At this point, the two men sent to apprehend the general returned. They addressed the commanding officer. “Sir, General Hayley has alerted The King’s Own and they are organizing a counterattack.”
“Choose two dozen men and follow me to the barracks, Sergeant,” John instructed.
“Commander,” Makenna said. “Send word when all is secure so we can proceed.”
“I’ll go with them and report back,” Spencer said.
Makenna nodded.
Spencer followed the troops through several twisted hallways until they located the barracks. As was reported, The King’s Own was frantically trying to organize in order to beat down the rebellion. The commanding officer kicked open the door of the barracks and two dozen of his men filed in. Almost immediately The Kings Own lay down their weapons.
General Hayley was in the room with them. “What the hell are you doing?” he said to the king’s men. “Shoot them!”
The captain of The King’s Own shook his head. “We have weapons, but no ammunition. There is nothing we can do.”
“Bind the general hand and foot and lock them all in the cellar.” He approached the general and stopped within inches of his face. “You are damned lucky we are under orders not to harm, otherwise, you’d be a dead man right now.” He looked at Spencer. “Go ahead and report back while we take care of these men.”
***
All of the men not already assigned to guarding prisoners were assembled in the main hall. Makenna addressed them in a clear, crisp voice.
“First, let me congratulate you all on a job well done. So far, there have been no injuries. Let’s keep it that way. Now that we have control of the kingdom, we need to execute step two of our plan.
“Commander, I need you to take about fifty of the remaining men and raid the following places.” Makenna pulled a list from her jacket pocket and read from it. “First, the Treasury. You will need to enlist the help of the Public Registrar, Mr. Frank Pratt to open the vaults. Next, is the bank owned by Mr. C.R. Bishop on Merchant Street. After that, the business houses of W.G. Irwin & Co., G.W. Macfarlane & Co., Dillingham & Co., J.E Wiseman, Eisenberg & Co., C.O. Berger & Co., and the homes of Mr. W.G. Irwin, British Commissioner Major Wodehouse and the home of American Minister Mr. Daggett. The addresses to all of these are on this piece of paper.” She handed the list to John.
“I hope I don’t need to remind you gentlemen that no harm is to come to any of the people involved at these locations. When you have completed your mission, return directly to the ship with the spoils. We leave before dawn, so be sure to complete your tasks in a timely manner. Are there any questions?”
Makenna continued after no one spoke. “All right then. The remaining men will come with me. There are several valuable treasures right here in this palace that we will take ownership of.”
Chapter 27
Makenna returned to the dock after her raid on the King’s Palace, which yielded the sacred feather cloak of King Kamehamahas, a silver plate the king received as a gift on one of his European trips, a full silver service, and a number of other valuables. This, combined with the silver, gold and greenbacks taken from the treasury, business houses and bank raids was expected to yield more than two and a half million dollars.
Makenna approached Spencer as the men were loading the spoils into the boats. “I want to thank you for what you did back there.”
“No need to thank me. That’s why I wanted to be there. I would die if anything happened to you,” Spencer said.
Makenna placed her hand on Spencer’s arm. “Spencer, you don’t even know me. Not really. We’ve only just met a few weeks ago.”
“Not true. I have known you for more than a year. I fell in love with you from the start. Mak, we are engaged to be married.”
“For the love of Pele, Spencer. Marriage is the furthest thing from my mind...even if it was legal—which it is not.” Makenna ran a hand through her hair. “Spencer, I think we need to end this. As I’ve said before, I will be running from this for
the rest of my life. That is no future for you.”
Spencer shook her head. “I won’t give up on us, Mak. I can’t.”
Their conversation was interrupted by one of the men loading the boats. “We’re all loaded, Captain.”
Makenna tried to covertly wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. “I’m sorry, Spencer. I need to go.” She climbed into the nearest boat and sat with her back to the shore.
Spencer stood stoically as she watched the boat row away.
***
Spencer was still standing on the shore watching Makenna’s boat row out of sight when the remaining men arrived with the spoils from raiding the financial houses.
“You’re still here?” John asked.
Spencer had to think fast. “Yes, I am. I told Makenna I would stay to help you load the spoils.”
John slapped Spencer on the back. “We welcome the help. By the way, good job there at the palace. That would have turned deadly if you hadn’t been there to stop him.”
“It’s why I was there.”
John turned to the men. “All right, let’s get this loot loaded so we can get out of here before the news spreads.”
For the next half hour, Spencer and the men transferred all of the loot from wagons to the boats. When they were finished, John looked around. “They should be here soon,” he said.
Spencer didn’t see anyone in particular. “Who are we waiting for?” she asked.
“The men we posted as guards for the prisoners. They are under order to release them unharmed and to return to the boats just about now.”
No sooner had John said the words, than six men appeared a few hundred yards away, walking in the direction of the docks.
John waved them on. “Be speedy, lads. You are all that’s between us and a good bottle of rum.”
The six men broke into a run, and soon they...and Spencer...were seated in the boats and rowing toward the ship.
