第5章

"Telepasse，youoldreprobate，tell\'mboysclearoutalongbeach。

Myword，Inogammonalongyou。"

"Menogammon，"saidthechief。"Mewant\'mpaywhiteMarybang\'mheadb\'longGogoomy。"

"I\'llcomedownthereandbang\'mheadb\'longyou，"Sheldonreplied，leaningtowardtherailingasifabouttoleapover。

Anangrymurmurarose，andtheblackssurgedrestlessly。Themuzzlesofmanygunswererisingfromthehips。Joanwaspressingthelightedendofthecigarettetothefuse。ASniderwentoffwiththeroarofabomb-gun，andSheldonheardapaneofwindow-

glasscrashbehindhim。AtthesamemomentJoanflungthedynamite，thefusehissingandspluttering，intothethickoftheblacks。Theyscatteredbackintoogreathastetodoanymoreshooting。Satan，arousedbytheoneshot，wassnarlingandpantingtobeletout。Joanheard，andrantolethimout；andthereatthetragedywasaverted，andthecomedybegan。

Riflesandspearsweredroppedorflungasideinawildscramblefortheprotectionofthecocoanutpalms。Satanmultipliedhimself。Neverhadhebeenfreetotearandrendsuchaquantityofblackfleshbefore，andhebitandsnappedandrushedtheflyinglegstillthelastpairwereabovehishead。AllweretreedexceptTelepasse，whowastoooldandfat，andhelayproneandwithoutmovementwherehehadfallen；whileSatan，withtoogreatahearttoworryanenemythatdidnotmove，dashedfranticallyfromtreetotree，barkingandspringingatthosewhoclungonlowestdown。

"Ifancyyouneedalessonortwoininsertingfuses，"Sheldonremarkeddryly。

Joan\'seyeswerescornful。

"Therewasnodetonatoronit，"shesaid。"Besides，thedetonatorisnotyetmanufacturedthatwillexplodethatcharge。It\'sonlyabottleofchlorodyne。"

Sheputherfingersintohermouth，andSheldonwincedashesawherblow，likeaboy，asharp，imperiouswhistle——thecallshealwaysusedforhersailors，andthatalwaysmadehimwince。

"They\'regoneuptheBalesuna，shootingfish，"heexplained。"ButtherecomesOlesonwithhisboat\'s-crew。He\'sanoldwar-horsewhenhegetsstarted。Seehimbangingtheboys。Theydon\'tpullfastenoughforhim。"

"Andnowwhat\'stobedone？"sheasked。"You\'vetreedyourgame，butyoucan\'tkeepittreed。"

"No；butIcanteachthemalesson。"

Sheldonwalkedovertothebigbell。

"Itisallright，"herepliedtohergestureofprotest。"Myboysarepracticallyallbushmen，whilethesechapsaresalt-watermen，andthere\'snolovelostbetweenthem。Youwatchthefun。"

Herangageneralcall，andbythetimethetwohundredlabourerstroopedintothecompoundSatanwasoncemorepennedintheliving-

room，complainingtohighheavenathisabominabletreatment。Theplantationhandsweredancingwar-dancesaroundthebaseofeverytreeandfillingtheairwithabuseandvituperationoftheirhereditaryenemies。TheskipperoftheFlibberty-Gibbetarrivedinthethickofit，inthefirstthroesofoncomingfever，staggeringashewalked，andshiveringsoseverelythathecouldscarcelyholdtheriflehecarried。Hisfacewasghastlyblue，histeethclickedandchattered，andtheviolentsunshinethroughwhichhewalkedcouldnotwarmhim。

"I\'lls-s-sitdown，andk-k-keepaguardon\'em，"hechattered。

"D-d-dashitall，Ialwaysg-getf-feverwhenthere\'sanyexcitement。W-w-wh-whatareyougoingtodo？"

"Gatherupthegunsfirstofall。"

UnderSheldon\'sdirectionthehouse-boysandgang-bossescollectedthescatteredarmsandpiledtheminaheapontheveranda。Themodernrifles，stolenfromLunga，Sheldonsetaside；theSnidershesmashedintofragments；thepileofspears，clubs，andtomahawkshepresentedtoJoan。

"Areallyuniqueadditiontoyourcollection，"hesmiled；"pickeduprightonthebattlefield。"

Downonthebeachhebuiltabonfireoutofthecontentsofthecanoes，hisblackssmashing，breaking，andlootingeverythingtheylaidhandson。Thecanoesthemselves，splinteredandbroken，filledwithsandandcoral-boulders，weretowedouttotenfathomsofwaterandsunk。

"Tenfathomswillbedeepenoughforthemtoworkin，"Sheldonsaid，astheywalkedbacktothecompound。

HereaSaturnaliahadbrokenloose。Thewar-songsanddancesweremoreunrestrained，and，fromabuse，theplantationblackshadturnedtopeltingtheirhelplessfoeswithpiecesofwood，handfulsofpebbles，andchunksofcoral-rock。Andtheseventy-fivelustycannibalsclungstoicallytotheirtree-perches，enduringtherainofmissilesandsnarlingdownpromisesofvengeance。

"There\'llbewarsforfortyyearsonMalaitaonaccountofthis，"

Sheldonlaughed。"ButIalwaysfancyoldTelepassewillneveragainattempttorushaplantation。"

"Eh，youoldscoundrel，"headded，turningtotheoldchief，whosatgibberinginimpotentrageatthefootofthesteps。"Nowheadbelongyoubang\'mtoo。Comeon，MissLackland，bang\'mjustonce。

Itwillbethecrowningindignity。"

"Ugh，he\'stoodirty。I\'drathergivehimabath。Here，you，AdamuAdam，givethisdevil-devilawash。Soapandwater!Fillthatwash-tub。Ornfiri，runandfetch\'mscrub-brush。"

TheTahitians，backfromtheirfishingandgrinningatthebedlamofthecompound，enteredintothejoke。

"Tambo!Tambo!"shriekedthecannibalsfromthetrees，appalledatsoawfuladesecration，astheysawtheirchieftumbledintothetubandthesacreddirtrubbedandsousedfromhisbody。

Joan，whohadgoneintothebungalow，tosseddownastripofwhitecalico，inwhicholdTelepassewaspromptlywrapped，andhestoodforth，resplendentandpurified，withalhestillspatandstrangledfromthesoap-sudswithwhichNoaNoahhadgargledhisthroat。

Thehouse-boysweredirectedtofetchhandcuffs，and，onebyone，theLungarunawayswerehaleddownoutoftheirtreesandmadefast。Sheldonironedtheminpairs，andranasteelchainthroughthelinksoftheirons。Gogoomywasgivenalectureforhismutinousconductandlockedupfortheafternoon。ThenSheldonrewardedtheplantationhandswithanafternoon\'sholiday，and，whentheyhadwithdrawnfromthecompound，permittedthePortAdamsmentodescendfromthetrees。AndallafternoonheandJoanloafedinthecooloftheverandaandwatchedthemdivingdownandemptyingtheirsunkencanoesofthesandandrocks。Itwastwilightwhentheyembarkedandpaddledawaywithafewbrokenpaddles。Abreezehadsprungup，andtheFlibberty-GibbethadalreadysailedforLungatoreturntherunaways。

CHAPTERXII——MR。MORGANANDMR。RAFF

Sheldonwasbackintheplantationsuperintendingthebuildingofabridge，whentheschoonerMalakularanincloseanddroppedanchor。

Joanwatchedthetakinginofsailandtheswingingoutoftheboatwithasailor\'sinterest，andherselfmetthetwomenwhocameashore。Whileoneofthehouse-boysrantofetchSheldon，shehadthevisitorsservedwithwhiskyandsoda，andsatandtalkedwiththem。

Theyseemedawkwardandconstrainedinherpresence，andshecaughtfirstoneandthentheotherlookingatherwithsecretcuriosity。

Shefeltthattheywereweighingher，appraisingher，andforthefirsttimetheanomalouspositionsheoccupiedonBerandesanksharplyhometoher。Ontheotherhand，theypuzzledher。Theywereneithertradersnorsailorsofanytypeshehadknown。Nordidtheytalklikegentlemen，despitethefactthattherewasnothingoffensiveintheirbearingandthattheveneerofordinarysocialnicetywastheirs。Undoubtedly，theyweremenofaffairs——

businessmenofasort；butwhataffairsshouldtheyhaveintheSolomons，andwhatbusinessonBerande？Theelderone，Morgan，wasahugeman，bronzedandmoustached，withadeepbassvoiceandanalmostgutturalspeech，andtheother，Raff，wasslightandeffeminate，withnervoushandsandwatery，washed-outgrayeyes，whospokewithafaintindefinableaccentthatwashauntinglyreminiscentoftheCockney，andthatwasyetnotCockneyofanybrandshehadeverencountered。Whatevertheywere，theywereself-mademen，sheconcluded；andshefelttheimpulsetoshudderatthoughtoffallingintotheirhandsinabusinessway。There，theywouldbemerciless。

ShewatchedSheldoncloselywhenhearrived，anddivinedthathewasnotparticularlydelightedtoseethem。Butseethemhemust，andsopressingwastheneedthat，afteralittleperfunctorygeneralconversation，heledthetwomenintothestuffyoffice。

Laterintheafternoon，sheaskedLalaperuwheretheyhadgone。

"Myword，"quothLalaperu；"plentywalkabout，plentylook\'m。

Look\'mtree；look\'mgroundbelongtree；look\'mallfellabridge；

look\'mcopra-house；look\'mgrass-land；look\'mriver；look\'mwhale-boat——myword，plentybigfellalook\'mtoomuch。"

"Whatfellamanthemtwofella？"shequeried。

"Bigfellamarsteralongwhiteman，"wastheextentofhisdescription。

ButJoandecidedthattheyweremenofimportanceintheSolomons，andthattheirexaminationoftheplantationandofitsaccountswasofsinistersignificance。

Atdinnernowordwasdroppedthatgaveahintoftheirerrand。

Theconversationwasongeneraltopics；butJoancouldnothelpnoticingthetroubled，absentexpressionthatoccasionallycameintoSheldon\'seyes。Aftercoffee，sheleftthem；andatmidnight，fromacrossthecompound，shecouldhearthelowmurmuroftheirvoicesandseeglowingthefieryendsoftheircigars。Upearlyherself，shefoundtheyhadalreadydepartedonanothertrampovertheplantation。

"Whatyouthink？"sheaskedViaburi。

"Sheldonmarsterhegoalongfinishshorttimelittlebit，"wastheanswer。

"Whatyouthink？"sheaskedOrnfiri。

"SheldonmarsterbigfellawalkaboutalongSydney。Yes，met\'inkso。HefinishalongBerande。"

Alldaytheexaminationoftheplantationandthediscussionwenton；andalldaytheskipperoftheMalakulasenturgentmessagesashoreforthetwomentohasten。Itwasnotuntilsunsetthattheywentdowntotheboat，andeventhenafinaltalkofnearlyanhourtookplaceonthebeach。Sheldonwascombatingsomething——

thatshecouldplainlysee；andthathistwovisitorswerenotgivinginshecouldalsoplainlysee。

"Whatname？"sheaskedlightly，whenSheldonsatdowntodinner。

Helookedatherandsmiled，butitwasaverywanandwistfulsmile。

"Myword，"shewenton。"Onebigfellatalk。Sunhegodown——

talk-talk；sunhecomeup——talk-talk；allthetimetalk-talk。Whatnamethatfellatalk-talk？

"Oh，nothingmuch。"Heshruggedhisshoulders。"TheyweretryingtobuyBerande，thatwasall。"

Shelookedathimchallengingly。

"Itmusthavebeenmorethanthat。Itwasyouwhowantedtosell。"

"Indeed，no，MissLackland；IassureyouthatIamfarfromdesiringtosell。"

"Don\'tletusfenceaboutit，"sheurged。"Letitbestraighttalkbetweenus。You\'reintrouble。I\'mnotafool。Tellme。

Besides，Imaybeabletohelp，to——tosuggestsomething。"

Inthepausethatfollowed，heseemedtodebate，notsomuchwhetherhewouldtellher，ashowtobegintotellher。

"I\'mAmerican，yousee，"shepersisted，"andourAmericanheritageisalargeparcelofbusinesssense。Idon\'tlikeitmyself，butI

knowI\'vegotit——atleastmorethanyouhave。Letustalkitoverandfindawayout。Howmuchdoyouowe？"

"Athousandpounds，andafewtriflesover——smallbills，youknow。

Then，too，thirtyoftheboysfinishtheirtimenextweek，andtheirbalanceswillaveragetenpoundseach。Butwhatistheneedofbotheringyourheadwithit？Really，youknow——"

"WhatisBerandeworth？——rightnow？"

"WhateverMorganandRaffarewillingtopayforit。"Aglanceatherhurtexpressiondecidedhim。"HughieandIhavesunkeightthousandpoundsinit，andourtime。Itisagoodproperty，andworthmorethanthat。Butithasthreeyearstorunbeforeitsreturnsbegintocomein。ThatiswhyHughieandIengagedintradingandrecruiting。TheJessieandourstationscameveryneartopayingtherunningexpensesofBerande。"

"AndMorganandRaffofferedyouwhat？"

"Athousandpoundsclear，afterpayingallbills。"

"Thethieves!"shecried。

"No，they\'regoodbusinessmen，thatisall。Astheytoldme，athingisworthnomorethanoneiswillingtopayortoreceive。"

"AndhowmuchdoyouneedtocarryonBerandeforthreeyears？"

Joanhurriedon。

"Twohundredboysatsixpoundsayearmeansthirty-sixhundredpounds——that\'sthemainitem。"

"My，howcheaplabourdoesmountup!Thirty-sixhundredpounds，eighteenthousanddollars，justforalotofcannibals!Yettheplaceisgoodsecurity。YoucouldgodowntoSydneyandraisethemoney。"

Heshookhishead。

"Youcan\'tgetthemtolookatplantationsdownthere。They\'vebeentakenintoooften。ButIdohatetogivetheplaceup——moreforHughie\'ssake，Iswear，thanmyown。Hewasboundupinit。

Yousee，hewasapersistentchap，andhatedtoacknowledgedefeat。

It——itmakesmeuncomfortabletothinkofitmyself。Wewererunningslowlybehind，butwiththeJessiewehopedtomuddlethroughinsomefashion。"

"Youweremuddlers，thepairofyou，withoutdoubt。Butyouneedn\'tselltoMorganandRaff。IshallgodowntoSydneyonthenextsteamer，andI\'llcomebackinasecond-handschooner。I

shouldbeabletobuyoneforfiveorsixthousanddollars——"

Hehelduphishandinprotest，butshewaveditaside。

"Imaymanagetofreightacargobackaswell。Atanyrate，theschoonerwilltakeovertheJessie\'sbusiness。Youcanmakeyourarrangementsaccordingly，andhaveplentyofworkforherwhenI

getback。I\'mgoingtobecomeapartnerinBerandetotheextentofmybagofsovereigns——I\'vegotoverfifteenhundredofthem，youknow。We\'lldrawupanagreementrightnow——thatis，withyourpermission，andIknowyouwon\'trefuseit。"

Helookedatherwithgood-naturedamusement。

"YouknowIsailedhereallthewayfromTahitiinordertobecomeaplanter，"sheinsisted。"Youknowwhatmyplanswere。NowI\'vechangedthem，that\'sall。I\'dratherbeapartownerofBerandeandgetmyreturnsinthreeyears，thanbreakgroundonPari-Sulayandwaitsevenyears。"

"Andthis——er——thisschooner……"Sheldonchangedhismindandstopped。

"Yes，goon。"

"Youwon\'tbeangry？"hequeried。

"No，no；thisisbusiness。Goon。"

"You——er——youwouldrunheryourself？——bethecaptain，inshort？——

andgorecruitingonMalaita？"

"Certainly。Wewouldsavethecostofaskipper。Underanagreementyouwouldbecreditedwithamanager\'ssalary，andIwithacaptain\'s。It\'squitesimple。Besides，ifyouwon\'tletmebeyourpartner，IshallbuyPari-Sulay，getamuchsmallervessel，andrunhermyself。Sowhatisthedifference？"

"Thedifference？——why，allthedifferenceintheworld。InthecaseofPari-Sulayyouwouldbeonanindependentventure。YoucouldturncannibalforallIcouldinterfereinthematter。ButonBerande，youwouldbemypartner，andthenIwouldberesponsible。AndofcourseIcouldn\'tpermityou，asmypartner，tobeskipperofarecruiter。Itellyou，thethingiswhatI

wouldnotpermitanysisterorwifeofmine——"

"ButI\'mnotgoingtobeyourwife，thankgoodness——onlyyourpartner。"

"Besides，it\'sallridiculous，"heheldonsteadily。"Thinkofthesituation。Amanandawoman，bothyoung，partnersonanisolatedplantation。Why，theonlypracticalwayoutwouldbethatI\'dhavetomarryyou——"

"Minewasabusinessproposition，notamarriageproposal，"sheinterrupted，coldlyangry。"Iwonderifsomewhereinthisworldthereisonemanwhocouldacceptmeforacomrade。"

"Butyouareawomanjustthesame，"hebegan，"andtherearecertainconventions，certaindecencies——"

Shesprangupandstampedherfoot。

"DoyouknowwhatI\'dliketosay？"shedemanded。

"Yes，"hesmiled，"you\'dliketosay，\'Damnpetticoats!\'"

Shenoddedherheadruefully。

"That\'swhatIwantedtosay，butitsoundsdifferentonyourlips。

Itsoundsasthoughyoumeantityourself，andthatyoumeantitbecauseofme。"

"Well，Iamgoingtobed。Butdo，please，thinkovermyproposition，andletmeknowinthemorning。There\'snouseinmydiscussingitnow。Youmakemesoangry。Youarecowardly，youknow，andveryegotistic。Youareafraidofwhatotherfoolswillsay。Nomatterhowhonestyourmotives，ifotherscriticizedyouractionsyourfeelingswouldbehurt。Andyouthinkmoreaboutyourownwretchedfeelingsthanyoudoaboutmine。Andthen，beingacoward——allmenareatheartcowards——youdisguiseyourcowardicebycallingitchivalry。IthankheaventhatIwasnotbornaman。

Good-night。Dothinkitover。Anddon\'tbefoolish。WhatBerandeneedsisgoodAmericanhustle。Youdon\'tknowwhatthatis。Youareamuddler。Besides，youareenervated。I\'mfreshtotheclimate。Letmebeyourpartner，andyou\'llseemerattlethedrybonesoftheSolomons。Confess，I\'verattledyoursalready。"

"Ishouldsayso，"heanswered。"Really，youknow，youhave。I

neverreceivedsuchadressing-downinmylife。IfanyonehadevertoldmethatI\'dbeapartyeventothepresentsituation……Yes，Iconfess，youhaverattledmydrybonesprettyconsiderably。"

"Butthatisnothingtotherattlingtheyaregoingtoget，"sheassuredhim，asheroseandtookherhand。"Good-night。Anddo，dogivemearationaldecisioninthemorning。"

CHAPTERXIII——THELOGICOFYOUTH

"IwishIknewwhetheryouaremerelyheadstrong，orwhetheryoureallyintendtobeaSolomonplanter，"Sheldonsaidinthemorning，atbreakfast。

"Iwishyouweremoreadaptable，"Joanretorted。"YouhavemorepreconceivednotionsthananymanIevermet。Whyinthenameofcommonsense，inthenameof……fairplay，can\'tyougetitintoyourheadthatIamdifferentfromthewomenyouhaveknown，andtreatmeaccordingly？YousurelyoughttoknowIamdifferent。I

sailedmyownschoonerhere——skipper，ifyouplease。Icameheretomakemyliving。Youknowthat；I\'vetoldyouoftenenough。ItwasDad\'splan，andI\'mcarryingitout，justasyouaretryingtocarryoutyourHughie\'splan。Dadstartedtosailandsailuntilhecouldfindtheproperislandsforplanting。Hedied，andI

sailedandsaileduntilIarrivedhere。Well，"——sheshruggedhershoulders——"theschoonerisatthebottomofthesea。Ican\'tsailanyfarther，thereforeIremainhere。AndaplanterIshallcertainlybe。"

"Yousee——"hebegan。

"Ihaven\'tgottothepoint，"sheinterrupted。"LookingbackonmyconductfromthemomentIfirstsetfootonyourbeach，IcanseenofalsepretencethatIhavemadeaboutmyselformyintentions。

Iwasmynaturalselftoyoufromthefirst。Itoldyoumyplans；

andyetyousitthereandcalmlytellmethatyoudon\'tknowwhetherIreallyintendtobecomeaplanter，orwhetheritisallobstinacyandpretence。Nowletmeassureyou，forthelasttime，thatIreallyandtrulyshallbecomeaplanter，thankstoyou，orinspiteofyou。Doyouwantmeforapartner？"

"ButdoyourealizethatIwouldbelookeduponasthemostfoolishjackanapesintheSouthSeasifItookayounggirllikeyouinwithmehereonBerande？"heasked。

"No；decidedlynot。Butthereyouareagain，worryingaboutwhatidiotsandthegenerallyevil-mindedwillthinkofyou。Ishouldhavethoughtyouhadlearnedself-relianceonBerande，insteadofneedingtoleanuponthemoralsupportofeverywhisky-guzzlingworthlessSouthSeavagabond。"

Hesmiled，andsaid，-

"Yes，thatistheworstofit。Youareunanswerable。Yoursisthelogicofyouth，andnomancananswerthat。Thefactsoflifecan，buttheyhavenoplaceinthelogicofyouth。Youthmusttrytoliveaccordingtoitslogic。Thatistheonlywaytolearnbetter。"

"Thereisnoharmintrying？"sheinterjected。

"Butthereis。Thatistheverypoint。Thefactsalwayssmashyouth\'slogic，andtheyusuallysmashyouth\'sheart，too。It\'slikeplatonicfriendshipsand……andallsuchthings；theyareallrightintheory，buttheywon\'tworkinpractice。Iusedtobelieveinsuchthingsonce。ThatiswhyIamhereintheSolomonsatpresent。"

Joanwasimpatient。Hesawthatshecouldnotunderstand。Lifewastooclearlysimpletoher。Itwasonlytheyouthwhowasarguingwithhim，theyouthwithyouth\'spure-mindedandinvinciblereasoning。Herswasonlytheboy\'ssoulinawoman\'sbody。Helookedatherflushed，eagerface，atthegreatropesofhaircoiledonthesmallhead，attheroundedlinesofthefigureshowingplainlythroughthehome-madegown，andattheeyes——boy\'seyes，undercool，levelbrows——andhewonderedwhyabeingthatwassomuchbeautifulwomanshouldbenowomanatall。Whyinthedeucewasshenotcarroty-haired，orcross-eyed，orhare-lipped？

"SupposewedobecomepartnersonBerande，"hesaid，atthesametimeexperiencingafeelingoffrightattheprospectthatwastangledwithacontradictoryfeelingofcharm，"eitherI\'llfallinlovewithyou，oryouwithme。Propinquityisdangerous，youknow。

Infact，itispropinquitythatusuallygivesthefacertothelogicofyouth。"

"IfyouthinkIcametotheSolomonstogetmarried——"shebeganwrathfully。"Well，therearebettermeninHawaii，that\'sall。

Really，youknow，thewayyouharponthatonestringwouldleadanunprejudicedlistenertoconcludethatyouareprurient-minded——"

Shestopped，appalled。Hisfacehadgoneredandwhitewithsuchabruptnessastostartleher。Hewaspatentlyveryangry。Shesippedthelastofhercoffee，andarose，saying，-

"I\'llwaituntilyouareinabettertemperbeforetakingupthediscussionagain。Thatiswhat\'sthematterwithyou。Yougetangrytooeasily。Willyoucomeswimming？Thetideisjustright。"

"IfshewereamanI\'dbundleherofftheplantationrootandcrop，whale-boat，Tahitiansailors，sovereigns，andall，"hemutteredtohimselfaftershehadlefttheroom。

Butthatwasthetrouble。Shewasnotaman，andwherewouldshego，andwhatwouldhappentoher？

Hegottohisfeet，lightedacigarette，andherStetsonhat，hangingonthewalloverherrevolver-belt，caughthiseye。Thatwasthedevilofit，too。Hedidnotwanthertogo。Afterall，shehadnotgrownupyet。Thatwaswhyherlogichurt。Itwasonlythelogicofyouth，butitcouldhurtdamnablyattimes。Atanyrate，hewouldresolveupononething:neveragainwouldhelosehistemperwithher。Shewasachild；hemustrememberthat。

Hesighedheavily。Butwhyinreasonablenesshadsuchachildbeenincorporatedinsuchawoman\'sform？

Andashecontinuedtostareatherhatandthink，thehurthehadreceivedpassedaway，andhefoundhimselfcudgellinghisbrainsforsomewayoutofthemuddle——forsomemethodbywhichshecouldremainonBerande。Achaperone!Whynot？HecouldsendtoSydneyonthefirststeamerforone。Hecould-

Hertrillinglaughtersmoteuponhisreverie，andhesteppedtothescreen-door，throughwhichhecouldseeherrunningdownthepathtothebeach。Atherheelsrantwoofhersailors，PapeharaandMahameme，inscarletlava-lavas，withnakedsheath-knivesgleamingintheirbelts。Itwasanothersampleofherwilfulness。Despiteentreatiesandcommands，andwarningsofthedangerfromsharks，shepersistedinswimmingatanyandalltimes，andbyspecialpreference，itseemedtohim，immediatelyaftereating。

Hewatchedhertakethewater，divingcleanly，likeaboy，fromtheendofthelittlepier；andhewatchedherstrikeoutwithsingleoverhandstroke，herhenchmenswimmingadozenfeetoneitherside。

Hedidnothavemuchfaithintheirabilitytobeatoffahungryman-eater，thoughhedidbelieve，implicitly，thattheirliveswouldgobravelybeforehersincaseofanattack。

Straightouttheyswam，theirheadsgrowingsmallerandsmaller。

Therewasaslight，restlessheavetothesea，andsoonthethreeheadsweredisappearingbehinditwithgreaterfrequency。Hestrainedhiseyestokeeptheminsight，andfinallyfetchedthetelescopeontotheveranda。AsquallwasmakingoverfromthedirectionofFlorida；butthen，sheandhermenlaughedatsquallsandthewhitechoppyseaatsuchtimes。Shecertainlycouldswim，hehadlongsinceconcluded。ThatcameofhertraininginHawaii。

Butsharksweresharks，andhehadknownofmorethanonegoodswimmerdrownedinatide-rip。

Thesquallblackenedthesky，beattheoceanwhitewherehehadlastseenthethreeheads，andthenblottedoutseaandskyandeverythingwithitsdelugeofrain。Itpassedon，andBerandeemergedinthebrightsunshineasthethreeswimmersemergedfromthesea。Sheldonslippedinsidewiththetelescope，andthroughthescreen-doorwatchedherrunupthepath，shakingdownherhairassheran，tothefresh-watershowerunderthehouse。

Ontheverandathatafternoonhebroachedthepropositionofachaperoneasdelicatelyashecould，explainingthenecessityatBerandeforsuchabody，ahousekeepertoruntheboysandthestoreroom，andperformdiversotherusefulfunctions。Whenhehadfinished，hewaitedanxiouslyforwhatJoanwouldsay。

"Thenyoudon\'tlikethewayI\'vebeenmanagingthehouse？"washerfirstobjection。Andnext，brushinghisattemptedexplanationsaside，"Oneoftwothingswouldhappen。EitherIshouldcancelourpartnershipagreementandgoaway，leavingyoutogetanotherchaperonetochaperoneyourchaperone；orelseI\'dtaketheoldhenoutinthewhale-boatanddrownher。DoyouimagineforonemomentthatIsailedmyschoonerdownheretothisrawedgeoftheearthinordertoputmyselfunderachaperone？"

"Butreally……er……youknowachaperoneisanecessaryevil，"heobjected。

"We\'vegotalongverynicelysofarwithoutone。DidIhaveoneontheMiele？AndyetIwastheonlywomanonboard。ThereareonlythreethingsIamafraidof——bumble-bees，scarletfever，andchaperones。Ugh!theclucking，evil-mindedmonsters，findingwrongineverything，seeingsininthemostinnocentactions，andsuggestingsin——yes，causingsin——bytheirdiseasedimaginings。"

"Phew!"Sheldonleanedbackfromthetableinmockfear。

"Youneedn\'tworryaboutyourbreadandbutter，"heventured。"Ifyoufailatplanting，youwouldbesuretosucceedasawriter——

novelswithapurpose，youknow。"

"Ididn\'tthinktherewerepersonsintheSolomonswhoneededsuchbooks，"sheretaliated。"Butyouarecertainlyone——youandyourcustodiansofvirtue。"

Hewinced，butJoanrattledonwiththeplatitudinousoriginalityofyouth。

"Asifanythinggoodwereworthwhilewhenithastobeguardedandputinleg-ironsandhandcuffsinordertokeepitgood。YourdesireforachaperoneasmuchasimpliesthatIamthatsortofcreature。Iprefertobegoodbecauseitisgoodtobegood，ratherthanbecauseIcan\'tbebadbecausesomeargus-eyedoldfrumpwon\'tletmehaveachancetobebad。"

"Butit——itisnotthat，"heputin。"Itiswhatotherswillthink。"

"Letthemthink，thenasty-mindedwretches!Itisbecausemenlikeyouareafraidofthenasty-mindedthatyouallowtheiropinionstoruleyou。"

"IamafraidyouareafemaleShelley，"hereplied；"andassuch，youreallydrivemetobecomeyourpartnerinordertoprotectyou。"

"Ifyoutakemeasapartnerinordertoprotectme……I……I

shan\'tbeyourpartner，that\'sall。You\'lldrivemeintobuyingPari-Sulayyet。"

"Allthemorereason——"heattempted。

"DoyouknowwhatI\'lldo？"shedemanded。"I\'llfindsomemanintheSolomonswhowon\'twanttoprotectme。"

Sheldoncouldnotconcealtheshockherwordsgavehim。

"Youdon\'tmeanthat，youknow，"hepleaded。

"Ido；Ireallydo。Iamsickandtiredofthisprotectiondodge。

Don\'tforgetforamomentthatIamperfectlyabletotakecareofmyself。Besides，Ihaveeightofthebestprotectorsintheworld——

mysailors。"

"Youshouldhavelivedathousandyearsago，"helaughed，"orathousandyearshence。Youareveryprimitive，andequallysuper-

modern。Thetwentiethcenturyisnoplaceforyou。"

"ButtheSolomonIslandsare。YouwerelivinglikeasavagewhenI

camealongandfoundyou——eatingnothingbuttinnedmeatandsconesthatwouldhaveruinedthedigestionofacamel。Anyway，I\'veremediedthat；andsincewearetobepartners，itwillstayremedied。Youwon\'tdieofmalnutrition，besureofthat。"

"Ifweenterintopartnership，"heannounced，"itmustbethoroughlyunderstoodthatyouarenotallowedtoruntheschooner。

YoucangodowntoSydneyandbuyher，butaskipperwemusthave——

"

"Atsomuchadditionalexpense，andmostlikelyawhisky-drinking，irresponsible，andincapablemantoboot。Besides，I\'dhavethebusinessmoreatheartthananymanwecouldhire。Asforcapability，ItellyouIcansailallaroundtheaveragebrokencaptainorpromotedableseamanyoufindintheSouthSeas。AndyouknowIamanavigator。"

"Butbeingmypartner，"hesaidcoolly，"makesyounonethelessalady。"

"Thankyoufortellingmethatmycontemplatedconductisunladylike。"

Shearose，tearsofangerandmortificationinhereyes，andwentovertothephonograph。

"Iwonderifallmenareasridiculousasyou？"shesaid。

Heshruggedhisshouldersandsmiled。Discussionwasuseless——hehadlearnedthat；andhewasresolvedtokeephistemper。Andbeforethedaywasoutshecapitulated。ShewastogotoSydneyonthefirststeamer，purchasetheschooner，andsailbackwithanislandskipperonboard。AndthensheinveigledSheldonintoagreeingthatshecouldtakeoccasionalcruisesintheislands，thoughhewasadamantwhenitcametoarecruitingtriponMalaita。

Thatwastheonethingbarred。

Andafteritwasallover，andaterseandbusiness-likeagreement(byherurging)drawnupandsigned，Sheldonpacedupanddownforafullhour，meditatinguponhowmanydifferentkindsofafoolhehadmadeofhimself。Itwasanimpossiblesituation，andyetnomoreimpossiblethanthepreviousone，andnomoreimpossiblethantheonethatwouldhaveobtainedhadshegoneoffonherownandboughtPari-Sulay。Hehadneverseenamoreindependentwomanwhostoodmoreinneedofaprotectorthanthisboy-mindedgirlwhohadlandedonhisbeachwitheightpicturesquesavages，along-

barrelledrevolver，abagofgold，andagaudymerchandiseofimaginedromanceandadventure。

Hehadneverreadofanythingtocomparewithit。Thefictionists，asusual，wereexceededbyfact。Thewholethingwastoopreposteroustobetrue。Hegnawedhismoustacheandsmokedcigaretteaftercigarette。Satan，backfromaprowlaroundthecompound，ranuptohimandtouchedhishandwithacold，dampnose。Sheldoncaressedtheanimal\'sears，thenthrewhimselfintoachairandlaughedheartily。WhatwouldtheCommissioneroftheSolomonsthink？Whatwouldhispeopleathomethink？AndintheonebreathhewasgladthatthepartnershiphadbeeneffectedandsorrythatJoanLacklandhadevercometotheSolomons。Thenhewentinsideandlookedathimselfinahand-mirror。Hestudiedthereflectionlongandthoughtfullyandwonderingly。

CHAPTERXIV——THEMARTHA

Theyweredeepinagameofbilliardsthenextmorning，aftertheeleveno\'clockbreakfast，whenViaburienteredandannounced，-

"Bigfellaschoonercloseup。"

Evenashespoke，theyheardtherumbleofchainthroughhawse-

pipe，andfromtheverandasawabigblack-paintedschooner，swingingtoherjust-caughtanchor。

"It\'saYankee，"Joancried。"Seethatbow!Lookatthatellipticalstern!Ah，Ithoughtso——"astheStarsandStripesflutteredtothemast-head。

NoaNoah，atSheldon\'sdirection，rantheUnionJackuptheflag-

staff。

"NowwhatisanAmericanvesseldoingdownhere？"Joanasked。

"It\'snotayacht，thoughI\'llwagershecansail。Look!Hername!Whatisit？"

"Martha，SanFrancisco，"Sheldonread，lookingthroughthetelescope。"It\'sthefirstYankeeIeverheardofintheSolomons。

Theyarecomingashore，whoevertheyare。And，byJove，lookatthosemenattheoars。It\'sanall-whitecrew。Nowwhatreasonbringsthemhere？"

"They\'renotpropersailors，"Joancommented。"I\'dbeashamedofacrewofblack-boysthatpulledinsuchfashion。Lookatthatfellowinthebow——theonejustjumpingout；he\'dbemoreathomeonacow-pony。"

Theboat\'s-crewscatteredupanddownthebeach，rangingaboutwitheagercuriosity，whilethetwomenwhohadsatinthestern-sheetsopenedthegateandcameupthepathtothebungalow。Oneofthem，atallandslenderman，wascladinwhiteducksthatfittedhimlikeasemi-militaryuniform。Theotherman，innondescriptgarmentsthatwerebothoftheseaandshore，andthatmusthavebeenuncomfortablyhot，slouchedandshambledlikeanovergrownape。Tocompletetheillusion，hisfaceseemedtosproutinalldirectionswithadense，bushymassofredwhiskers，whilehiseyesweresmallandsharpandrestless。

Sheldon，whohadgonetotheheadofthesteps，introducedthemtoJoan。Thebewhiskeredindividual，wholookedlikeaScotsman，hadtheTeutonicnameofVonBlix，andspokewithastrongAmericanaccent。Thetallmaninthewell-fittingducks，whogavetheEnglishnameofTudor——JohnTudor——talkedpurely-enunciatedEnglishsuchasanyculturedAmericanwouldtalk，saveforthefactthatitwasmostdelicatelyandsubtlytouchedbyafaintGermanaccent。

JoandecidedthatshehadbeenhelpedtoidentifytheaccentbytheshortGerman-lookingmoustachethatdidnotconcealthemouthanditsfullredlips，whichwouldhaveformedaCupid\'sbowbutforsomeharshnessorseverityofspiritthathadmouldedthemmasculinely。

VonBlixwasroughandboorish，butTudorwasgracefullyeasyineverythinghedid，orlooked，orsaid。Hisblueeyessparkledandflashed，hisclean-cutmobilefeatureswereanindextohisslightestshadesoffeelingandexpression。Hebubbledwithenthusiasms，andhisfaintestsmileorlightestlaughseemedspontaneousandgenuine。Butitwasonlyoccasionallyatfirstthathespoke，forVonBlixtoldtheirstoryandstatedtheirerrand。

Theywereonagold-huntingexpedition。Hewastheleader，andTudorwashislieutenant。Allhands——andthereweretwenty-eight——

wereshareholders，invaryingproportions，intheadventure。

Severalweresailors，butthelargemajoritywereminers，culledfromallthecampsfromMexicototheArcticOcean。Itwastheoldandever-untiringpursuitofgold，andtheyhadcometotheSolomonstogetit。Partofthem，undertheleadershipofTudor，weretogouptheBalesunaandpenetratethemountainousheartofGuadalcanar，whiletheMartha，underVonBlix，sailedawayforMalaitatoputthroughsimilarexploration。

"Andso，"saidVonBlix，"forMr。Tudor\'sexpeditionwemusthavesomeblack-boys。Canwegetthemfromyou？"

"Ofcoursewewillpay，"Tudorbrokein。"Youhaveonlytochargewhatyouconsiderthemworth。Youpaythemsixpoundsayear，don\'tyou？"

"Inthefirstplacewecan\'tsparethem，"Sheldonanswered。"Weareshortofthemontheplantationasitis。"

"WE？"Tudoraskedquickly。"Thenyouareafirmorapartnership？

IunderstoodatGuvututhatyouwerealone，thatyouhadlostyourpartner。"

SheldoninclinedhisheadtowardJoan，andashespokeshefeltthathehadbecomeatriflestiff。

"MissLacklandhasbecomeinterestedintheplantationsincethen。

Buttoreturntotheboys。Wecan\'tsparethem，andbesides，theywouldbeoflittleuse。Youcouldn\'tgetthemtoaccompanyyoubeyondBinu，whichisashortday\'sworkwiththeboatsfromhere。