第7章

She\'scertainlyahustler，thatlittlegirlofyours。"

"Sheismypartner，"Sheldoncorrected。

"Well，she\'sagoodone，that\'sall，andacoolone。Myword!awhitewomanonMalaita，andatPoonga-Poongaofallplaces!Oh，I

forgottotellyou——shepalaveredBurnettintolendinghereightriflesforhermen，andthreecasesofdynamite。You\'dlaughtoseethewayshemakesthatGuvutugangstandaround。Andtoseethembeingpoliteandtryingtogiveadvice!Lord，Lord，man，thatlittlegirl\'sawonder，amarvel，a——a——acatastrophe。That\'swhatsheis，acatastrophe。She\'sgonethroughGuvutuandTulagilikeahurricane；everylastswineoftheminlovewithher——exceptRaff。

He\'ssoreovertheauction，andhespranghisrecruitingcontractwithMunsteronher。Andwhatdoesshedobutthankhim，andreaditover，andpointoutthatwhileMunsterwaspledgedtodeliverallrecruitstoMorganandRaff，therewasnoclauseinthedocumentforbiddinghimfromcharteringtheEmily。

"\'There\'syourcontract，\'saysshe，passingitback。\'Andaverygoodcontractitis。Thenexttimeyoudrawoneup，insertaclausethatwillfitemergencieslikethepresentone。\'And，Lord，Lord，shehadhim，too。

"Butthere\'sthebreeze，andI\'moff。Good-bye，oldman。Hopethelittlegirlsucceeds。TheMartha\'sawhackingfineboat，andshe\'dtaketheplaceoftheJessie。"

CHAPTERXVII——"YOUR"MISSLACKLAND

ThenextmorningSheldoncameinfromtheplantationtobreakfast，tofindthemissionketch，Apostle，atanchor，hercrewswimmingtwomaresandafillyashore。SheldonrecognizedtheanimalsasbelongingtotheResidentCommissioner，andheimmediatelywonderedifJoanhadboughtthem。ShewascertainlylivinguptoherthreatofrattlingthedrybonesoftheSolomons，andhewaspreparedforanything。

"MissLacklandsentthem，"saidWelshmere，themissionarydoctor，steppingashoreandshakinghandswithhim。"There\'salsoaboxofsaddlesonboard。Andthisletterfromher。AndtheskipperoftheFlibberty-Gibbet。"

Thenextmoment，andbeforehecouldgreethim，Olesonsteppedfromtheboatandbegan。

"She\'sstolentheFlibberty，Mr。Sheldon。Runcleanawaywithher。

She\'sawildone。Shegavemethefever。Broughtitonbyshock。

Andgotmedrunk，aswell——rottendrunk。"

Dr。Welshmerelaughedheartily。

"Nevertheless，sheisnotanunmitigatedevil，yourMissLackland。

She\'sswornthreemenofftheirdrink，or，tothesamepurpose，shutofftheirwhisky。Youknowthem——Brahms，Curtis，andFowler。

SheshippedthemontheFlibberty-Gibbetalongwithher。"

"She\'stheskipperoftheFlibbertynow，"Olesonbrokein。"Andshe\'llwreckherassureasGoddidn\'tmaketheSolomons。"

Dr。Welshmeretriedtolookshocked，butlaughedagain。

"Shehasquiteawaywithher，"hesaid。"Itriedtobackoutofbringingthehorsesover。SaidIcouldn\'tchargefreight，thattheApostlewasunderayachtlicense，thatIwasgoingaroundbySavoandtheupperendofGuadalcanar。Butitwasnouse。\'Botherthecharge，\'saidshe。\'Youtakethehorseslikeagoodman，andwhenIfloattheMarthaI\'llreturntheservicesomeday。\'"

"And\'botheryourorders，\'saidshetome，"Olesoncried。"\'I\'myourbossnow，\'saidshe，\'andyoutakeyourordersfromme。\'

\'Lookatthatloadofivorynuts，\'Isaid。\'Botherthem，\'saidshe；\'I\'mplayin\'forsomethingbiggerthanivorynuts。We\'lldumpthemoversideassoonaswegetunderway。\'"

Sheldonputhishandstohisears。

"Idon\'tknowwhathashappened，andyouaretryingtotellmethetalebackwards。Comeuptothehouseandgetintheshadeandbeginatthebeginning。"

"WhatIwanttoknow，"Olesonbegan，whentheywereseated，"isIS

sheyourpartnerorain\'tshe？That\'swhatIwanttoknow。"

"Sheis，"Sheldonassuredhim。

"Well，who\'dhavebelievedit!"OlesonglancedappealinglyatDr。

Welshmere，andbackagainatSheldon。"I\'veseenafewunlikelythingsintheseSolomons——ratstwofeetlong，butterfliestheCommissionerhuntswithashot-gun，ear-ornamentsthatwouldshamethedevil，andhead-huntingdevilsthatmakethedevillooklikeanangel。I\'veseenthemandgotusedtothem，butthisyoungwomanofyours——"

"MissLacklandismypartnerandpart-ownerofBerande，"Sheldoninterrupted。

"Soshesaid，"theirateskipperdashedon。"Butshehadnopaperstoshowforit。HowwasItoknow？Andthentherewasthatloadofivorynuts-eighttonsofthem。"

"Forheaven\'ssakebeginatthe——"Sheldontriedtointerrupt。

"Andthenshe\'shiredthemdrunkenloafers，threeoftheworstscoundrelsthateverdisgracedtheSolomons——fifteenquidamontheach——whatd\'yethinkofthat？Andsailedawaywiththem，too!

Phew!——Youmightgivemeadrink。Themissionarywon\'tmind。I\'vebeenonhisteetotalhookerfourdaysnow，andI\'mperishing。"

Dr。WelshmerenoddedinreplytoSheldon\'slookofinquiry，andViaburiwasdispatchedforthewhiskyandsiphons。

"Itisevident，CaptainOleson，"Sheldonremarkedtothatrefreshedmariner，"thatMissLacklandhasrunawaywithyourboat。Nowpleasegiveaplainstatementofwhatoccurred。"

"RightO；heregoes。I\'djustcomeinontheFlibberty。ShewasonboardbeforeIdroppedthehook——inthatwhale-boatofherswithhergangofTahitiheathens——thatbigAdamuAdamandtherest。

\'Don\'tdroptheanchor，CaptainOleson，\'shesangout。\'IwantyoutogetunderwayforPoonga-Poonga。\'Ilookedtoseeifshe\'dbeendrinking。WhatwasItothink？Iwasroundingupatthetime，alongsidetheshoal——aticklishplace——headsailsrunningdownandlosingway，soIsays，\'Excuseme，MissLackland，\'andyellsfor\'ard，\'Letgo!\'

"\'Youmighthavelistenedtomeandsavedyourselftrouble，\'saysshe，climbingovertherailandsquintingalongfor\'ardandseeingthefirstshackleflipoutandstop。\'There\'sfifteenfathom，\'

saysshe；\'youmayaswellturnyourmentoandheaveup。\'

"Andthenwehaditout。Ididn\'tbelieveher。Ididn\'tthinkyou\'dtakeheronasapartner，andItoldherasmuchandwantedproof。Shegothighandmighty，andItoldherIwasoldenoughtobehergrandfatherandthatIwouldn\'ttakegammonfromachitlikeher。AndthenIorderedherofftheFlibberty。\'CaptainOleson，\'

shesays，sweetasyouplease，\'I\'veafewminutestospareonyou，andI\'vegotsomegoodwhiskyoverontheEmily。Comeonalong。

Besides，Iwantyouradviceaboutthiswreckingbusiness。

Everybodysaysyou\'reacrackerjacksailor-man\'——that\'swhatshesaid，\'crackerjack。\'AndIwent，inherwhale-boat，AdamuAdamsteeringandlookingassolemnasafuneral。

"OnthewayshetoldmeabouttheMartha，andhowshe\'dboughther，andwasgoingtofloather。Shesaidshe\'dcharteredtheEmily，andwassailingassoonasIcouldgettheFlibbertyunderway。Itstruckmethathergammonwasreasonableenough，andIagreedtopulloutforBeranderightO，andgetyourorderstogoalongtoPoonga-Poonga。Butshesaidtherewasn\'tasecondtobelostbyanysuchfoolishness，andthatIwastosaildirectforPoonga-

Poonga，andthatifIcouldn\'ttakeherwordthatshewasyourpartner，she\'dgetalongwithoutmeandtheFlibberty。Andrightthere\'swhereshefooledme。

"DownintheEmily\'scabinwasthemthreesoaks——youknowthem——

FowlerandCurtisandthatBrahmschap。\'Haveadrink，\'saysshe。

Ithoughttheylookedsurprisedwhensheunlockedthewhiskylockerandsentaniggerfortheglassesandwater-monkey。Butshemusthavetippedthemoffunbeknownsttome，andtheyknewjustwhattodo。\'Excuseme，\'shesays，\'I\'mgoingondeckaminute。\'Nowthatminutewashalfanhour。Ihadn\'thadadrinkintendays。I\'manoldmanandthefeverhasweakenedme。ThenItookitonanemptystomach，too，andtherewasthemthreesoakssettingmeanexample，theyarguingformetotaketheFlibbertytoPoonga-Poonga，an\'mepointingoutmydutytothecontrary。Thetroublewas，alltheargumentswerepointedwithdrinks，andmenotbeingadrinkingman，sotosay，andweakfromfever……

"Well，anyway，attheendofthehalf-hourdownshecameagainandtookagoodsquintatme。\'That\'lldonicely，\'Irememberhersaying；andwiththatshetookthewhiskybottlesandhovethemoversidethroughthecompanionway。\'That\'sthelast，shesaidtothethreesoaks，\'tilltheMarthafloatsandyou\'rebackinGuvutu。

It\'llbealongtimebetweendrinks。\'Andthenshelaughed。

"Shelookedatmeandsaid——nottome，mindyou，buttothesoaks:

\'It\'stimethisworthymanwentashore\'——me!worthyman!\'Fowler，\'

shesaid——youknow，justlikeastraightorder，andshedidn\'tMISTERhim——itwasplainFowler——\'Fowler，\'shesaid，\'justtellAdamuAdamtomanthewhale-boat，andwhilehe\'stakingCaptainOlesonashorehaveyourboatputmeontheFlibberty。Thethreeofyousailwithme，sopackyourdunnage。Andtheoneofyouthatshowsupbestwilltakethemate\'sbillet。CaptainOlesondoesn\'tcarryamate，youknow。\'

"Idon\'tremembermuchafterthat。Allhandsgotmeovertheside，anditseemstomeIwenttosleep，sittinginthestern-sheetsandwatchingthatAdamusteer。ThenIsawtheFlibberty\'smainsailhoisting，andheardtheclankofherchaincomingin，andIwokeup。\'Here，putmeontheFlibberty，\'IsaidtoAdamu。\'Iputyouonthebeach，\'saidhe。\'MissieLackalannasaybeachplentygoodforyou。\'Well，Iletoutayellandreachedforthesteering-

sweep。Iwasdoingmybestbymyowners，yousee。OnlythatAdamugivesmeashovedownonthebottom-boards，putsonefootonmetoholdmedown，andgoesonsteering。Andthat\'sall。Theshockofthewholethingbroughtonfever。AndnowI\'vecometofindoutwhetherI\'mskipperoftheFlibberty，orthatchitofyourswithherpirating，heathenboat\'s-crew。"

"Nevermind，skipper。Youcantakeavacationonpay。"Sheldonspokewithmoreassurancethanhefelt。"IfMissLackland，whoismypartner，hasseenfittotakechargeoftheFlibberty-Gibbet，why，itisallright。Asyouwillagree，therewasnotimetobelostiftheMarthawastobegotoff。Itisabadreef，andanyconsiderableseawouldknockherbottomout。Yousettledownhere，skipper，andrestupandgetthefeveroutofyourbones。WhentheFlibberty-Gibbetcomesback，you\'lltakechargeagain，ofcourse。"

AfterDr。WelshmereandtheApostledepartedandCaptainOlesonhadturnedinforasleepinaverandahammock，SheldonopenedJoan\'sletter。

DEARMR。SHELDON，——PleaseforgivemeforstealingtheFlibberty-

Gibbet。Isimplyhadto。TheMarthameanseverythingtous。

Thinkofit，onlyfifty-fivepoundsforher，twohundredandseventy-fivedollars。IfIdon\'tsaveher，IknowIshallbeabletopayallexpensesoutofhergear，whichthenativeswillnothavecarriedoff。AndifIdosaveher，itisthehaulofalife-

time。AndifIdon\'tsaveher，I\'llfilltheEmilyandtheFlibberty-Gibbetwithrecruits。RecruitsareneededrightnowonBerandemorethananythingelse。

Andplease，pleasedon\'tbeangrywithme。YousaidIshouldn\'tgorecruitingontheFlibberty，andIwon\'t。I\'llgoontheEmily。

Iboughttwocowsthisafternoon。ThattraderatNogidiedoffever，andIboughtthemfromhispartner，SamWillishisnameis，whoagreestodeliverthem——mostlikelybytheMinervanexttimesheisdownthatway。Berandehasbeenlongenoughontinnedmilk。

AndDr。WelshmerehasagreedtogetmesomeorangeandlimetreesfromthemissionstationatUlava。HewilldeliverthemthenexttripoftheApostle。IftheSydneysteamerarrivesbeforeIgetback，plantthesweetcornshewillbringbetweentheyoungtreesonthehighbankoftheBalesuna。Thecurrentiseatinginagainstthatbank，andyoushoulddosomethingtosaveit。

Ihaveorderedsomefig-treesandloquats，too，fromSydney。Dr。

Welshmerewillbringsomemango-seeds。Theyarebigtreesandrequireplentyofroom。

TheMarthaisregistered110tons。SheisthebiggestschoonerintheSolomons，andthebest。Isawalittleofherlinesandguesstherest。Shewillsaillikeawitch。Ifshehasn\'tfilledwithwater，herenginewillbeallright。Thereasonshewentashorewasbecauseitwasnotworking。Theengineerhaddisconnectedthefeed-pipestocleanouttherust。Poorbusiness，unlessatanchororwithplentyofsearoom。

Plantallthetreesinthecompound，evenifyouhavetocleanoutthepalmslateron。

Anddon\'tplantthesweetcornallatonce。Letafewdayselapsebetweenplantings。

JOANLACKLAND。

Hefingeredtheletter，lingeringoveritandscrutinizingthewritinginawaythatwasnothiswont。Howcharacteristic，washisthought，ashestudiedtheboyishscrawl——cleartoread，painfully，clear，butnonethelessboyish。Theclearnessofitremindedhimofherface，ofhercleanlystencilledbrows，herstraightlychisellednose，theveryclearnessofthegazeofhereyes，thefirmlyyetdelicatelymouldedlips，andthethroat，neitherfragilenorrobust，but——butjustright，heconcluded，anadequateandbeautifulpillarforsoshapelyaburden。

Helookedlongatthename。JoanLackland——justanassemblageofletters，ofcommonplaceletters，butanassemblagethatgeneratedasubtleandheadymagic。Itcreptintohisbrainandtwinedandtwistedhismentalprocessesuntilallthatconstitutedhimatthatmomentwentoutinlovetothatscrawledsignature。Afewcommonplaceletters——yettheycausedhimtoknowinhimselfalackthatsweetlyhurtandthatexpresseditselfinvaguespiritualoutpouringsanddeliciousyearnings。JoanLackland!Eachtimehelookedatittherearosevisionsofherinamyriadmoodsandguises——cominginoutoftheflyingsmotherofthegalethathadwreckedherschooner；launchingawhale-boattogoa-fishing；

runningdrippingfromthesea，withstreaminghairandclinginggarments，tothefresh-watershower；frighteningfour-scorecannibalswithanemptychlorodynebottle；teachingOrnfirihowtomakebread；hangingherStetsonhatandrevolver-beltonthehookintheliving-room；talkinggravelyaboutwinningtohearthandsaddleofherown，orjuvenilelyrattlingonaboutromanceandadventure，bright-eyed，herfaceflushedandeagerwithenthusiasm。

JoanLackland!Hemusedoverthecrypticwonderofittillthesecretsofloveweremadeclearandhefeltakeensympathyforloverswhocarvedtheirnamesontreesorwrotethemonthebeach-

sandsofthesea。

Thenhecamebacktoreality，andhisfacehardened。EventhenshewasonthewildcoastofMalaita，andatPoonga-Poonga，ofallvillainousanddangerousportionstheworst，peopledwithateemingpopulationofhead-hunters，robbers，andmurderers。Fortheinstantheentertainedtherashthoughtofcallinghisboat\'s-crewandstartingimmediatelyinawhale-boatforPoonga-Poonga。Butthenextinstanttheideawasdismissed。Whatcouldhedoifhedidgo？First，shewouldresentit。Next，shewouldlaughathimandcallhimasilly；andafterallhewouldcountforonlyoneriflemore，andshehadmanyrifleswithher。Threethingsonlycouldhedoifhewent。Hecouldcommandhertoreturn；hecouldtaketheFlibberty-Gibbetawayfromher；hecoulddissolvetheirpartnership；——anyandallofwhichheknewwouldbefoolishandfutile，andhecouldhearherexplainintersesettermsthatshewaslegallyofageandthatnobodycouldsaycomeorgotoher。

No，hispridewouldneverpermithimtostartforPoonga-Poonga，thoughhisheartwhisperedthatnothingcouldbemorewelcomethanamessagefromheraskinghimtocomeandlendahand。Herverywords——"lendahand"；andinhisfancy，hecouldseeandhearhersayingthem。

Therewasmuchinherwilfulconductthatcausedhimtowinceintheheartofhim。HewasappalledbythethoughtofhershouldertoshoulderwiththedrunkenrabbleoftradersandbeachcombersatGuvutu。Itwasbadenoughforaclean，fastidiousman；butforayoungwoman，agirlatthat，itwasawful。ThetheftoftheFlibberty-Gibbetwasmerelyamusing，thoughthemeansbywhichthethefthadbeeneffectedgavehimhurt。YethefoundconsolationinthefactthatthetaskofmakingOlesondrunkhadbeenturnedovertothethreescoundrels。Andnext，andswiftly，camethevisionofher，alonewiththosesamethreescoundrels，ontheEmily，sailingouttoseafromGuvutuinthetwilightwithdarknesscomingon。

ThencamevisionsofAdamuAdamandNoaNoahandallherbrawnyTahitianfollowing，andhisanxietyfadedaway，beingreplacedbyirritationthatsheshouldhavebeencapableofsuchwildnessofconduct。

AndtheirritationwasstillonhimashegotupandwentinsidetostareatthehookonthewallandtowishthatherStetsonhatandrevolver-beltwerehangingfromit。

CHAPTERXVIII——MAKINGTHEBOOKSCOMETRUE

Severalquietweeksslippedby。Berande，aftersuchanunusualrunofvisitingvessels，driftedbackintoheroldsolitude。Sheldonwentonwiththedailyround，clearingbush，plantingcocoanuts，smokingcopra，buildingbridges，andridingabouthisworkonthehorsesJoanhadbought。Newsofherhehadnone。RecruitingvesselsonMalaitaleftthePoonga-Poongacoastseverelyalone；andtheClansman，aSamoanrecruiter，droppinganchoronesunsetforbilliardsandgossip，reportedrumoursamongsttheSionativesthattherehadbeenfightingatPoonga-Poonga。Asthisnewswouldhavehadtotravelrightacrossthebigisland，littledependencewastobeplacedonit。

ThesteamerfromSydney，theKammambo，brokethequietudeofBerandeforanhour，whilelandingmail，supplies，andthetreesandseedsJoanhadordered。TheMinerva，boundforCapeMarsh，broughtthetwocowsfromNogi。AndtheApostle，hurryingbacktoTulagitoconnectwiththeSydneysteamer，sentaboatashorewiththeorangeandlimetreesfromUlava。Andtheseseveralweeksmarkedaperiodofperfectweather。Thereweredaysonendwhensleekcalmsruledthebreathlesssea，anddayswhenvagrantwispsofairfannedforseveralhoursfromonedirectionoranother。Theland-breezesatnightaloneprovedregular，anditwasatnightthattheoccasionalcuttersandketchesslippedby，tooeagertotakeadvantageofthelightwindstodropanchorforanhour。

Thencamethelong-expectednor\'wester。Foreightdaysitraged，lullingattimestoshortdurationsofcalm，thenshiftingapointortwoandragingwithrenewedviolence。Sheldonkeptaprecautionaryeyeonthebuildings，whiletheBalesuna，inflood，sosavagelyattackedthehighbankJoanhadwarnedhimabout，thathetoldoffallthegangstobattlewiththeriver。

Itwasinthegoodweatherthatfollowed，thathelefttheblacksatwork，onemorning，andwithashot-gunacrosshispommelrodeoffafterpigeons。Twohourslater，oneofthehouse-boys，breathlessandscratchedranhimdownwiththenewsthattheMartha，theFlibberty-Gibbet，andtheEmilywereheadinginfortheanchorage。

Comingintothecompoundfromtherear，Sheldoncouldseenothinguntilherodearoundthecornerofthebungalow。Thenhesaweverythingatonce——first，aglimpseatthesea，wheretheMarthafloatedhugealongsidethecutterandtheketchwhichhadrescuedher；and，next，thegroundinfrontoftheverandasteps，whereagreatcrowdoffresh-caughtcannibalsstoodatattention。Fromthefactthateachwasattiredinanew，snow-whitelava-lava，Sheldonknewthattheywererecruits。Partwayupthesteps，oneofthemwasjustbackingdownintothecrowd，whileanother，calledoutbyname，wascomingup。ItwasJoan\'svoicethathadcalledhim，andSheldonreinedinhishorseandwatched。Shesatattheheadofthesteps，behindatable，betweenMunsterandhiswhitemate，thethreeofthemcheckinglonglists，Joanaskingthequestionsandwritingtheanswersinthebig，red-covered，Berandelabour-

journal。

"Whatname？"shedemandedoftheblackmanonthesteps。

"Tagari，"cametheanswer，accompaniedbyagrinandarollingofcuriouseyes；foritwasthefirstwhite-man\'shousetheblackhadeverseen。

"Whatplaceb\'longyou？"

"Bangoora。"

NoonehadnoticedSheldon，andhecontinuedtosithishorseandwatch。Therewasadiscrepancybetweentheanswerandtherecordintherecruitingbooks，andaconsequentdiscussion，untilMunstersolvedthedifficulty。

"Bangoora？"hesaid。"That\'sthelittlebeachattheheadofthebayoutofLatta。He\'sdownasaLatta-man——see，thereitis，\'Tagari，Latta。\'"

"Whatplaceyougoyoufinishalongwhitemarster？"Joanasked。

"Bangoora，"themanreplied；andJoanwroteitdown。

"Ogu!"Joancalled。

Theblacksteppeddown，andanothermountedtotakehisplace。ButTagari，justbeforehereachedthebottomstep，caughtsightofSheldon。Itwasthefirsthorsethefellowhadeverseen，andheletoutafrightenedscreechanddashedmadlyupthesteps。Atthesamemomentthegreatmassofblackssurgedawaypanic-strickenfromSheldon\'svicinity。Thegrinninghouse-boysshoutedencouragementandexplanation，andthestampedewaschecked，thenew-caughthead-huntershuddlingcloselytogetherandstaringdubiouslyatthefearfulmonster。

"Hello!"Joancalledout。"Whatdoyoumeanbyfrighteningallmyboys？Comeonup。"

"Whatdoyouthinkofthem？"sheasked，whentheyhadshakenhands。

"Andwhatdoyouthinkofher？"——withawaveofthehandtowardtheMartha。"Ithoughtyou\'ddesertedtheplantation，andthatImightaswellgoaheadandgetthemenintobarracks。Aren\'ttheybeauties？Doyouseethatonewiththesplitnose？He\'stheonlymanwhodoesn\'thailfromthePoonga-Poongacoast；andtheysaidthePoonga-Poonganativeswouldn\'trecruit。Justlookatthemandcongratulateme。Therearenokiddiesandhalf-grownyouthsamongthem。They\'remen，everylastoneofthem。IhavesuchalongstoryIdon\'tknowwheretobegin，andIwon\'tbeginanywaytillwe\'rethroughwiththisanduntilyouhavetoldmethatyouarenotangrywithme。"

"Ogu——whatplaceb\'longyou？"shewentonwithhercatechism。

ButOguwasabushman，lackingknowledgeofthealmostuniversalbeche-de-merEnglish，andhalfadozenofhisfellowswrangledtoexplain。

"Thereareonlytwoorthreemore，"JoansaidtoSheldon，"andthenwe\'redone。Butyouhaven\'ttoldmethatyouarenotangry。"

Sheldonlookedintohercleareyesasshefavouredhimwithadirect，untroubledgazethatthreatened，heknewfromexperience，toturnteasinglydefiantonaninstant\'snotice。Andashelookedatheritcametohimthathehadneverhalf-anticipatedthegladnessherreturnwouldbringtohim。

"Iwasangry，"hesaiddeliberately。"Iamstillangry，veryangry——"henotedtheglintofdefianceinhereyesandthrilled——

"butIforgave，andInowforgivealloveragain。ThoughIstillinsist——"

"ThatIshouldhaveaguardian，"sheinterrupted。"Butthatdaywillnevercome。ThankgoodnessI\'moflegalageandabletotransactbusinessinmyownright。Andspeakingofbusiness，howdoyoulikemyforcefulAmericanmethods？"

"Mr。Raff，fromwhatIhear，doesn\'ttakekindlytothem，"hetemporized，"andyou\'vecertainlysetthedrybonesrattlingformanyaday。ButwhatIwanttoknowisifotherAmericanwomenareassuccessfulinbusinessventures？"

"Luck，\'mostallluck，"shedisclaimedmodestly，thoughhereyeslightedwithsuddenpleasure；andheknewherboy\'svanityhadbeentouchedbyhistrifleoftemperedpraise。

"Luckbeblowed!"brokeoutthelongmate，Sparrowhawk，hisfaceshiningwithadmiration。"Itwashardwork，that\'swhatitwas。

Weearnedourpay。Sheworkedustillwedropped。Andweweredownwithfeverhalfthetime。Sowasshe，forthatmatter，onlyshewouldn\'tstaydown，andshewouldn\'tletusstaydown。Myword，she\'saslave-driver——\'Justonemoreheave，Mr。Sparrowhawk，andthenyoucangotobedforaweek\'，——shetome，andmestaggerin\'\'roundlikeadeadman，withbilious-greenlightsflashinginsidemyhead，an\'myheadjustbustin\'。Iwasallin，butIgavethatheaverightO——andthenitwas，\'Anotherheavenow，Mr。Sparrowhawk，justanotherheave。\'An\'theLordlumme，thewayshemadelovetooldKina-Kina!"

Heshookhisheadreproachfully，whilethelaughterdieddowninhisthroattolong-drawnchuckles。

"HewasolderthanTelepasseanddirtier，"sheassuredSheldon，"andIamsuremuchwickeder。Butthisisn\'twork。Letusgetthroughwiththeselists。"

Sheturnedtothewaitingblackonthesteps，-

"Ogu，youfinishalongbigmarsterbelongwhiteman，yougoNot-

Not——Hereyou，Tangari，youspeak\'malongthatfellaOgu。HefinishhewalkaboutNot-Not。Haveyougotthat，Mr。Munster？"

"Butyou\'vebrokentherecruitinglaws，"Sheldonsaid，whenthenewrecruitshadmarchedawaytothebarracks。"ThelicensesfortheFlibbertyandtheEmilydon\'tallowforonehundredandfifty。

WhatdidBurnettsay？"

"Hepassedthem，allofthem，"sheanswered。"CaptainMunsterwilltellyouwhathesaid——somethingaboutbeingblowed，orwordstothateffect。NowImustrunandwashup。DidtheSydneyordersarrive？"

"Yoursareinyourquarters，"Sheldonsaid。"Hurry，forbreakfastiswaiting。Letmehaveyourhatandbelt。Do，please，allowme。

There\'sonlyonehookforthem，andIknowwhereitis。"

Shegavehimaquickscrutinythatwasalmostwoman-like，thensighedwithreliefassheunbuckledtheheavybeltandpassedittohim。

"IdoubtifIeverwanttoseeanotherrevolver，"shecomplained。

"Thatonehaswornaholeinme，I\'msure。IneverdreamedIcouldgetsowearyofone。"

Sheldonwatchedhertothefootofthesteps，wheresheturnedandcalledback，-

"My!Ican\'ttellyouhowgooditistobehomeagain。"

Andashisgazecontinuedtofollowheracrossthecompoundtothetinygrasshouse，therealizationcametohimcrushinglythatBerandeandthatlittlegrasshousewastheonlyplaceintheworldshecouldcall"home。"

"AndBurnettsaid，\'Well，I\'llbedamned——Ibegyourpardon，MissLackland，butyouhavewantonlybrokentherecruitinglawsandyouknowit，\'"CaptainMunsternarrated，astheysatovertheirwhisky，waitingforJoantocomeback。"Andsaysshetohim，\'Mr。Burnett，canyoushowmeanylawagainsttakingthepassengersoffavesselthat\'sonareef？\'\'Thatisnotthepoint，\'sayshe。\'It\'sthevery，precise，particularpoint，\'sayssheandyoubearitinmindandgoaheadandpassmyrecruits。YoucanreportmetotheLordHighCommissionerifyouwant，butIhavethreevesselsherewaitingonyourconvenience，andifyoudelaythemmuchlongerthere\'llbeanotherreportgointotheLordHighCommissioner。\'

"\'I\'llholdyouresponsible，CaptainMunster，\'sayshetome，madenoughtoeatscrap-iron。\'No，youwon\'t，\'saysshe；\'I\'mthechartereroftheEmily，andCaptainMunsterhasactedundermyorders。\'

"WhatcouldBurnettdo？Hepassedthewholehundredandfifty，thoughtheEmilywasonlylicensedforforty，andtheFlibberty-

Gibbetforthirty-five。"

"ButIdon\'tunderstand，"Sheldonsaid。

"Thisisthewaysheworkedit。WhentheMarthawasfloated，wehadtobeachherrightawayattheheadofthebay，andwhilstrepairsweregoingon，anewrudderbeingmade，sailsbent，gearrecoveredfromtheniggers，andsoforth，MissLacklandborrowsSparrowhawktoruntheFlibbertyalongwithCurtis，lendsmeBrahmstotakeSparrowhawk\'splace，andstartsbothcraftoffrecruiting。

Myword，theniggerscameeasy。Itwasvirginground。SincetheScottishChiefs，norecruiterhadevereventriedtoworkthecoast；andwe\'dalreadyputthefearofGodintotheniggers\'

heartstillthewholecoastwasquietaslambs。Whenwefilledup，wecamebacktoseehowtheMarthawasprogressing。"

"Andthinkingwewasgoinghomewithourrecruits，"Sparrowhawkslippedin。"Lordlumme，thatMissLacklandain\'tneversatisfied。

\'I\'lltake\'emontheMartha，\'saysshe，\'andyoucangobackandfillupagain。\'"

"ButItoldheritcouldn\'tbedone，"Munsterwenton。"ItoldhertheMarthahadn\'talicenseforrecruiting。\'Oh，\'shesaid，\'itcan\'tbedone，eh？\'andshestoodandthoughtafewminutes。"

"AndI\'dseenherthinkbefore，"criedSparrowhawk，"andIknewatwunstthatthethingwasasgoodasdone。"

Munsterlightedhiscigaretteandresumed。

"\'Youseethatspit，\'shesaystome，\'withthelittleripplebreakingaroundit？There\'sacurrentsetsrightacrossitandonit。Andyouseethembafflin\'littlecat\'s-paws？It\'sgoodweatherandafallingtide。Youjuststarttobeatout，thetwoofyou，andallyouhavetodoismissstaysinthesamebafflingpuffandthecurrentwillsetyounicelyaground。\'"

"\'Thatlittlewashofseawon\'tmorethanstartasheetortwoofcopper，\'saysshe，whenMunsterkicked，"Sparrowhawkexplained。

"Oh，she\'snogreenun，thatgirl。"

"\'ThenI\'llrescueyourrecruitsandsailaway——simple，ain\'tit？\'

saysshe，"Munstercontinued。"\'Youhanguponetide，\'saysshe；

\'thenextisthebighighwater。Thenyoukedgeoffandgoaftermorerecruits。There\'snolawagainstrecruitingwhenyou\'reempty。\'\'Butthereisagainststarving\'em，\'Isaid；\'youknowyourselfthereain\'tanykai-kaitospeakofaboardofus，andthereain\'tacrumbontheMartha。\'"

"We\'dallbeenprettywellonnativekai-kai，asitwas，"saidSparrowhawk。

"\'Don\'tletthekai-kaiworryyou，CaptainMunster，\'saysshe；\'ifIcanfindgrubforeighty-fourmouthsontheMartha，thetwoofyoucandoasmuchbyyourtwovessels。Nowgoaheadandgetagroundbeforeasteadybreezecomesupandspoilsthemanoeuvre。

I\'llsendmyboatsthemomentyoustrike。Andnow，good-day，gentlemen。\'"

"Andwewentanddidit，"Sparrowhawksaidsolemnly，andthenemittedaseriesofchucklingnoises。"Welaidover，starboardtack，andIpinchedtheEmilyagainstthespit。\'Goabout，\'

CaptainMunsteryellsatme；\'goabout，oryou\'llhavemeaground!\'

Heyelledotherthings，muchworse。ButIdidn\'tmind。Imissedstays，prettyasyouplease，andtheFlibbertydrifteddownonhimandfouledhim，andwewentashoretogetherinasniceamessasyoueverwanttosee。MissLacklandtransferredtherecruits，andthetrickwasdone。"

"Butwherewassheduringthenor\'wester？"Sheldonasked。

"AtLanga-Langa。Ranupthereasitwascomingon，andlaidtherethewholeweekandtradedforgrubwiththeniggers。WhenwegottoTulagi，thereshewaswaitingforusandscrappingwithBurnett。

Itellyou，Mr。Sheldon，she\'sawonder，thatgirl，aperfectwonder。"

Munsterrefilledhisglass，andwhileSheldonglancedacrossatJoan\'shouse，anxiousforhercoming，Sparrowhawktookupthetale。

"Gritty!She\'sthegrittiestthing，manorwoman，thateverblewintotheSolomons。YoushouldhaveseenPoonga-Poongathemorningwearrived——Sniderspoppingonthebeachandinthemangroves，war-

drumsboominginthebush，andsignal-smokesraisingeverywhere。

\'It\'sallup，\'saysCaptainMunster。"

"Yes，that\'swhatIsaid，"declaredthatmariner。

"Ofcourseitwasallup。Youcouldseeitwithhalfaneyeandhearitwithoneear。"

"\'Upyourgranny，\'shesaystohim，"Sparrowhawkwenton。"\'Why，wehaven\'tarrivedyet，muchlessgotstarted。Waittilltheanchor\'sdownbeforeyougetafraid。\'"

"That\'swhatshesaidtome，"Munsterproclaimed。"AndofcourseitmadememadsothatIdidn\'tcarewhathappened。Wetriedtosendaboatashoreforapow-wow，butitwasfiredupon。Andeveryonceandawhilesomenigger\'dtakealongshotatusoutofthemangroves。"

"Theywasonlyaquarterofamileoff，"Sparrowhawkexplained，"anditwasdamnednasty。\'Don\'tshootunlesstheytrytoboard，\'

wasMissLackland\'sorders；butthedirtyniggerswouldn\'tboard。

Theyjustlayoffinthebushandpluggedaway。ThatnightweheldacouncilofwarintheFlibberty\'scabin。\'Whatwewant，\'saysMissLackland，\'isahostage。\'"

"\'That\'swhattheydoinbooks，\'Isaid，thinkingtolaughherawayfromherfolly，"Munsterinterrupted。"\'True，\'saysshe，\'andhaveyouneverseenthebookscometrue？\'Ishookmyhead。\'Thenyou\'renottoooldtolearn，\'saysshe。\'I\'lltellyouonethingrightnow，\'saysI，\'andthatisI\'llbeblowedifyoucatchmeashoreinthenight-timestealingniggersinaplacelikethis。\'"

"Youdidn\'tsayblowed，"Sparrowhawkcorrected。"Yousaidyou\'dbedamned。"

"That\'swhatIdid，andImeantit，too。"

"\'Nobodyaskedyoutogoashore，\'saysshe，quickaslightning，"

Sparrowhawkgrinned。"Andshesaidmore。Shesaid，\'AndifI

catchyougoingashorewithoutordersthere\'llbetrouble——

understand，CaptainMunster？\'"

"Whoinhell\'stellingthis，youorme？"theskipperdemandedwrathfully。

"Well，shedid，didn\'tshe？"insistedthemate。

"Yes，shedid，ifyouwanttomakesosureofit。Andwhileyou\'reaboutit，youmightaswellrepeatwhatshesaidtoyouwhenyousaidyouwouldn\'trecruitonthePoonga-Poongacoastfortwiceyourscrew。"

Sparrowhawk\'ssun-reddenedfaceflamedredder，thoughhetriedtopassthesituationoffbydiverslaughingsandchucklingsandface-

twistings。

"Goon，goon，"Sheldonurged；andMunsterresumedthenarrative。

"\'Whatweneed，\'saysshe，\'isthestronghand。It\'stheonlywaytohandlethem；andwe\'vegottotakeholdfirmrightatthebeginning。I\'mgoingashoreto-nighttofetchKina-Kinahimselfonboard，andI\'mnotaskingwho\'sgametogoforI\'vegoteveryman\'sworkarrangedwithmeforhim。I\'mtakingmysailorswithme，andonewhiteman。\'\'Ofcourse，I\'mthatwhiteman，\'Isaid；forbythattimeIwasmadenoughtogotohellandbackagain。\'Ofcourseyou\'renot，\'saysshe。\'You\'llhavechargeofthecoveringboat。Curtisstandsbythelandingboat。Fowlergoeswithme。

BrahmstakeschargeoftheFlibberty，andSparrowhawkoftheEmily。

Andwestartatoneo\'clock。\'

"Myword，itwasatoughjoblyingthereinthecoveringboat。I

neverthoughtdoingnothingcouldbesuchhardwork。Westoppedaboutfiftyfathomsoff，andwatchedtheotherboatgoin。Itwassodarkunderthemangroveswecouldn\'tseeathingofit。D\'yeknowthatlittle，monkey-lookingnigger，Sheldon，ontheFlibberty——

thecook，Imean？Well，hewascabin-boytwentyyearsagoontheScottishChiefs，andaftershewascutoffhewasaslavethereatPoonga-Poonga。AndMissLacklandhaddiscoveredthefact。Sohewastheguide。Shegavehimhalfacaseoftobaccoforthatnight\'swork——"

"Andscaredhimfittodiebeforeshecouldgethimtocomealong，"

Sparrowhawkobserved。

"Well，Ineversawanythingsoblackasthemangroves。Istaredatthemtillmyeyeswerereadytoburst。AndthenI\'dlookatthestars，andlistentothesurfsighingalongthereef。Andtherewasadogthatbarked。Rememberthatdog，Sparrowhawk？Thebrutenearlygavemeheart-failurewhenhefirstbegan。Afterawhilehestopped——wasn\'tbarkingatthelandingpartyatall；andthenthesilencewasharderthanever，andthemangrovesgrewblacker，anditwasallIcoulddotokeepfromcallingouttoCurtisinthereinthelandingboat，justtomakesurethatIwasn\'ttheonlywhitemanleftalive。

"Ofcoursetherewasarow。Ithadtocome，andIknewit；butitstartledmejustthesame。Ineverheardsuchscreechingandyellinginmylife。Theniggersmusthavejustdivedforthebushwithoutlookingtoseewhatwasup，whileherTahitiansletloose，shootingintheairandyellingtohurry\'emon。Andthen，justassudden，camethesilenceagain——allexceptforsomesmallkiddiethathadgotdroppedinthestampedeandthatkeptcryinginthebushforitsmother。

"AndthenIheardthemcomingthroughthemangroves，andanoarstrikeonagunwale，andMissLacklandlaugh，andIkneweverythingwasallright。Wepulledonboardwithoutashotbeingfired。

And，byGod!shehadmadethebookscometrue，fortherewasoldKina-Kinahimselfbeinghoistedovertherail，shiveringandchatteringlikeanape。Therestwaseasy。Kina-Kina\'swordwaslaw，andhewasscaredtodeath。AndwekepthimonboardissuingproclamationsallthetimewewereinPoonga-Poonga。

"Itwasagoodmove，too，inotherways。ShemadeKina-Kinaorderhispeopletoreturnallthegearthey\'dstrippedfromtheMartha。

Andbackitcame，dayafterday，steeringcompasses，blocksandtackles，sails，coilsofrope，medicinechests，ensigns，signalflags——everything，infact，exceptthetradegoodsandsupplieswhichhadalreadybeenkai-kai\'d。Ofcourse，shegavethemafewsticksoftobaccotokeepthemingoodhumour。"

"Sureshedid，"Sparrowhawkbrokeforth。"Shegavethebeggarsfivefathomsofcalicoforthebigmainsail，twosticksoftobaccoforthechronometer，andasheath-knifeworthelevenpenceha\'pennyforahundredfathomsofbrandnewfive-inchmanila。ShegotoldKina-Kinawiththatstronghandonthegooff，andshekepthimgoingallthetime。She——hereshecomesnow。"

ItwaswithashockofsurprisethatSheldongreetedherappearance。Allthetime，whilethetaleofhappeningatPoonga-

Poongahadbeengoingon，hehadpicturedherasthewomanhehadalwaysknown，cladroughly，skirtmadeoutofwindow-curtainstuff，anundersizedman\'sshirtforablouse，strawsandalsforfootcovering，withtheStetsonhatandtheeternalrevolvercompletinghercostume。Theready-madeclothesfromSydneyhadtransformedher。Asimpleskirtandshirt-waistofsomesortofwash-goodssetoffhertrimfigurewithahintofelegantwomanhoodthatwasnewtohim。Brownslipperspeepedoutasshecrossedthecompound，andheoncecaughtaglimpsetotheankleofbrownopen-workstockings。

Somehow，shehadbeenmademanytimesthewomanbythesemereextraneoustrappings；andinhismindthesewildArabianNightsadventuresofhersseemedthriceaswonderful。

AstheywentintobreakfasthebecameawarethatMunsterandSparrowhawkhadreceivedasimilarshock。Alltheirairofcamaraderiewasdissipated，andtheyhadbecomeabruptlyandimmenselyrespectful。

"I\'veopenedupanewfield，"shesaid，asshebeganpouringthecoffee。"OldKina-Kinawillneverforgetme，I\'msure，andIcanrecruittherewheneverIwant。IsawMorganatGuvutu。He\'swillingtocontractforathousandboysatfortyshillingsperhead。DidItellyouthatI\'dtakenoutarecruitinglicensefortheMartha？Idid，andtheMarthacansigneightyboyseverytrip。

Sheldonsmiledatriflebitterlytohimself。ThewonderfulwomanwhohadtrippedacrossthecompoundinherSydneyclotheswasgone，andhewaslisteningtotheboycomebackagain。