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。
