h a careless gesture, and looking
straight at the girl, he said quietly:

"I am unarmed. May I come aboard your vessel?"

Only the slightest trace of the foreigner was discernible in his speech.

Dickie Lang nodded. "Come ahead," she said. "Whoever you are, you can
speak English at least."

The visitor smiled as he caught the mast-stay and drew himself
gracefully over the rail.

"I am Leo Bandrist," he introduced. "I fear my men have caused you some
annoyance. I am sorry."

Dickie rehearsed the incidents leading up to the trouble with the
natives and when she had concluded, Bandrist's forehead wrinkled in a
frown.

"I am very sorry," he repeated. "My men, you see, are very stupid. Very
ignorant. They understand but little English. Then, too, I have been
annoyed by others. You see, I have many sheep and wild goats upon the
island. Hunters come to shoot the goats, but they often mistake my sheep
for them. Fishermen also have caused me great trouble. I have fenced my
lands to keep them out; put up the signs the law tells me I must to
protect myself. But no, they disregard my rights. So I give my men
instructions to keep them out. When my rangers are opposed they grow
ugly. One of them tells me that one of your number began the attack.
That angered them, you see, and they fought back. It was but natural.
However, I am sorry. I trust that none of your party has been seriously
injured."

"Small thanks to you," Dickie snapped. "Your men tried hard enough to
commit murder." Nodding in the direction of the unconscious islander,
she added: "There's one of your outfit stretched out over there. Another
was half-drowned. The third tried to knife Mr. Gregory. I hit him in the
head with a monkey-wrench. They both got away or were washed off the
ledge."

Bandrist shot a quick glance at Gregory as the girl mentioned the
cannery owner's name. At the girl's reference to her part in the affair
his eyes lighted with interest. Then the frown came again to his face.

"That is the trouble," he said quickly. "My men do not understand. They
know only one way to fight. That is to win. If you will permit me, I
shall summon the others to care for their companion."

He waited for the girl's consent. Then he waved his hand to the men on
the beach. When they were within ear-shot, Bandrist addressed them
rapidly, nodding toward the spot indicated by Dickie Lang. As the men
hurried away, he explained:

"They come to me from many countrie