ee, and placed his
hands on their foreheads, and Stedman raised his cap.

"They agree," he explained, for it was but pantomime to Albert. "They
salute you as a ruler; they are calling you Tellaman, which means
peacemaker. The Peacemaker, that is your title. I hope you will deserve
it, but I think they might have chosen a more appropriate one."

"Then I'm really King?" demanded Albert, decidedly, "and I can do what I
please? They give me full power. Quick, do they?"

"Yes, but don't do it," begged Stedman, "and just remember I am American
consul now, and that is a much superior being to a crowned monarch; you
said so yourself."

Albert did not reply to this, but ran across the plaza followed by the
two Bradleys. The boats had gone.

"Hoist that flag beside the brass cannon," he cried, "and stand ready to
salute it when I drop this one."

Bradley, Jr., grasped the halliards of the flag, which he had forgotten
to raise and salute in the morning in all the excitement of the arrival
of the man-of-war. Bradley, Sr., stood by the brass cannon, blowing
gently on his lighted fuse. The Peacemaker took the halliards of the
German flag in his two hands, gave a quick, sharp tug, and down came the
red, white, and black piece of bunting, and the next moment young
Bradley sent the stars and stripes up in their place. As it rose,
Bradley's brass cannon barked merrily like a little bull-dog, and the
Peacemaker cheered.

"What don't you cheer, Stedman?" he shouted. "Tell those people to cheer
for all they are worth. What sort of an American consul are you?"

Stedman raised his arm half-heartedly to give the time, and opened his
mouth; but his arm remained fixed and his mouth open, while his eyes
stared at the retreating boat of the German man-of-war. In the stern
sheets of this boat, the stout German captain was struggling unsteadily
to his feet; he raised his arm and waved it to some one on the great
man-of-war, as though giving an order. The natives looked from Stedman
to the boat, and even Gordon stopped in his cheering and stood
motionless, watching. They had not very long to wait. There was a puff
of white smoke, and a flash, and then a loud report, and across the
water came a great black ball skipping lightly through and over the
waves, as easily as a flat stone thrown by a boy. It seemed to come very
slowly. At least it came slowly enough for every one to see that it was
coming directly towards the brass cannon. The Bradle