e in--the
man who was courting Mrs. Molly--fell on the top of the goat, some other
man trod on his face, and Leger (who was not sober enough to tell one
person from another) said that he saw Tom Denison do it. Seven natives,
male and female, swore that at the time alleged Tom was out on the beach
bathing his crushed toe in the salt water, and using solemn British
oaths; but Leger, who disliked Denison, who had once kicked him
overboard violently for being drunk, not only stuck to the story, but
said that Hayes and Tom had set the goat on fire on purpose to break up
the dance and cause annoyance to the Germans present; also he vaguely
hinted that they, Denison and Hayes, would have driven the seven cows
into the ballroom but couldn't find them. Then Mrs. MacLaggan promised
the fat man to sack Denison on the following morning, and at midnight,
as I have said, word was brought in that Billy had been shot. But about
ten in the morning Leger heard from some native that the goat was as
well as ever, and on board Denison's vessel, and being a mean, spiteful
little hound, off he trotted to the German manager, and said that
Captain Hayes and Mr. Denison had rescued the creature. At that very
moment the manager was talking to some German officers, one of whom was
the man whose watch had been smashed, and as every German in Samoa hated
Hayes most fervently, it was at once concluded that Hayes had trained,
or suborned, or bribed, or corrupted the goat to do it. So a young
lieutenant went and called upon Hayes, and demanded satisfaction for his
friend, and Hayes was exceedingly rude to him, but said that if the man
with the broken watch liked to meet Billy MacLaggan with his own
weapons, and fight him in a goatsmanlike manner, for fifty dollars a
side, he (Hayes) would put up Billy's fifty. Then the lieutenant asked
for a written apology for his friend, and Hayes said that Billy couldn't
write, and, anyway, he was Mrs. Molly's goat. If the man with the
smashed nickel wanted an apology, why the blazes didn't he approach Mrs.
MacLaggan? he asked.

Whilst Hayes was telling all this to Tom, pulling his thick beard and
laughing loudly, as they paced the little vessel's deck, the
search-party came on board to recover the goat. The leader bore a letter
from Mrs. MacLaggan to Tom, informing him that his services as
supercargo were no longer required, also that he could come ashore at
once and be paid off, as his conduct was heartless, and t