a sheet of fly
paper--Samoa is outside British jurisdiction. The High Commissioner for
the Western Pacific would not have endorsed such a fool of a document,
and I'll report the matter to him.... Now, sit down and tell me what you
_do_ want, and I'll try and help you all I can. But don't try to bluff
us--it's only wasting your time. Steward, bring us something to drink."

As soon as the steward brought them "something to drink" Otway became
deeply sympathetic with the detective, and Robertson, who knew his
supercargo well, smiled inwardly at the manner he adopted.

"Now, just tell us, Mr.--O'Donovan, I think you said is your name--what
is all the trouble? I need hardly tell you that whilst both the captain
and myself felt annoyed at your dictatorial manner, we are both sensible
men, and will do all in our power to assist you. Our firm's reputation
has to be studied--has it not, captain? We don't want it to be
insinuated that we helped an embezzler to escape, do we?"

"Certainly not," replied Robertson, puffing slowly at his cigar,
watching Otway keenly through his half-closed eyelids, and wondering
what that astute young gentleman was driving at. "I guess that you, Mr.
Otway, will do all that is right and cor-rect."

"Thank you, sir," replied Otway humbly, and with great seriousness, "I
know my duty to my employers, and I know that this gentleman may be led
into very serious trouble through the dense stupidity of the British
Consul here."

He turned to Mr. O'Donovan--"Are you aware, Mr. O'Donikin--I beg your
pardon, O'Donovan--that the British Consul here is not, officially, the
British Consul. He is merely a commercial agent, like the United States
Consul. Neither are accredited by their Governments to act officially on
behalf of their respective countries, and even if they were, there is no
extradition treaty with the Samoan Islands, which is a country without a
recognised government. Of course, Mr. O'Donovan, you are acting in good
faith; but you have no more legal right nor the power to arrest a man in
Samoa, than you have to arrest one in Manchuria or Patagonia. Of course,
old Johns (the British Consul) doesn't know this, or he would not have
made such a fool of himself by endorsing a warrant from an irresponsible
judge of a New Zealand court. But as I told you, I shall aid you in
every possible way."

O'Donovan was no fool. He knew that all that Otway had said was
absolutely correct, but he braced himself up