re-makers by special app'intment to the Queen and
the Prince of Wales. Tell 'er we'll make 'er look like the sweetest old
chocolate drop in the taffy-shop. Only be sure and say we must 'ave a
day or so to work the spells and put on the kibosh.'

"So 'twas settled, and dinner was put off for that night, anyhow. And
the next day being sunny, Rosy took the queen's picture. 'Twas an awful
strain on the camera, but it stood it fine; and the photographs he
printed up that afternoon was the most horrible collection of mince-pie
dreams that ever a sane man run afoul of. Rosy used one of the grass
huts for a dark room; and while he was developing them plates, they
could hear him screaming from sheer fright at being shut up alone with
'em in the dark.

"But her majesty thought they was lovely, and set and grinned proud at
'em for hours at a stretch. And the wizards was untied and fed up and
given the best house in town to live in. And Cap'n George and Julius and
the cook got to feeling so cheerful and happy that they begun to kick
Rosy again, just out of habit. And so it went on for three days.

"Then comes the Kanaka interpreter--grinning kind of foolish.

"'Cappy,' says he, 'queen, she likes you. She likes you much lot.'

"'Well,' says the skipper, modest, 'she'd ought to. She don't see a man
like me every day. She ain't the first woman,' he says.

"'She like all you gentlemen,' says the Kanaka. 'She say she want witch
husband. One of you got marry her."

"'HEY?' yells all hands, setting up.

"'Yes, sir. She no care which one, but one white man must marry her
to-morrow. Else we all go chop plenty quick.'

"'Chop' is Kanaka English for 'eat.' There wa'n't no need for the boy to
explain.

"Then there was times. They come pretty nigh to a fight, because Teunis
and Jule argued that the skipper, being such a ladies' man, was the
natural-born choice. Just as things was the warmest; Cap'n George had an
idea.

"'ROSY!' says he.

"'Hey?' says the others. Then, 'Rosy? Why, of course, Rosy's the man.'

"But Rosy wa'n't agreeable. Julius said he never see such a stubborn
mule in his life. They tried every reasonable way they could to convince
him, pounding him on the head and the like of that, but 'twas no go.

"'I got a wife already,' he says, whimpering. 'And, besides, cap'n,
there wouldn't be such a contrast in looks between you and her as there
would with me.'

"He meant so far as size went, but George took it the oth