Mr. Byrne," she said, "is to learn
to speak correctly. You mustn't say 'youse' for 'you,' or 'wot' for
'what'---you must try to talk as I talk. No one in the world speaks
any language faultlessly, but there are certain more or less obvious
irregularities of grammar and pronunciation that are particularly
distasteful to people of refinement, and which are easy to guard against
if one be careful."

"All right," said Billy Byrne, "youse--you kin pitch in an' learn me
wot--whatever you want to an' I'll do me best to talk like a dude--fer
your sake."

And so the mucker's education commenced, and as there was little else
for the two to do it progressed rapidly, for once started the man
grew keenly interested, spurred on by the evident pleasure which his
self-appointed tutor took in his progress--further it meant just so much
more of close companionship with her.

For three weeks they never left the little island except to gather fruit
which grew hard by on the adjacent mainland. Byrne's wounds had troubled
him considerably--at times he had been threatened with blood poisoning.
His temperature had mounted once to alarming heights, and for a whole
night Barbara Harding had sat beside him bathing his forehead and easing
his sufferings as far as it lay within her power to do; but at last the
wonderful vitality of the man had saved him. He was much weakened though
and neither of them had thought it safe to attempt to seek the coast
until he had fully regained his old-time strength.

So far but little had occurred to give them alarm. Twice they had seen
natives on the mainland--evidently hunting parties; but no sign of
pursuit had developed. Those whom they had seen had been pure-blood
Malays--there had been no samurai among them; but their savage, warlike
appearance had warned the two against revealing their presence.

They had subsisted upon fish and fruit principally since they had come
to the island. Occasionally this diet had been relieved by messes of
wild fowl and fox that Byrne had been successful in snaring with a
primitive trap of his own invention; but lately the prey had become
wary, and even the fish seemed less plentiful. After two days of fruit
diet, Byrne announced his intention of undertaking a hunting trip upon
the mainland.

"A mess of venison wouldn't taste half bad," he remarked.

"Yes," cried the girl, "I'm nearly famished for meat--it seems as though
I could almost eat it raw."

"I know that I could