ect
adherents."

"We must engage her this very day," said Corny. "And now, what about the
flag? We haven't settled that yet."

"I think," said I, "that we'd better invent a flag. When we get back to
the hotel, we can each draw some designs, and the one we choose can
easily be made up. We can buy the stuff anywhere."

"I'll sew it," said Corny.

"Do you think," said Rectus, who had been reflecting, "that the
authorities of this place will object to our setting up a queen?"

"Can't tell," I said. "But I hardly think they will. They don't object
to the black governor, and our queen wont interfere with them in any way
that I can see. She will have nothing to do with anybody but those
native Africans, who keep to themselves, anyway."

"If anybody should trouble us, who would it be? Soldiers or the
policemen? How many soldiers have they here?" asked Corny.

"There's only one company now in the barracks," said Rectus. "I was down
there. There are two men-of-war in the harbor, but one of them's a
Spanish vessel, and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't bother us."

"Is that all?" said Corny, in a tone of relief.

I didn't want to dash her spirits, but I remarked that there were a good
many policemen in the town.

"And they're all colored men," said Corny. "I'd hate to have any of them
coming after us."

"The governor of the colony is at the head of the army, police and all,
isn't he?" said Rectus.

"Yes," I answered.

"And I know where he lives," put in Corny. "Let's go and see him,
sometime, and ask him about it."

This was thought to be a good idea, and we agreed to consider it at our
next meeting.

"As to revenue," said Rectus, just before we reached the hotel, "I don't
believe these people have much money to give for the support of a
queen, and so I think they ought to bring in provisions. The whole thing
might be portioned out. She ought to have so many conchs a week, so many
sticks of sugar-cane, and so many yams and other stuff. This might be
fixed so that it wouldn't come hard on anybody."

Corny said she guessed she'd have to get a little book to put these
things down, so that we could consider them in order.

I could not help noticing that there was a good deal of difference
between Corny and Rectus, although they were much alike, too. Corny had
never learned much, but she had a good brain in her head, and she could
reason out things pretty well, when she had anything in the way of a
solid fact to start