ve standing calmly in the doorway, smoking. There
was a shot, and the native fell with a bullet through his chest, but
raising his voice he called to others and flung them his cutlass; and
then Martin found himself struggling with two or three more and got a
fearful stab. That night the head men of the village came to him and
said that as he had always been a good man to them they would not kill
him, but they then and there tabooed him till he either killed his new
wife or sent her away. And when he looked out in the morning he saw the
whole village going away in canoes to the other side of the lagoon. For
six months neither he nor the girl--Lunumala was her name--had spoken to
a native. And Martin gave himself up to love and drink, and, since the
_fracas_ had not done a cent's worth of trading.

Denison told Martin his instructions. He only nodded, and said something
to the girl, who rose and brought the supercargo his books. A few
minutes' looking through them, and then at his well-filled trade-room,
showed Denison that everything was right, except that all the liquor was
gone.

"Martin," the supercargo said, "this won't do. I've got another man
aboard, and I'll put him here and take you to Rotumah."

But he swore violently. He couldn't go anywhere else. This island was
his home. The natives would give in some day. He'd rather cut his throat
than leave.

"Well," said Denison, calmly, "it's one of two things. You know as well
as I do that a _tabu_ like this is a serious business. I know you are the
best man for the place; but, if you won't leave, why not send the girl
away?"

No, he wouldn't send her away. She should stay too.

"All serene," said the man of business. "Then I'll take stock at once,
and we'll square up and I'll land the other man."

This was a crusher for poor Martin. Denison felt sorry for him, and had
a hard duty to carry through.

Presently the sick man with a ten-ton oath groaned, "------ you, Mister
Skipper, wot are you a-doin' of there, squeezin' my wife's hand?"

*****

"Well, now," said the captain, quietly, "look here, Martin. Just put
this in your thick head and think it out in five minutes. You've either
got to give up this girl or get away from the island. Now, I don't want
to make any man feel mean, but she don't particularly care about you,
and----"

The graceful creature nodded her approval or Chaplin's remarks, and
Martin glared at her. Then he took a drink of gin and medita