ere, you Kwaque, put 'm irons along that fella Gogoomy."

Kwaque, a strapping gang-boss, plucked Gogoomy from out of his following,
and, helped by the other gang-bosses; twisted his arms behind him and
snapped on the heavy handcuffs.

"Me finish along you, close up, you die altogether," Gogoomy, with wrath-
distorted face, threatened the boss-boy.

"Please, no whipping," Joan said in a low voice. "If whipping _is_
necessary, send them to Tulagi and let the Government do it. Give them
their choice between a fine or an official whipping."

Sheldon nodded and stood up, facing the blacks.

"Manonmie!" he called.

Manonmie stood forth and waited.

"You fella boy bad fella too much," Sheldon charged. "You steal 'm
plenty. You steal 'm one fella towel, one fella cane-knife, two-ten
fella cartridge. My word, plenty bad fella steal 'm you. Me cross along
you too much. S'pose you like 'm, me take 'm one fella pound along you
in big book. S'pose you no like 'm me take 'm one fella pound, then me
send you fella along Tulagi catch 'm one strong fella government
whipping. Plenty New Georgia boys, plenty Ysabel boys stop along jail
along Tulagi. Them fella no like Malaita boys little bit. My word, they
give 'm you strong fella whipping. What you say?"

"You take 'm one fella pound along me," was the answer.

And Manonmie, patently relieved, stepped back, while Sheldon entered the
fine in the plantation labour journal.

Boy after boy, he called the offenders out and gave them their choice;
and, boy by boy, each one elected to pay the fine imposed. Some fines
were as low as several shillings; while in the more serious cases, such
as thefts of guns and ammunition, the fines were correspondingly heavy.

Gogoomy and his five tribesmen were fined three pounds each, and at
Gogoomy's guttural command they refused to pay.

"S'pose you go along Tulagi," Sheldon warned him, "you catch 'm strong
fella whipping and you stop along jail three fella year. Mr. Burnett, he
look 'm along Winchester, look 'm along cartridge, look 'm along
revolver, look 'm along black powder, look 'm along dynamite--my word, he
cross too much, he give you three fella year along jail. S'pose you no
like 'm pay three fella pound you stop along jail. Savvee?"

Gogoomy wavered.

"It's true--that's what Burnett would give them," Sheldon said in an
aside to Joan.

"You take 'm three fella pound along me," Gogoomy muttered, at the same
time sco