granted.

Sheldon clapped his hands, and the running house-boy hurried away to
bring back Adamu Adam and Noa Noah.

"Listen," Sheldon said to them. "This man and me, we have one big fight
to-day. Maybe he die. Maybe I die. If he die, all right. If I die,
you two look after Missie Lackalanna. You take rifles, and you look
after her daytime and night-time. If she want to talk with Mr. Tudor,
all right. If she not want to talk, you make him keep away. Savvee?"

They grunted and nodded. They had had much to do with white men, and had
learned never to question the strange ways of the strange breed. If
these two saw fit to go out and kill each other, that was their business
and not the business of the islanders, who took orders from them. They
stepped to the gun-rack, and each picked a rifle.

"Better all Tahitian men have rifles," suggested Adamu Adam. "Maybe big
trouble come."

"All right, you take them," Sheldon answered, busy with issuing the
ammunition.

They went to the door and down the steps, carrying the eight rifles to
their quarters. Tudor, with cartridge-belts for rifle and pistol
strapped around him, rifle in hand, stood impatiently waiting.

"Come on, hurry up; we're burning daylight," he urged, as Sheldon
searched after extra clips for his automatic pistol.

Together they passed down the steps and out of the compound to the beach,
where they turned their backs to each other, and each proceeded toward
his destination, their rifles in the hollows of their arms, Tudor walking
toward the Berande and Sheldon toward the Balesuna.

CHAPTER XXVII--MODERN DUELLING

Barely had Sheldon reached the Balesuna, when he heard the faint report
of a distant rifle and knew it was the signal of Tudor, giving notice
that he had reached the Berande, turned about, and was coming back.
Sheldon fired his rifle into the air in answer, and in turn proceeded to
advance. He moved as in a dream, absent-mindedly keeping to the open
beach. The thing was so preposterous that he had to struggle to realize
it, and he reviewed in his mind the conversation with Tudor, trying to
find some clue to the common-sense of what he was doing. He did not want
to kill Tudor. Because that man had blundered in his love-making was no
reason that he, Sheldon, should take his life. Then what was it all
about? True, the fellow had insulted Joan by his subsequent remarks and
been knocked down for it, but because he had knocke