future business in
the matter of recruiting labour for the plantations of other adventuring
white men on far islands who dared only less greatly than he.

And when, at the end of an hour, Van Horn passed Jerry into the
sternsheets of the whaleboat and followed, he left on the beach a stunned
and wondering royal black, who, more than ever before, was respectful of
the dynamite-compounded white men who brought to him stick tobacco,
calico, knives and hatchets, and inexorably extracted from such trade a
profit.

CHAPTER XI

Back on board, Van Horn immediately hove short, hoisted sail, broke out
the anchor, and filled away for the ten-mile beat up the lagoon to
windward that would fetch Somo. On the way, he stopped at Binu to greet
Chief Johnny and land a few Binu returns. Then it was on to Somo, and to
the end of voyaging for ever of the _Arangi_ and of many that were aboard
of her.

Quite the opposite to his treatment at Langa-Langa was that accorded Van
Horn at Somo. Once the return boys were put ashore, and this was
accomplished no later than three-thirty in the afternoon, he invited
Chief Bashti on board. And Chief Bashti came, very nimble and active
despite his great age, and very good-natured--so good-natured, in fact,
that he insisted on bringing three of his elderly wives on board with
him. This was unprecedented. Never had he permitted any of his wives to
appear before a white man, and Van Horn felt so honoured that he
presented each of them with a gay clay pipe and a dozen sticks of
tobacco.

Late as the afternoon was, trade was brisk, and Bashti, who had taken the
lion's share of the wages due to the fathers of two boys who had died,
bought liberally of the _Arangi's_ stock. When Bashti promised plenty of
fresh recruits, Van Horn, used to the changeableness of the savage mind,
urged signing them up right away. Bashti demurred, and suggested next
day. Van Horn insisted that there was no time like the present, and so
well did he insist that the old chief sent a canoe ashore to round up the
boys who had been selected to go away to the plantations.

"Now, what do you think?" Van Horn asked of Borckman, whose eyes were
remarkably fishy. "I never saw the old rascal so friendly. Has he got
something up his sleeve?"

The mate stared at the many canoes alongside, noted the numbers of women
in them, and shook his head.

"When they're starting anything they always send the Marys into the
bush