my name,
sir. Shake hands with McGuffey, our chief engineer. Hope you
left all the folks at home well. What'd you say your name was?"

The islander hadn't said his name was anything, but he grinned
now and replied that it was Tabu-Tabu.

"Well, my bucko," muttered McGuffey, who always drew the colour
line, "I'm glad to hear that. But you ain't the only thing that's
taboo around this packet. You can jest check that war club with
the first mate, pendin' our better acquaintance. Hand it over,
you black beggar, or I'll hit you a swat in the ear that'll hurt
all your relations. And hereafter, Scraggsy, just keep your
nigger friends to yourself. I ain't waxin' effusive over this
savage, and it's agin my principles ever to shake hands with a
coloured man. This chap's a damned ugly customer, and you take my
word for it."

Tabu-Tabu grinned again, walked to the rail, and tossed his war
club down into the canoe.

"Me good missionary boy," he said rather humbly.

"McGuffey, my _dear_ boy," protested Captain Scraggs, "don't be
so doggone rude. You might hurt this poor lad's feelin's. Of
course he's only a simple native nigger, but even a dawg has
feelin's. You----"

"A-r-r-rh!" snarled McGuffey.

"You two belay talkin' and snappin' at each other," commanded Mr.
Gibney, "an' leave all bargainin' to me. This boy is all right
and we'll get along first rate if you two just haul ship and do
somethin' useful besides buttin' in on your superior officer.
Come along, Tabu-Tabu. Makee little eat down in cabin. You talkee
captain."

"Gib, my _dear_ boy," sputtered Captain Scraggs, bursting with
curiosity, following the commodore's reappearance on deck,
"whatever's in the wind?"

"Money--fortune," said Mr. Gibney solemnly.

McGuffey edged up and eyed the commodore seriously. "Sure there
ain't a little fightin' mixed up in it?" he asked.

"Not a bit of it," replied Mr. Gibney. "You're as safe on Kandavu
as if you was in church. This Tabu kid is sort of prime minister
to the king, with a heap of influence at court. The crew of a
British cruiser stole him for a galley police when he was a kid,
and he got civilized and learned to talk English. He was a
cannibal in them days, but the chaplain aboard showed him how
foolish it was to do such things, and finally Tabu-Tabu got
religion and asked as a special favour to be allowed to return to
Kandavu to civilize his people. As a result of Tabu-Tabu's
efforts, he tells me the king has