d round and saw my pistol pointed at her. Then
she gave in. I wasn't goin' to let Mr. Jinaban drown after all my
trouble. But"--his mouth was stuffed with cold meat and yam as he
spoke--"I'm sorry I had to beat her. An' she's got the idea that your
missus will kill her when I tell you all about her."

Washing down his breakfast with a copious drink of coffee, Porter lit
his pipe, and then, in as few words as possible, told his story. And as
he told it a loud, booming sound rang through the morning air, and the
hurrying tramp of naked feet and excited voices of the gathering people
every moment increased, and "Jinaban!" "Jinaban!" was called from house
to house.

*****

"As soon as the girl an' me got to the island," he said, "she told me to
wait in the canoe. 'All right,' I said, and thinking it would be a good
thing to do, I told her to take the revolver and box of cartridges with
her, just to show them to Jinaban in proof of the story of the fight I
had with you; I thought that if she told him I was armed he might smell
a rat and shoot me from the scrub. An' I quite made up my mind to collar
him alive if I could. The night was very dark, but the girl knew her way
about pretty well, an', leaving me in the canoe, she ran along the beach
and entered the _puka_ scrub. About an hour went by, an' I was beginning
to feel anxious, when she came back. 'Come on,' she said, 'Jinaban will
talk with you.' I got out of the canoe and walked with her along
the beach till we came to what looked like a tunnel in the thick
undergrowth. 'Let me go first,' she said, stooping down, and telling me
to hold on to her grass girdle, she led the way till we came out into an
open spot, and there was Jinaban's house, and Jinaban sitting inside it,
before a fire of coconut shells, handling your revolver and looking
very pleased. He shook hands with me and, I could see at once, believed
everything that Sepe had told him. Then we had a long talk and arranged
matters nicely. I was to stay with him until the first dark, rainy
night. Then we were to come over and hide ourselves in your boat-shed to
wait until you opened your door the first thing in the morning. We were
both to fire together, and bring you down easy. Then Sepe was to settle
her account with your wife while Jinaban rallied the Ijeet people, in
case the Ailap natives wanted to fight. After that he and I were to
divide all the plunder in the house and station between us, take two of
your