y, then, Riley," says he, "but you're responsible
for the thing being a success, and don't look for me to dance tight
ropes or do monkey on a stick."

"I'd engage to put a cow up there," said Tom, not overpolite, though he
meant no harm, "or a parlor organ, with the young lady to play it."

"Mr. Smith," said I, "you'll only need shut your eyes and trust to us,
and take it all as it comes."

"Boys," said Old Dibs, kind of solemn and helplesslike, "you'll do the
square thing by me, won't you? You won't sell an old man for blood
money? You won't get me up there and then strike a trade with them
that's tracking me down?"

You ought to have seen Tom Riley's face at that! I was afraid there
would be a bust-up then and there. But all he did was to walk faster
ahead, like he didn't care to talk to us any more, and gave us the broad
of his back. Old Dibs ran after him and caught his arm, panting out he
was sorry and all that, and how Tom was to put himself in his place,
with the whole world banded against him. I felt sorry to see the old
fellow eating dirt, and trotting along so fat and wheezy, with Tom
almost pushing him off like a beggar, and it was like spring sunshine
when Tom turned square around and said:

"Hell! that's all right, Mr. Smith." And I guess it was Old Dibs's face
that needed watching, it was beaming and happy, specially when they
shook hands on it, and we all three walked along abreast, like a father
and his two sons on the way to the bar.

Tom didn't let grass grow under his feet, and he went at it all with a
rush, beginning first of all with Iosefo, the Kanaka pastor. Natives
are never so helpful and willing as when you're egging them on to do
something they shouldn't, and he fell in with the preaching idea, and
wanted to start right away. But they finally decided it had better be a
monthly affair, so the natives shouldn't lose track of it, and Iosefo
commenced the first Sunday. Anybody that gave away Old Dibs was to have
his house burned in this world and his soul in the next; and Iosefo laid
it on thick about our all loving him, and what a friend he has proved
himself to the island; and when he reached the point where he announced
that Old Dibs had contributed fifty dollars toward the fund for the new
church, you could feel a rustle go through the whole congregation, and a
general gasp of satisfaction. Iosefo drew a fancy picture of Judas
hanging himself, and brought it up to date with Old Dibs, and