, anyway," pursued Farrell; "and for a whole day, after
watering, they explored. They never got over the crest that looked
down on our camp."

"And if they had they would never have seen us," said Foe, responding
like a man in a dream. "You had chosen the site too cleverly; the
fern-brake would have hidden us, anyway. Let that pass."

"But there was the bonfire and the look-out, both unattended."

"Oh, if we're to start re-arguing arguments that kept us tired for
about three years," answered Foe, "you built the bonfire on the wrong
slope, as I always told you. And I'd cut down your flagstaff."

"We won't quarrel about _that_, since here we are," Farrell retorted
with a savage grin. "So I'll drop it and get on with the story.
And the next thing to be mentioned in the story, Foe, is that for a
clever man, you're about the biggest fool alive. You have no end of
knowledge in you, which I admired on the island. The way you found
all kinds of plants and things and turned them to account, and
explained to me how traders and practical chemists could make
fortunes out of them--why, it was wonderful. But it wasn't so
wonderful to me as that, with all this knowledge, you'd never turned
it to account, so to speak, when, with a third of it, at your age,
I'd have been a millionaire. And the ways and manners of a gentleman
you had, too; which I could easier set about copying--as I did.
It won't bring you much comfort to know that, half the time, I was
sucking education out of you, grinning inwardly and thinking,
'Now, my fine hater, the more you're taking the superior line with me
the more I'm your pupil all the time; the more you're giving me what
I'll find priceless, one of these days, if ever we get back upon
London pavements.' In the blindness of your hatred you never guessed
that Peter Farrell, all through life, might have had a long way with
him--a way of looking ahead--and all to better himself. You never
guessed _that_, all the time, I was letting you teach me.

"--But in practical matters--in all that counts first with a business
man--I saw pretty early that you were little better than a fool.
Yet I couldn't have believed you or any man such a fool as you showed
yourself on the _I'll Away_: and even you couldn't have missed
sensing it but for one thing--_you couldn't dare return to the
island_.

"--A place so rich as that, unknown, uncharted!--reeking with copra,
not to mention other wealth--fairly asking to