Part 22 (1/2)

”Oh! I can't tell you,” replied the other; ”I'm too mad. Tell 'em, Pina.”

Queen Pina, who had also been engaged for some minutes in wringing the water from her skirts, sat down, and, in the sweetest of voices, told how they had been surprised on the islet, how Otto had flattened a chief's nose with an oar, and how they had afterwards been carried off.

”Then,” she added, ”when they saw that you were unable to overtake them, the chief with the swelled nose began to beat poor Otto and pull his hair savagely. I do believe he would have killed him if a man, who seemed to be the leader of them all, had not ordered him to desist.

When you put up the sail and began to overtake us, the chief with the swelled nose got out a rough kind of sack and tried to thrust Otto into it. While he was struggling with this chief--”

”Fighting,” interrupted Otto; ”fighting with the baboon.”

”Well, fighting, if you prefer it--he asked me if I was brave?”

”No, I didn't; I said game.”

”Well--if I was game to jump overboard at the same moment that he did?

I quickly said yes. He twisted himself out of the man's--”

”Baboon's! baboon's!”

”Well--baboon's grasp, and went over the side like an eel, and--”

”And she,” interrupted Otto, ”she went plump on the other side like a sack of potatoes, and we met under the canoe and dived well astern before coming up for breath. You know what pains you took with our swimming and diving, Dom; it helped us then, I can tell you; and so here we are, all alive and hearty. But I saw the black fellow goin' to send a spear at Pina, and can't think why he didn't let fly. P'r'aps he did, and missed.”

”No, he didn't; for Dr Marsh shot him in the arm,” said Dominick, ”and thus saved Pauline's life.”

”Three cheers for the Queen!” cried little Buxley, who had done good service at the oar, and whose little bosom was filled with enthusiasm at the recital of this adventure.

The invitation was heartily responded to.

”An' wan more for the doctor!” shouted Malone.

In this rejoicing frame of mind they returned to Big Island, where Pauline was received with a warm embrace by the widow Lynch, who had been dancing about the settlement in a more or less deranged state ever since the boat left.

That same evening two meetings of considerable importance took place in the palace. The first was a cabinet council in the hall; the other a meeting of conspirators in the back-kitchen. Both were brief, for each was interrupted. We will take the cabinet council first.

The ministers present at it were the premier, Dominick and Dr Marsh, both of whom Joe had called to his aid.

”Now, my dear queen,” said the premier, ”we have met to consider the const.i.tution; but before saying a word about it myself, I would like to hear what your majesty has to say about it.”

”I'm not sure,” said the queen gravely, ”that I have the faintest notion as to how a const.i.tution should begin or end. But I will give you a motto to set in the forefront of our const.i.tution, which may also form the foundation on which it is to be built--the pattern to which its parts must conform. It is this: `Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.'”

”I will set that down with pleasure,” said Dominick, who acted as clerk, but, before he could write a line, a knock at the door interrupted them.

Then the door opened, and Otto's head appeared with eagerness in the eyes, and a beckoning hand in advance.

Dominick rose and went out.

”I've just overheard Morris and Jabez in the back-kitchen making an appointment. Shall I tell our squad to be ready?”

”Where is the appointed place?” asked Dominick.

”On the reef. They start this very night, for the wind suits, and I heard Hugh say that all was ready.”