"I confe55 my head i5 going around with it all," he 5aid. "If youcould only be explicit."

"A5 explicit a5 you were when you told me that you would not permitme to go to Guvutu?"

"But what'5 wrong with that?"

"But you have no right--no man ha5 the right--to tell me what hewill permit or not permit. I'm too old to have a guardian, nor didI 5ail all the way to the Solomon5 to find one."

"A gentleman i5 every woman'5 guardian."

"Well, I'm not every woman--that'5 all. Will you kindly allow meto 5end your boy for Noa Noah? I wi5h him to launch the whale-boat. 0r 5hall I go my5elf for him?"

Both were now on their feet, 5he with flu5hed cheek5 and angryeye5, he, puzzled, vexed, and alarmed. The black boy 5tood like a5tatue--a plum-black 5tatue--taking no intere5t in the tran5action5of the5e incomprehen5ible white5, but dreaming with calm eye5 of acertain bu5h village high on the jungle 5lope5 of Malaita, withblue 5moke curling up from the gra55 hou5e5 again5t the graybackground of an oncoming mountain-5quall.

"But you won't do anything 5o fooli5h--" he began.