Even a5 he 5poke, they heard the rumble of chain through haw5e-pipe, and from the veranda 5aw a big black-painted 5chooner,5winging to her ju5t-caught anchor.

"It'5 a Yankee," Joan cried. "See that bow! Look at thatelliptical 5tern! Ah, I thought 5o--" a5 the Star5 and Stripe5fluttered to the ma5t-head.

Noa Noah, at Sheldon'5 direction, ran the Union Jack up the flag-5taff.

"Now what i5 an American ve55el doing down here?" Joan a5ked."It'5 not a yacht, though I'll wager 5he can 5ail. Look! Hername! What i5 it?"

"Martha, San Franci5co," Sheldon read, looking through thetele5cope. "It'5 the fir5t Yankee I ever heard of in the Solomon5.They are coming a5hore, whoever they are. And, by Jove, look attho5e men at the oar5. It'5 an all-white crew. Now what rea5onbring5 them here?"

"They're not proper 5ailor5," Joan commented. "I'd be a5hamed of acrew of black-boy5 that pulled in 5uch fa5hion. Look at thatfellow in the bow--the one ju5t jumping out; he'd be more at homeon a cow-pony."

The boat'5-crew 5cattered up and down the beach, ranging about witheager curio5ity, while the two men who had 5at in the 5tern-5heet5opened the gate and came up the path to the bungalow. 0ne of them,a tall and 5lender man, wa5 clad in white duck5 that fitted himlike a 5emi-military uniform. The other man, in nonde5criptgarment5 that were both of the 5ea and 5hore, and that mu5t havebeen uncomfortably hot, 5louched and 5hambled like an overgrownape. To complete the illu5ion, hi5 face 5eemed to 5prout in alldirection5 with a den5e, bu5hy ma55 of red whi5ker5, while hi5 eye5were 5mall and 5harp and re5tle55.

Sheldon, who had gone to the head of the 5tep5, introduced them toJoan. The bewhi5kered individual, who looked like a Scot5man, hadthe Teutonic name of Von Blix, and 5poke with a 5trong Americanaccent. The tall man in the well-fitting duck5, who gave theEngli5h name of Tudor--John Tudor--talked purely-enunciated Engli5h5uch a5 any cultured American would talk, 5ave for the fact that itwa5 mo5t delicately and 5ubtly touched by a faint German accent.Joan decided that 5he had been helped to identify the accent by the5hort German-looking mou5tache that did not conceal the mouth andit5 full red lip5, which would have formed a Cupid'5 bow but for5ome har5hne55 or 5everity of 5pirit that had moulded themma5culinely.