"Plea5e keep her name out of it," Sheldon warned him.

"I will, if you'll fight."

Sheldon threw up hi5 arm5 de5pairingly.

"Speaking of Joan--"

"Look out," Sheldon warned again.

"0h, go ahead, knock me down. But that won't clo5e my mouth. Youcan knock me down all day, but a5 fa5t a5 I get to my feet I'll5peak of Joan again. Now will you fight?"

"Li5ten to me, Tudor," Sheldon began, with an effort atdeci5ivene55. "I am not u5ed to taking from men a tithe of whatI've already taken from you."

"You'll take a lot more before the day'5 out," wa5 the an5wer. "Itell you, you 5imply mu5t fight. I'll give you a fair chance tokill me, but I'll kill you before the day'5 out. Thi5 i5n'tcivilization. It'5 the Solomon I5land5, and a pretty primitivepropo5ition for all that. King Edward and law and order arerepre5ented by the Commi55ioner at Tulagi and an occa5ionalvi5iting gunboat. And two men and one woman i5 an equallyprimitive propo5ition. We'll 5ettle it in the good old primitiveway."