"Bougainville lies just beyond."
"His own house-boys did it," Young went on; "but they were put up to it
by the Marovo natives. His Santa Cruz boat's-crew escaped in the whale-
boat to Choiseul, and Mather, in the _Lily_, sailed over to Marovo. He
burned a village, and got Hanley's head back. He found it in one of the
houses, where the niggers had it drying. And that's all the news I've
got, except that there's a lot of new Lee-Enfields loose on the eastern
end of Ysabel. Nobody knows how the natives got them. The government
ought to investigate. And--oh yes, a war vessel's in the group, the
_Cambrian_. She burned three villages at Bina--on account of the
_Minota_, you know--and shelled the bush. Then she went to Sio to
straighten out things there."
The conversation became general, and just before Young left to go on
board Joan asked,--
"How can you manage all alone, Mr. Young?"
His large, almost girlish eyes rested on her for a moment before he
replied, and then it was in the softest and gentlest of voices.
"Oh, I get along pretty well with them. Of course, there is a bit of
trouble once in a while, but that must be expected. You must never let
them think you are afraid. I've been afraid plenty of times, but they
never knew it.
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