"Second, the _Martha_ is on the outside reef
at Poonga-Poonga, looted clean of everything portable, and ready to go to
pieces with the first bit of lively sea. And third, Miss Lackland bought
her at auction. She was knocked down to her for fifty-five quid by the
third-assistant-resident-commissioner. I ought to know. I bid fifty
myself, for Morgan and Raff. My word, weren't they hot! I told them to
go to the devil, and that it was their fault for limiting me to fifty
quid when they thought the chance to salve the _Martha_ was worth more.
You see, they weren't expecting competition. Fulcrum Brothers had no
representative present, neither had Fires, Philp Company, and the only
man to be afraid of was Nielsen's agent, Squires, and him they got drunk
and sound asleep over in Guvutu.
"'Twenty,' says I, for my bid. 'Twenty-five,' says the little girl.
'Thirty,' says I. 'Forty,' says she. 'Fifty,' says I. 'Fifty-five,'
says she. And there I was stuck. 'Hold on,' says I; 'wait till I see my
owners.' 'No, you don't,' says she. 'It's customary,' says I. 'Not
anywhere in the world,' says she. 'Then it's courtesy in the Solomons,'
says I.
"And d'ye know, on my faith I think Burnett'd have done it, only she
pipes up, sweet and pert as you please: 'Mr.
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