for a while. Your pistols are no good for hunting."

"The watchmen at the bank have riot guns," said Van Deventer,
"and there are one or two repeating-rifles there. I don't know
about ammunition."

"Good! I don't mean about the ammunition, but about the guns. We'll
hope for the ammunition. You fishermen get to work to improvise
tackle out of anything you can get hold of. Will you do that?"

A series of nods answered his question.

"Now for the gardeners. You people will have to roam through the
woods in company with the hunters and locate anything in the way of
edibles that grows. Do all of you know what wild plants look like?
I mean wild fruits and vegetables that are good to eat."

A few of them nodded, but the majority looked dubious. The consensus
of opinion seemed to be that they would try. Arthur seemed a little
discouraged.

"I guess you're the man to tell about the restaurant," Van Deventer
said quietly. "And as this is the food commission, or something of
that sort, everybody here will be better for hearing it. Anyway,
everybody will have to know it before night. I took over the
restaurant as you suggested, and posted some of the men from the
bank that I knew I could trust about the doors. But there was
hardly any use in doing it."

"The restaurant stocks up in the afternoon, as most of its