"I regret there is no ice," he said, "but you know the rule of the
tropics; as soon as a ship enters port, the ice- machine bursts."

"I'll tell the steward to send you some, sir," said Livingstone,
"and as long as we're here."

The senator showed his concern.

"As long as we're here?" he gasped.

"Not over two days," answered the owner nervously. "The chief says
it will take all of that to get her in shape. As you ought to know,
Senator, she was pretty badly mauled."

The senator gazed blankly out of the window. Beyond it lay the
naked coral reefs, the empty sky, and the ragged palms of Porto
Banos.

Livingstone felt that his legation was slipping from him.

"That wireless operator," he continued hastily, "tells me there is
a most amusing place a few miles down the coast, Las Bocas, a sort
of Coney Island, where the government people go for the summer.
There's surf bathing and roulette and cafes chantants. He says
there's some Spanish dancers----"

The guests of the SERAPIS exclaimed with interest; the senator
smiled. To Marshall the general enthusiasm over the thought of a
ride on a merry-go-round suggested that the friends of Mr.
Livingstone had found their own society far from satisfying.