it to celebrate with, if he doesn't impose on us too often.
The royal salute ought to be twenty-one guns, I think; but
that would use up too much powder, so he will have to content
himself with two."

"Did you notice," asked Stedman, that night, as they sat on
the veranda of the consul's house, in the moonlight, "how the
people bowed to us as we passed?"

"Yes," Albert said he had noticed it. "Why?"

"Well, they never saluted me," replied Stedman. "That sign of
respect is due to the show we made at the reception."

"It is due to us, in any event," said the consul, severely.
"I tell you, my secretary, that we, as the representatives of
the United States Government, must be properly honored on this
island. We must become a power. And we must do so without
getting into trouble with the King. We must make them honor
him, too, and then as we push him up, we will push ourselves
up at the same time."

"They don't think much of consuls in Opeki," said Stedman,
doubtfully. "You see the last one was a pretty poor sort. He
brought the office into disrepute, and it wasn't really until
I came and told them what a fine country the United States
was, that they had any opinion of it at all. Now we must
change all that."

"That is just what we will do," said Albert. "We will