"I'd rather read it than make it," said Stedman. "You've got
us in a senseless, silly position, Gordon, and a mighty
unpleasant one. And for no reason that I can see, except to
make copy for your paper."

"Tell those people to get their things together," said Gordon,
"and march back out of danger into the woods. Tell Ollypybus
I am going to fix things all right; I don't know just how yet,
but I will, and now come after me as quickly as you can to the
cable office. I've got to tell the paper all about it."

It was three o'clock before the "chap at Octavia" answered
Stedman's signalling. Then Stedman delivered Gordon's
message, and immediately shut off all connection, before the
Octavia operator could question him. Gordon dictated his
message in this way:--

"Begin with the date line, `Opeki, June 22.'

"At seven o'clock this morning, the captain and officers of
the German man-of-war Kaiser went through the ceremony of
annexing this island in the name of the German Emperor, basing
their right to do so on an agreement made with a leader of a
wandering tribe known as the Hillmen. King Ollypybus, the
present monarch of Opeki, delegated his authority, as also did
the leader of the Hillmen, to King Tellaman, or the
Peacemaker, who tore down the German flag, and raised that of
the United States in its place. At the same moment the flag
was saluted by the battery. This salute, being mistaken for