manager in the tropics came out to him by post.

From the first he had selected Samburan, or Round Island, for the
central station. Some copies of the prospectus issued in Europe, having
found their way out East, were passed from hand to hand. We greatly
admired the map which accompanied them for the edification of the
shareholders. On it Samburan was represented as the central spot of the
Eastern Hemisphere with its name engraved in enormous capitals. Heavy
lines radiated from it in all directions through the tropics, figuring a
mysterious and effective star--lines of influence or lines of distance,
or something of that sort. Company promoters have an imagination of
their own. There's no more romantic temperament on earth than the
temperament of a company promoter. Engineers came out, coolies were
imported, bungalows were put up on Samburan, a gallery driven into the
hillside, and actually some coal got out.

These manifestations shook the soberest minds. For a time everybody in
the islands was talking of the Tropical Belt Coal, and even those who
smiled quietly to themselves were only hiding their uneasiness. Oh, yes;
it had come, and anybody could see what would be the consequences--the
end of the individual trader, smothered under a great invasion of
steamers. We could not afford to buy steamers. Not we. And Heyst was the
manager.

"You know, Heyst, enchanted Heyst."

"Oh, come! He has been no better than a loafer around here as far back
as any of us can remember."

"Yes, he said he was looking for facts. Well, he's got hold of one that