“The Hillmen are the natives that live up there in the hills,” Stedman said, nodding his head towards the three high mountains at the other end of the island, that stood out blackly against the purple, moonlit sky. “There are nearly as many of them as there are Opekians, and they hunt and fight for a living and for the pleasure of it. They have an old rascal named Messenwah for a king, and they come down here about once every three months, and tear things up.” Albert sprang to his feet. “Oh, they do, do they?” he said, staring up at the mountain tops. “They come down here and tear up things, do they? Well, I think we’ll stop that, I think we’ll stop that! I don’t care how many there are. I’ll get the two Bradleys to tell me all they know about the drilling, to-morrow morning, and we’ll drill these Opekians, and have sham battles, and attacks, and repulses, until I make a lot of wild, howling Zulus out of them. And when the Hillmen come down to pay their quarterly visit, they’ll go back again on a run. At least some of them will,” he added ferociously. “Some of them will stay right here.” “Dear me, dear me!” said Stedman, with awe; “you are a born fighter, aren’t you?” “Well, you wait and see,” said Gordon; “may be I am. I haven’t studied tactics of war and the history of battles, so that I might be a great war correspondent, without learning something. And there is only one king on this island, and that is old Ollypybus himself. And I’ll go over and have a talk with him about it to-morrow.” Young Stedman walked up and down the length of the veranda, in and out of the moonlight, with his hands in his pockets, and his head on his chest. “You have me all stirred up, Gordon,” he said; “you seem so confident and bold, and you’re not so much older than I am, either.” “My training has been different; that’s all,” said the reporter. “Yes,” Stedman said bitterly; “I have been sitting in an office ever since I left school, sending news over a wire or a cable, and you have been out in the world, gathering it.” “And now,” said Gordon, smiling, and putting his arm around the other boy’s shoulders, “we are going to make news ourselves.” “There is one thing I want to say to you before you turn in,” said Stedman. “Before you suggest all these improvements on Ollypybus, you must remember that he has ruled absolutely here for twenty years, and that he does not think much of consuls. He has only seen your predecessor and yourself. He likes you because you appeared with such dignity, and because of the presents; but if I were you, I wouldn’t suggest these improvements as coming from yourself.” “I don’t understand,” said Gordon; “who could they come from?” “Well,” said Stedman, “if you will allow me to advise,--and you see I know these people pretty well,--I would have all these suggestions come from the President direct.”