When the man had made the sign secure he turned about and saw Frip. "Hello," he cried, coming toward him, "when did you arrive?" "Just now," said Frip. "There's my boat." "Oh," said the man, "so you came in a boat, eh? Very commonplace--very. _I_ came on a Christmas tree." Now you may think it was decidedly queer for a person to say such a thing as that, but the Prince did not, because when he was close to the stranger he saw he was nothing more or less than a Gingerbread Man, although unusually large for his species. "Yes," went on the Gingerbread Man, "I came on a Christmas tree, and I tell you it was rather exciting." "I should think so," remarked Frip. "Of course it was a mistake that I got overboard," said the Gingerbread Man. "All they meant to do was to throw the Christmas tree overboard after the celebration on the ocean liner. But I was fastened to the top and they forgot to take me off. Well, I floated for days and days and had about decided to try and lose my reason to keep from going insane, when, without the slightest warning, up out of the sea, right under my nose, popped this island." "What do you mean 'popped this island'?" asked the Prince. "It didn't really pop out of the ocean, did it?" "It certainly did," replied the Gingerbread Man. "One moment I was straining my eyes looking for an island, and the next moment there it was." "Then," cried Frip, excitedly, "it must have been just when the royal necromancer created the island for me to play with." And with that he told the Gingerbread Man how Wist the Wise had made the island by magic at the command of the Emperor. "And," he went on, "it was mighty lucky for you that I happened to ask my father for a desert island, otherwise you might be floating about the sea yet." "Yes," said the Gingerbread Man, "it certainly was and I cannot thank you enough, for it not only saved my life, but it has given me a chance to go into business for myself." He pointed to the real estate sign. "It seemed a shame for all this land to go to waste so I've marked it out into building lots, and as the different people are shipwrecked here, as of course they will be, I'll sell them the lots. See?" "Yes," said Frip, "I see. But suppose they won't buy the lots?" "Then," said the Gingerbread Man, firmly, "they've got to get off the island. Business is business. I found the place first and it belongs to me." "Belongs to you," cried the Prince. "Well, I guess not. Why, it was '_made_' for me. Didn't I just tell you it was made for me?" "Oh, yes," said the Gingerbread Man, "you told me, but that doesn't make it so, does it? And I did get here first, you can't deny that. And findings are keepings, you can't deny that, either. And whoever wants to stay here has _got_ to buy a lot." And having made that announcement, he turned on his heel and walked away, frowning like anything.