aman, by himself."

Nothing did happen. Ollypybus and Messenwah began to breathe more
freely. They believed the new king had succeeded in frightening the
German vessel away forever. But the new king upset their hopes by
telling them that the Germans had undoubtedly already landed, and had
probably killed the three messengers.

"Now then," he said, with pleased expectation, as Stedman and he seated
themselves in the cable office at three o'clock, "open it up and let's
find out what sort of an impression we have made."

Stedman's face, as the answer came in to his first message of greeting,
was one of strangely marked disapproval.

"What does he say?" demanded Gordon, anxiously.

"He hasn't done anything but swear yet," answered Stedman, grimly.

"What is he swearing about?"

"He wants to know why I left the cable yesterday. He says he has been
trying to call me up for the last twenty-four hours ever since I sent my
message at three o'clock The home office is jumping mad, and want me
discharged. They won't do that, though," he said, in a cheerful aside,
"because they haven't paid me my salary for the last eight months. He
says--great Scott! this will please you, Gordon--he says that there have
been over two hundred queries for matter from papers all over the United
States, and from Europe. Your paper beat them on the news, and now the
home office is packed with San Francisco reporters, and the telegrams
are coming in every minute, and they have been abusing him for not
answering them, and he says that I'm a fool. He wants as much as you can
send, and all the details. He says all the papers will have to put 'By
Yokohama Cable Company' on the top of each message they print, and that
that is advertising the company, and is sending the stock up. It rose
fifteen points on 'change in San Francisco to-day, and the president and
the other officers are buying--"

"Oh, I don't want to hear about their old company," snapped out Gordon,
pacing up and down in despair. "What am I to do? that's what I want to
know. Here I have the whole country stirred up and begging for news. On
their knees for it, and a cable all to myself and the only man on the
spot, and nothing to say. I'd just like to know how long that German
idiot intends to wait before he begins shelling this town and killing
people. He has put me in a most absurd position."

"Here's a message for you, Gordon," said Stedman, with business-like
calm. "Albert Gordon, Co