th the great world.

The three new boys were initiated into the crafthood which was ever
widening and gaining new recruits. The natives showed remarkable
aptitude for the various branches of work. But the Professor and Blakely
had other ideas than to train too many of them to labor in the
mechanical lines.

Here was a land, rich in soil, capable of growing any crop, or adapted
to give up its bounty in the form of many valuable kinds of produce.
Rubber, coffee, spices, cocoanuts, the finest fibers, in variety, and
all of them now growing wild.

This land must be occupied and tilled by a people adapted to the soil
and climate. The principles of agriculture must be instilled. What a
wonderful work to contemplate!

The schoolhouse was ready, but there were no books. Robert had taken the
preliminary lessons as an artist, and was very handy with the brush and
pencil. Entirely on his own initiative, he prepared a set of letters,
containing the caps of the alphabet, and these were cut out by him, and
the work so delighted the Professor that he instructed the boys how to
cast the whole series at one time, so that a good stock of type was
finally turned out.

"I have an idea," said Robert, "that it would be a good thing to put
some pictures in the primer; just enough to make it look attractive."

"That would be fun," answered Min. "Don't say anything to the Professor
about it."

The latter had already arranged a simple press, but when the latter was
nearing completion, Roy burst out laughing, as he remarked: "Type is a
good thing, and so is a printing press, but I am interested in knowing
where we are going to get the paper."

"Paper?" exclaimed George; "lots of it growing all about here." And he
looked at the boys a little maliciously. "All we need to do is to go out
and gather it."

"Paper growing? Well, I have seen many things here, but that is
something new to me."

"Do you know what the plantain tree is, the tree, with the big sprawling
leaves? Those leaves will make good sheets for printing on."

The Professor heard the last part of the conversation, and remarked: "We
might as well make paper, and I have already asked Harry to make a
grinder for furnishing the pulp. We have the finest paper stock in the
world."

"Yes," exclaimed George; "the ramie."

"No; not that. There is a reason why hemp, and many other fibers are
better than that. Do you recall the peculiarity about ramie?"

[Illustration: "_The part