Then Messenwah advanced before his men
to meet Stedman, and on Stedman's opening and shutting his
hands to show that he was unarmed, the King threw down his
club and spears, and came forward as empty-handed as himself.
"Ah," gasped Bradley, Jr., with his finger trembling on his
lever, "let me take a shot at him now." Gordon struck the
man's gun up, and walked forward in all the glory of his gold
and blue uniform; for both he and Stedman saw now that
Messenwah was more impressed by their appearance, and in the
fact that they were white men, than with any threats of
immediate war. So when he saluted Gordon haughtily, that
young man gave him a haughty nod in return, and bade Stedman
tell the King that he would permit him to sit down. The King
did not quite appear to like this, but he sat down,
nevertheless, and nodded his head gravely.
"Now tell him," said Gordon, "that I come from the ruler of
the greatest nation on earth, and that I recognize Ollypybus
as the only King of this island, and that I come to this
little three-penny King with either peace and presents, or
bullets and war.
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