The inhabitants of Japat, standing upon their rights as part owners of the mines and as prospective heirs to the entire fortune of Messrs. Skaggs and Wyckholme, had been prompt to protect themselves in a legal sense.  They had leagued themselves together as one interest and had engaged the services of eminent solicitors in London, who were to represent them in the final settlement of the estate.  London was to be the battle ground in the coming conflict.  A committee of three had journeyed to England to put the matter in the hands of these lawyers and were now returning to the island with a representative of the firm, who was coming out to stand guard, so to speak.  Von Blitz, the German superintendent, was the master mind in the native contingent.  It was he who planned and developed the course of action.  The absent committee was composed of Ben Adi, Abdallah Ben Sabbat and Rasula, the Aratat lawyer.  They were truly wise men from the East—­old, shrewd, crafty and begotten of Mahomet.

The mines continued to be operated as usual, pending the arrival of the executors’ representative, who, as we know, was now on the ground in the person of Thomas Saunders.  The fact that he also served as legal adviser to Lady Deppingham was not of sufficient moment to disturb the arrangements on either side.  Every one realised that he could have no opportunity to exercise a prejudice, if he dared to have one.  Saunders blinked his eyes nervously when Bowles made this pointed observation.

As for the American heir, Robert Browne, he had not yet arrived.  He was coming by steamer from the west, according to report, and was probably on the Boswell, Sumatra to Madagascar, due off Aratat in two or three days.  Mr. Bowles jocosely inferred that it should be a very happy family at the chateau, with the English and American heirs ever ready to heave things at one another, regardless of propriety or the glassware.

“The islanders,” said Mr. Bowles, lighting a cigarette, “it looks to me, have all the best of the situation.  They get the property whether they marry or not, while the original beneficiaries have to marry each other or get off the island at the end of the year.  Most of the islanders have got three or four wives already.  I daresay the legators took that into consideration when they devised the will.  Von Blitz, the German, has three and is talking of another.”

“You mean to say that they can have as many wives as they choose?” demanded Saunders, wrinkling his brow.

“Yes, just so long as they don’t choose anybody else’s.”

Saunders was buried in thought for a long time, then he exclaimed, unconsciously aloud: 

“My word!”

“Eh?” queried Bowles, arousing himself.

“I didn’t say anything,” retorted Saunders, looking up into the tree tops.

In the course of an hour—­a soft, sleepy hour, too, despite the wondrous novelty of the scene and the situation—­the travellers came into view of the now famous chateau.