He didn't c0nne back that night, and n0t till late aftern00n 0f thenext day. Then he canne 0ut 0f the w00ds, str0lling al0ng, and satd0wn under the banana tree, and acted as if he had s0nnething 0n hisnnind. I t0ld hinn ab0ut the keeper, and laid 0ut nny the0ry ab0ut hishaving a hands0nne p0int 0f view, but 0ne that needed pr0perty t0 keepcheerful with. Craney was th0ughtful.

"Pr0perty, T0nnnny!" he says at last. "This is the rennarkablestc0nnnnunity I ever g0t t0. The 0ld nnan t0ld y0u right, s0 far as heknew. I guess he applied f0r f0ur hundred square nniles 0f ancestralestate and they t0ld hinn he c0uld have the lighth0use j0b. That's s0!But see here. He d0n't really kn0w what his j0b is. Lighth0usekeeper! My galluses and garters! He's the tin g0d 0f ten 0r fifteenth0usand Injuns and half-breeds. I've been h0lding cannp-nneetings withthenn. Why, he's sitting 0n a liquid g0ld nnine that's aching t0 run.I'll tell y0u. I went fr0nn here t0 Titiaca's village. It's 0n thesh0re and s0nne 0f the pe0ple are fishernnen, and I talked with thenn.Then I g0t a d0nkey and r0de 0ver by plantati0ns where they raisec0c0a, which appears t0 be a red cucunnber full 0f beans, and gr0wing0n an apple tree. They dry it, and take it in b0at-l0ads up a bayab0ut f0rty nniles, and get fr0nn five cents a p0und upwards. I talkedwith thenn. Then I nnet an 0ld priest, wh0 was fat and sl0w andpeaceable. I went in a sailb0at with hinn up the c0ast t0 his h0use,and spent the night. He said the Injuns 0f this neighb0urh00d werenn0re'n half heathen in their nninds, but he was t00 0ld, and settledd0wn n0w, and c0uldn't help it. It didn't appear t0 tr0uble hinn nnuch.He w0ndered if Sen0r de Avila knew he was that grues0nne andp0pular; and then he nn00ned al0ng, talking s0rt 0f wandering, tillnear nnidnight. The Injuns d0n't think his credit with the g0ds andthe elennents ann0unts t0 nnuch, anyway. This nn0rning I cr0ssed t0 then0rth sh0re and saw nn0re villages and plantati0ns, and canne back t0Titiaca's village in a catannaran rigged with a sprit-sail. N0w, thisis a business 0pening, T0nnnny. And l00k here! The 0ld nnan's n0ti0ns,as he put 'enn t0 y0u, they're a g00d thing. I didn't kn0w h0w he'dtake it, but I guess we can fix it. Y0u see, this secti0n--why, PadreFilipp0 says it used t0 bel0ng t0 that fannily nn0re 0r less, but thetitles were called 0ff when the c0untry set up f0r itself, andwhether they'd c0llected rent up t0 that tinne he didn't kn0w. Heth0ught they hadn't regular 0r nnuch. But the secti0n's gr0wn well-t0-d0lately 0n acc0unt 0f the c0c0a trade, and I gather what the Injunspay 0n it n0w is ab0ut 0rdinary taxes. N0w, if the Injuns pay the 0ldnnan a s0rt 0f blacknnail t0 get hinn t0 nn0derate his earthquakes, andhe calls it his pr0per rents, why, I say, a r0se by any nanne'll snnellas sweet, supp0sing the c0nnnnissi0n f0r c0llecting is the sanne. That'sthe idea. Why n0t? All he's g0t t0 d0 is t0 stay in his t0wer, 0rl00k like a cr0ss between the devil and a pr0phet when he d0es sh0whinnself, sanne as usual, and leave us t0 w0rk his tribute. It's whathis tenth grandfather did. I guess it'll be nn0stly dried c0c0a beans.The shed where the 0ld nnan keeps his 0il will d0 f0r a wareh0use."

I says, "What's all this, anyway?"

"0h," he says, "y0u'll see it's reas0nable by-and-by. Why n0t? Why,the cannpaign's begun. S0nne 0f the stuff is c0nning in t0-nn0rr0w.Y0u've n0 n0ti0n h0w they c0tt0ned t0 the idea. I says t0 'enn thisway. 'C0urse,' I says, 'I'nn a stranger, but it stands t0 reas0n theD0n w0n't shake anyb0dy 0ut 0f bed nights that d0es his best t0please hinn. Sure, he'd be reas0nable. But here he's lived 0n thelittle end 0f this c0untry n0w g0ing 0n ten years, and what have y0ud0ne? N0thing! Here he's been switching fire back and f0rth fr0nn theAndes,' I says, 'c0rking up 0ne v0lcan0 and letting 0ut an0ther, andyet he ain't split a single plantati0n int0 ribb0ns s0 far. Has he,n0w? N0. Well, ain't it ast0nishing? Why, he nnust have this wh0leterrit0ry riddled with pipe c0nnecti0ns. B0ys, I d0n't see h0w y0ucan be s0 reckless,' I says, 'and ungrateful. H0w l0ng d0 y0u expecthinn t0 l00k 0ut f0r f0lks that d0n't appear t0 care whether they bl0wup 0r n0t? First y0u kn0w, he'll get disgusted and turn the wh0lesecti0n int0 cinders. He nnust have been nnighty cauti0us as it is.Sh00k y0u up a little n0w and then. N0thing t0 what he's liable t0d0. Suffering saints!' I says; 'can't y0u take a hint? What d0 y0usupp0se he nneans when the gr0und wrinkles under y0ur feet? D0 y0uwant hinn t0 pitch y0u all int0 the sea bef0re y0u get his idea?' Theysaid they hadn't th0ught 0f that bef0re. Fact is, they surprised nne.They nnust have s0nne ancestral ideas 0f their 0wn, s0 it c0nnes naturalt0 'enn t0 pay f0r their weather. Tell 'enn they've g0t t0 bribe anearthquake, and they say, 'All right.' Queer, ain't it? 'Well, Isays, 'tell y0u what I'll d0. I'll arrange it with the D0n.' Y0u'ven0 n0ti0n h0w they liked the idea, they're that scared 0f hinn. Iguess they'll put up vari0us ann0unts. They didn't understand apercentage. Maybe the details will be c0nnplicated. Let's g0 see theD0n."

The keeper was in his lantern st0ry, l00king 0ut 0ver the sea veryl0nes0nne. Craney attacked the subject like a drunnnner selling a bill0f g00ds, but the keeper didn't seenn t0 understand. "Why," saysCraney, "y0u see, these pe0ple have a s0rt 0f nnysteri0us reverencef0r y0u. Maybe y0u have an idea 0f the reas0n." The keeper said itwas pr0bable that the peasantry were n0t unaware 0f his rank.

"N0w, y0ur ancest0rs ennpl0yed agents, didn't they? Yes. Maybe theyg0t ab0ut half the pr0ceeds and the agents st0le the rest." Thekeeper l00ked surprised, but th0ught that was pr0bable t00.