“I’ve called this meeting in order to give you a chance to say to my face some of the things you are saying behind my back.  Thank God, all of you men understand English.  I want you to hear what Von Blitz has to say in public, and then I want you to hear what I say to him.  Incidentally, you may have something to say for yourselves.  In the first place, I want you all to understand just how I stand in respect to my duties as your legal representative.  Von Blitz and Rasula and others, I hear, have undertaken to discredit my motives as the agent of your London advisers.  Let me say, right here, that the man who says that I have played you false in the slightest degree, is a liar—­a damned liar, if you prefer it that way.  You have been told that I am selling you out to the lawyers for the opposition.  That is lie number one.  You have been led to believe that I make false reports to your London solicitors.  Lie number two.  You have been poisoned with the story that I covet certain women in this town—­too numerous to mention, I believe.  That is lie number three.  They are all beautiful, my friends, but I wouldn’t have one of ’em as a gift.

“For the past few nights my home has been watched.  I want to announce to you that if I see anybody hanging around the bungalow after to-day, I’m going to put a bullet through him, just as I would through a dog.  Please bear that in mind.  Now, to come down to Von Blitz.  You can’t drive me out of this island, old man.  You have lied about me ever since I beat you up that night.  You are sacrificing the best interests of these people in order to gratify a personal spite, in order to wreak a personal vengeance.  Stop!  You can talk when I have finished.  You have set spies upon my track.  You have told these husbands that their wives need watching.  You have turned them against me and against their wives, who are as pure and virtuous as the snow which you never see. (God, forgive me!) All this, my friend, in order to get even with me.  I don’t ask you to retract anything you’ve said.  I only intend you to know that I can crush you as I would a peanut, if you know what that is.  You——­”

Von Blitz, foaming with rage, broke in:  “I suppose you vill call out der warships!  We are not fools!  You can fool some of——­”

“Now, see here, Von Blitz, I’ll show whether I can call out a warship whenever I need one.  I have never intended to ask naval help except in case of an attack by our enemies up at the chateau.  You can’t believe that I seek to turn those big guns against my own clients—­the clients I came out here to serve with my life’s blood if necessary.  But, hear me, you Dutch lobster!  I can have a British man-of-war here in ten hours to take you off this island and hang you from a yard arm on the charge of conspiracy against the Crown.”

Von Blitz and Rasula laughed scornfully and turned to the crowd.  The latter began to harangue his fellows.  “This man is a—­a—­” he began.