"So it does, but they all have a king just the same."
"But who would have thought of finding so well educated a man on one of these islands," Bob said.
"Most of their head men are more or less educated," his uncle told him. "I imagine you'll find that fellow has been to school and maybe to college in England or France."
"How long are you going to stay here?" Jack asked.
"Not more than a couple of days, I reckon."
"Did you ask him if we could get oil?" Bob asked.
"No, but I will tonight. I'm pretty certain we can."
"Suppose we can't?" Jack asked.
"Then we'll have to load on some coal. We can burn coal as well as oil, you know. By the way, if you want to see some real swimming and diving go over to the rail and throw a dime in the water."
There were perhaps twenty boys, naked save for a loin cloth, sitting on the edge of the wharf as the two boys reached the railing at a point some ten feet away from the side of the pier.