" says the conjurer. "You wanted to
see something. I hope you're content."

The big fellow turns white, gulps, gives a bellow, and makes a rush;
but the conjurer isn't there, nor his screen nor anything.

Everybody in the room was white and shaken--all but the sea-captain. He
just tamps his pipe as if nothing had happened, and smokes on. He
doesn't even take a drink from his glass.

And a little while later an Irish chieftain walks in. He's poor and
ragged and very thin. You might know he'd been fighting the heathen
for the Holy sepulchre, and so entitled to respect, no matter what his
condition. And behind him are five clansmen as ragged as he. But a
big German trooper rolls up.

"And what are you?" says the big, burly fellow.

"A gentleman, I hope," says the ragged chief.

"'Tis yourself that says it," laughs the German trooper. The chieftain
snicks the knife from his armpit, and sticks him in the jugular as neat
as be damned.

"You'd might take that out, Kevin Beg"--the Irish chief points to the
killed man--"and throw it in the canal. Somebody might stumble over it
and bark their shins."

Now this, as you can conceive, roused a powerful commotion in the room.
They were all on their feet, captains and mariners and men-at-arms,
cheering or grumbling, and arguing the rights and wrongs of the matter.
All but the sea-captain, who saw it all, and he never blinked an
eyelid, never even missed a draw of the pipe.

And then Marco Polo knew him to be a Chinaman, because, as all the
world knows, Chinamen are never surprised at anything.

CHAPTER IV

So Marco Polo goes over and salutes him politely.

"I wonder if you mind my sitting down by you for a while," he says. "I
perceive you're from China."

The sea-captain waves him politely to his place.

"I'm from China." He smiles. "You guessed right."

"Is it long since you've been in China?"

"Well, that depends upon what you call long," says the captain. "If you
mean time, it's one thing. If you mean voyage, it's another. For
you've got to take into account," says he, "adverse winds, roundabout
turns to avoid currents, possible delays to have the ship scraped free
from the parasite life that does be attaching itself to the strakes,
time spent in barter and trade. Other matters, too; the attacks of
pirates; cross-grained princes who don't want you to be leaving their
ports with a good cargo in your hold; sickness; loss of sails and
masts; repair