ong will it be before he has run down?"

"I don't know," I whispered. "But look, aren't those like some of the
men we saw by the gates?"

I drew his attention to about half-a-dozen fierce-looking men in showy
coats and lacquered hats, who came up to the garden, stared hard at us,
and then walked in. Each of them, I noticed, wore a sword, and a kind
of dagger stuck in his belt, and this made me at once recall their
offensive looks and contemptuous manner towards us, and think of how far
we were away from the ship, and unarmed, save for the ornamental dirks
which hung from our belts, weapons that would have been, even if we had
known how to use them, almost like short laths against the Chinamen's
heavy, broad-bladed, and probably sharp swords.

"I say, Gnat," whispered Barkins, "those must be the chaps we saw at the
mandarin's gate. Never mind; we'll ask them to have something as soon
as old Ching has finished his howling."

But that did not seem likely to be for some time, and I began to think,
as I sat there noticing how the men were gradually closing in upon us,
that our position was not very safe, right away from the landing-place,
and that we had done wrong in stopping so long where we were. I knew
that the Chinese were obsequious and humble enough so long as they were
face to face with a stronger power, but if they had the upper hand,
cruel and merciless to any one not of their own nation, and that it was
wiser to give them a wide berth.

Then I began to think that the captain had been too ready to believe in
our prestige in giving us leave to go, and that we should have been
wiser if we had stayed on board. Finally, I had just come to the
conclusion that we ought to stop Ching in his howling or singing, which
grew more and more vehement as he saw that his audience was increasing,
when Smith jogged my elbow.

"I say," he whispered, "let's get away from here."

"Why?" I said, to get to know what he thought.

"Because I'm afraid those chaps with the swords mean mischief."

"I say, lads," said Barkins, leaning towards us, "aren't those chaps
crowding us up rather? What do they mean? Here, I'm senior, and the
skipper said I was to take care of you youngsters. We'll go back to the
wharf at once."

"What's the good?" said Smith. "The boat won't be there to fetch us off
till sundown."

"Never mind, let's get away from here," said Barkins decisively; "we
don't want to get in a row with the Chinese, an