ngs, and what a bitter thing it was to turn and
confess what they would jeer at and call "funk." It was hard work
indeed.

"I don't care," I muttered. "I know they'll protest and say they don't
want to come, but be very glad to come away all the time. I will
speak."

Just then that horrible Chinaman turned to me with his round fat face,
all smiling and delighted.

"You velly glad you come?" he said. "You feel velly happy?"

My mind was made up at this, and I spoke out.

"No," I said in a husky whisper. "I didn't know we had come to see
this. I shall go."

"What?" said Barkins, with a forced laugh. "Look here, Blacksmith, he's
showing the white feather."

"Ho! ho!" laughed Smith. "Come, Gnat, I thought you had a little more
spirit in you. Serve the beggars right."

"Yes, I know that," I said firmly enough now, as I looked at their
faces, which, in spite of the masks they had assumed, looked ghastly;
"and I daresay I haven't pluck enough to sit it out. But I don't care
for your grins; I'm not ashamed to say that I shall go."

"Oh, well, if you feel that it would upset you," said Barkins, in a tone
of voice full of protest, "I suppose that we had better see you off, and
go somewhere else."

"Poof!" ejaculated Smith in a low tone. "Look at him, Gnat; he's in
just as much of a stew as you are. Well, it's too bad of you both, but
if you must go, why, I suppose we must."

"You beggar!" snarled Barkins angrily. "Why, you're worse than I am.
Look at him, Gnat! There, I will own it. I felt sick as soon as I knew
what was going to happen, but I won't be such a bumptious, bragging
sneak as he is. Look at his face. It's green and yellow. He wants to
go worse than we do."

Smith did not seem to be listening, for his starting eyes were fixed
upon the far right-hand gate, over which there was a kind of pagoda, and
he rose from his seat.

"Come on at once," he whispered, "they're going to begin."

"Confessed!" whispered Barkins, pinching my knee. "Come on then quick,
Gnat, old man; it's too horrid."

We all rose together, and were in the act of turning when a low hoarse
murmur rose from behind, and we saw that a crowd of angry faces were
gazing at us, and that they were nearly all armed men.

But before we had recovered from our surprise, Ching had caught my arm
and pressed me to my seat.

"No go now," he whispered, with a look of alarm in his face, and he
leaned over me and dragged my companion