our information may
mean some good active service for us. Here, Ching," he whispered, "you
have not told the men anything about our business?"

Ching shut his eyes and shook his head solemnly.

"Velly muchee keepee mouf shut," he said, with the addition now of a few
nods of the head. "Nobody but Ching an' officer know."

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

GETTING WARM.

The men were in high glee, and, had they not been checked, would have
sent the boat spinning up the river, in their delight to escape from the
monotony of harbour-life, and the natural love there is in Englishmen
for a bit of sport.

"Steady, my lads," said Mr Brooke quietly. "Just give her headway, and
back water the moment I speak."

I did not hear what one of the men whispered to his messmate, but I saw
his face as he leaned forward, and it certainly suggested to me that he
said--

"They mean some of the tame ducks to make sure."

"No, we do not, my man," said Mr Brooke, and I stared at him in
astonishment, that he should have taken the same idea as I had.

The man coloured through his tan, and Mr Brooke; said in a low voice to
me--

"Our work's cut out, Herrick; how are we to pick out the right two junks
from all this crowd?"

"I don't know, sir," I said. "But I don't fancy they would be down here
where other people might talk about them. I should think they would be
up the river."

"Well, we must find them, my lad, so use our brains as much as you can,
and if you see a junk with a very evil-looking lot aboard, just give me
a hint as we pass."

"I'll ask Ching what he thinks, sir."

Mr Brooke nodded, and I turned to the interpreter, who was squatting in
the bottom of the boat right aft, his eyes half shut, and apparently
taking no heed of anything.

"How are we to know which are the junks we want, Ching?" I said.

"Oh, velly soon find," he said. "Ching look along. Not these. Pilate
boat big and tall. Empty. No got big calgo aboard. Stand high up now.
Velly full and low down when full of plize-money."

"Then you don't think they are down here?"

He shook his head as he glanced at the various forms of trading-boat
moored off the town, from the tiny sampan to the heavy, clumsy
mat-sailed vessel, whose stern towered up, and whose great bamboo yards
looked as if they must be perfectly unmanageable.

"What do you think we had better do, then--row about here and watch?"

"No good," he said; "makee men low fast light up liver, f