r two friends, and if they come
down we can follow till we see the _Teaser_ in the offing. We may, I
say, capture them yet."

A sail was hoisted, and in a few minutes we found that the craft went
along easily and well, answering to her helm admirably. Her high
bulwarks gave plenty of shelter, and would, I saw, well conceal our men,
so that we had only to put Ching prominently in sight to pass unnoticed,
or as a Chinese fishing or pleasure boat.

Just then I turned and found him close behind me, rubbing his hands.

"You ask Mr Blooke he likee Ching sit where pilate see him 'gain?" he
said.

"I am sure he would," I replied.

He looked sad again directly, and just touched the sleeve of my Norfolk
jacket with the long nail of his forefinger.

"Ching velly solly," he said.

"What about?"

"Mr Blooke think Ching fliends with pilates. Velly shocking; Ching
hate pilates dleadfully; hollid men."

"Yes, I am sure you do," I said.

The Celestial's face lit up again directly, and he rubbed his hands.

"Ching velly--"

"Yes?" I said, for Mr Brooke called to me from the little cabin
contrived for shelter in the after part of the vessel.

"Look here," he said, as I joined him, "we can keep below here, and
command the river too, without being seen. Why, Herrick, my lad, this
is capital; they will never suspect this Chinese boat to be manned by a
crew of Her Majesty's Jacks."

"Then everything has turned out for the best," I cried eagerly.

"Humph! that remains to be proved, my lad. We've got to return and face
Mr Reardon and the captain, and the first question asked of an officer
who has been entrusted with one of Her Majesty's boats, and who returns
without it, is--What have you done with the boat or ship? We--yes, you
are in the mess, sir--have to go back and say that we have lost it."

"Why, the captain owned to Pat that a thing couldn't be lost when you
knew where it was."

"I don't understand you, my lad," said Mr Brooke.

"Don't you remember about the captain's tea-kettle, sir, that Pat
dropped overboard? It was not lost, because Pat knew where it was--at
the bottom of the sea."

"Oh yes, I remember; but I'm afraid Captain Thwaites will not take that
excuse."

"Why, she has gone down already, sir," I said, as I looked over the side
for the boat we had left.

"Yes; but I can see the grating floating. The coxswain took his jacket
out of the hole."

He pointed to the stout piece of woodwork whi