"The Chinaman says, sir--"
"Don't tell me what the Chinaman says, sir!" cried the lieutenant
fiercely.
"But it was about the pirates, sir."
"Eh? What?" cried our superior officer, suddenly changing his tone.
"Has he some idea?"
"Yes, sir. No, sir."
"Mr Barkins! What do you mean, sir?"
"He thinks we shall never catch them, sir," stammered my messmate, who
could see punishment writ large in the lieutenant's face.
"Confound the Chinaman, sir!" roared the lieutenant. "So do I; so does
Captain Thwaites."
He spoke so loudly that this gentleman heard him from where he was
slowly marching up and down, talking to the marine officer, and he
turned and came towards us.
"In trouble, young gentlemen?" he said quietly. "Pray what does Captain
Thwaites?" he added, turning to the chief officer.
"I beg your pardon, sir. I was a little exasperated. These young
gentlemen, upon my reproving them for idling, have hatched up a
cock-and-bull story--at least Mr Barkins has."
"I beg pardon, sir; it was not a--not a--not a--"
"Cock-and-bull story, Mr Herrick," said the captain, smiling at my
confusion, for I had rushed into the gap. "Then pray what was it?"
I told him all that Ching had said, and the captain nodded his head
again and again as I went on.
"Yes," he said at last, "I'm afraid he is right, Reardon. It is worth
thinking about. What do you say to my sending you and Mr Brooke in a
couple of junks?"
They walked off together, and we heard no more.
"Oh, how I should like to punch old Dishy's head!" said Barkins between
his teeth.
"Don't take any notice," said Smith; "it's only because he can't get a
chance to sink a pirate. I don't believe there's one anywhere about the
blessed coast."
"Sail ho!" cried the man at the mast-head, and all was excitement on the
instant, for after all the strange sail might prove to be a pirate.
"Away on the weather bow, sir, under the land!" cried the man in answer
to hails from the deck; and then, before glasses could be adjusted and
brought to bear, he shouted--
"She's ashore, sir--a barque--fore--topmast gone, and--she's afire."
The _Teaser's_ course was altered directly, and, helped by a favouring
breeze, we ran down rapidly towards the wreck, which proved to be
sending up a thin column of smoke, and soon after this was visible from
the deck.