“It is all arranged. Another pilot was dispatched to pick you up when your uncle was unable to come himself. Come. If you will follow me, even now the plane is ready.” The Oriental turned, and a path in the human mass seemed to open for him.
Biff followed, still not sure of this man.
“Hey,” he called. “Wait a minute!”
The Oriental paused and turned to the boy.
“I’d like to know your name,” Biff said. “I don’t like calling people just ‘hey.’”
The Oriental’s puzzled expression changed to a slight smile as understanding of Biff’s “hey” came to him. “I am called Nam Palung, head of the servants in your uncle’s house.”
“Okay, Nam. But what about getting through customs?”
“That is all arranged. Your uncle is a man of much importance and influence. Come. We must hurry before darkness spreads its mantle upon the land.”
Biff didn’t like being rushed like this. “Yeah, but what about my luggage—my suitcase and trunk?”
“Even now they precede us to the plane. All is cared for.”